Texas Nurse Extern- Academic Credit?

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 16, 2016

I went to school in AZ, but no, college credit was not earned for the program. The very tangible benefit was paid employment in healthcare, learning the nursing role, and networking with the units to which you could be hired after graduation.

How would that work, practically speaking? Would you get to skip a certain amount of your clinical rotation through school? Would you graduate before the rest of your class? Just trying to figure out how you would imagine this would play out.

kakamegamama · Oct 16, 2016

I've never heard of nursing programs giving credit for nurse externships. One thing to keep in mind is that UTTyler is part of a system, and they may have a system wide policy about things such as that. So, even if someone at UTT thought it was a great idea but the system had a policy that didn't support that, it wouldn't matter. Also, it's possible that accreditation agencies won't give credit to nursing programs for student hours if they accept this type of thing. Students have to have "x" numbers of hours of clinical--under the auspice of the nursing program--in order for them to maintain their accreditation and BON approval, and for students to graduate.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I think a nursing extern isn't usually an actual internship or externship as normally thought of. It isn't necessarily a college course. Nursing programs usually utilize a preceptorship where you work 1 on 1 with an RN. The externs are usually glorified nursing assistants. I really kind of doubt the you work with the RN as an extern. The nurse externs had more duties such as they could enter medications in or straight cath.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I think a nursing extern isn't usually an actual internship or externship as normally thought of. It isn't necessarily a college course. Nursing programs usually utilize a preceptorship where you work 1 on 1 with an RN. The externs are usually glorified nursing assistants. I really kind of doubt the you work with the RN as an extern. The nurse externs had more duties such as they could enter medications in or straight cath.

When I worked as a nurse extern, my duties and scope of practice were explicitly outlined by the BON. It was not a "glorified CNA" position. I could not do anything with IVs or medications per our BON, but other than that, I could do everything a nurse could do. In L&D, that meant putting in catheters, doing lady partsl exams, charting, calling physicians, everything. It was actually a wonderful experience, and I felt pretty well prepared as a new nurse after a year of being an extern.

I did work 1:1 with a specific nurse preceptor during that year. If she called in sick, I didn't work either.

The school was not in any way involved with the placement, nor did they follow my progress. It was a hospital position for which I was eligible once I had completed my first full year of nursing school.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2016

When I worked as a nurse extern, my duties and scope of practice were explicitly outlined by the BON. It was not a "glorified CNA" position. I could not do anything with IVs or medications per our BON, but other than that, I could do everything a nurse could do. In L&D, that meant putting in catheters, doing lady partsl exams, charting, calling physicians, everything. It was actually a wonderful experience, and I felt pretty well prepared as a new nurse after a year of being an extern.
I did work 1:1 with a specific nurse preceptor during that year. If she called in sick, I didn't work either.
The school was not in any way involved with the placement, nor did they follow my progress. It was a hospital position for which I was eligible once I had completed my first full year of nursing school.

Wow, what an awesome opportunity.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 17, 2016

Normally, an externship is a collaborative process, developed by the hospital and one or more academic partners. That is what is supposed to differentiate an "externship" from "internship" - the latter is strictly a hospital program with no academic relationship.

However, if you can obtain a formal document that contains enough specificity - exact number of hours, listing of the activities to be completed, qualifications of the preceptor, criteria for measurement (grading) of outcomes, etc... you may be able to get your school to accept it as an independent study. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I disagree with HouTex on one point: I don't see any consistency in the use of the words "externship" and "internship" with relation to academic credit, partnering with schools, etc. It seems to me that each hospital uses those words as they see fit without any national consensus.

However, I agree with her on the point about trying to get it as credit for an "independent study." I coordinate a summer extern program that has hired students from many different schools in different parts of the country. We are not affiliated with any particular school and don't offer any academic credit. But some of our externs have gotten credit from their schools for independent studies by writing a few papers, etc.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 18, 2016

Wow, what an awesome opportunity.

It was! I think every hospital should do it. Once I get fully immersed in my new position, I want to get involved in trying to bring a similar program to my current hospital.

grit&grace · Oct 18, 2016

The program that you describe is the same type of program I'm applying to in Tyler, TX. You work 1:1 with your nurse preceptor during the shifts. The catch-22 is that you have to agree to sign on with them for 2 years after you are finished with your nurse externship (if they want you). It would be great if you could bring a similar program to your hospital. There are an overflowing number of applicants for ours!

grit&grace · Oct 18, 2016

Thanks everyone for your help! Looks like the consensus is to push for getting it qualified as an independent study. I'll get on it :)

grit&grace · Oct 18, 2016

Yes, I have heard of hospitals where the programs are like that- luckily this isn't one. I work as a unit tech/CNA at the same hospital now and am applying as a nurse extern on my same floor. The nurse externs stay with their nurses and work with them during the day- they also have the unit techs preforming their regular unit tech/CNA duties on the floor. The preceptor for the nurse extern is the same throughout the semester, so they have incentive to get you trained so you can be extra hands for them during the day. Its really a unique educational opportunity and there are quite a few applicants for the program each fall and spring- you have to be in the top 15% of your class- I'm not sure how strict that component ends up being- they just go off of your faculty references, and faculty don't have access to class rankings at our program. Our advisors don't even have access to class rankings. But you do need 2 faculty references, 2 peer references, an essay, an interview, roughly top 15% of your class, and a commitment to work at the hospital for 2 years after graduation.