Nursing students gain invaluable experience in eight week Nurse Extern Program
Each summer, our Nurse Extern Program provides Junior BSN students with a rewarding 8-week paid preceptorship. These future nurses gain invaluable knowledge daily to build the strong foundation necessary to launch a great nursing career.
At Northwell, we’re dedicated to helping our nursing externs develop the skills they need to help deliver the best care possible to our patients. “I learned and practiced essential nursing skills but most importantly, I gained confidence in my ability to care for and advocate for my patients,” says Toni Barbarino, an extern at North Shore University Hospital this past summer. “I will carry the lessons I learned this summer with me throughout my entire nursing career.”
The education doesn’t stop at the bedside. Throughout the program, there are educational in-services presented by our nurse educators and leadership. “Nurse externs spend eight weeks of the summer working with the best nurse educators, RN preceptors and team members gaining knowledge and confidence as the begin their Senior year,” says Ellen Lorenz, RN, BSN and program manager of nursing fellowships and recruiting. And the externs agree! Mary Ellen Zarriello, an extern at Long Island Jewish Hospital, adds, “From the first day of the summer program through the last, the nurse educators made every effort to ensure that I, and my fellow externs, had exceptional opportunities for professional and personal growth.”
This isn’t just a summer externship, it’s a stepping stone. “Our goal is to hire our externs at Northwell when they graduate,” says Ellen. Students in the extern program not only develop a strong skill set while they’re still in school, but they’re building lasting relationships with future peers. Most importantly, their passion and commitment to patients is only strengthened as they gain unique experience in real life settings.
And the program’s only growing! This year’s 2018 program hosted over 70 nurse externs at 13 hospitals, more than 2017’s 60 externs and nearly double the number from 2015. As it continues to expand, our Nurse Extern Program is helping more and more nursing students achieve their full potential to start a great nursing career.
By investing in our students today, we’re helping to redefine health care for years to come. This program not only allows for externs to learn from nurses with years of experience but introduces them to settings they won’t see in their clinical rotations. Nursing students finish their summer with a better understanding of the full spectrum of nursing, and an ignited passion to finish becoming a registered nurse.
Are you Made for the future of nursing? Learn more about our Nurse Extern Program here!
Hear from 2018’s summer Nurse Externs on why they loved our Nurse Extern Program:
“Being a nurse extern at North Shore University Hospital was truly a once in a lifetime experience. My favorite program feature was working one on one with my preceptor. My preceptor was patient with me as I learned, took time to teach me all that she could, and helped me gain confidence in my skills and myself! At the Golden Ticket Event a statement was made that this program transforms you from a student to a nurse, and that is exactly what it did! Thanks to Northwell I know that I am made for this!”
“I was a nurse extern at North Shore University Hospital for the Summer of 2018 where I worked one on one with a nurse in the Operating Room. I truly got to see what it is like to work as a nurse by working three 12-hour shifts per week for the first time. I loved being in the operating room because this area is not a part of my clinical rotations in nursing school. Being placed one on one with a nurse made the experience feel so personal and gave me so much time to ask questions. The nurse educators always went out of their way to make sure we were getting the best experience possible. This was a learning experience unlike anything else I have ever had, and I cannot be more thankful for what it has done for me. Going into my senior year of college, I feel more prepared and motivated than ever before to finish nursing school with this background.”
“The Northwell Health Summer Nurse Externship was an invaluable experience that provided me with the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the most exceptional educators, preceptors, and staff. Each shift I was challenged to grow my bank of knowledge and skills, all of which will be imperative in my future career as a registered nurse. This externship gave me the opportunity to be a part of simulation experiences, as well as be a member of the healthcare team. I am so grateful for the confidence and practical experience this program provided me with.”
“This summer I had the opportunity to be a Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center Nurse Extern. This externship provided me the skills and confidence that no other opportunity would have given me. I made amazing memories, met incredible people and worked with some of the best pediatric health care providers. Being in the pediatric intensive care unit has always been a dream of mine and this externship experience has only reinforced my dreams of being a PICU nurse. I look forward to the amazing experiences Northwell has to offer and I am extremely grateful for this past summer.”
“This program helped me further prepare for the transition from a nursing student to an RN. I was truly submerged into the all-around patient care from team meetings with other health care professionals, to hands on nursing care working side by side with my RN, and independently communicating with patients and families. Entering my final semester of nursing school, I am feeling most confident about my skills and feeling that I have tied together everything I have learned in school from this externship.”
“The Northwell Health Summer Nurse Externship Program can only be described in one word…invaluable. Every moment of my summer was filled with experiences that cannot be matched by any other healthcare system or clinical site. My time in the Surgical ICU at Long Island Jewish Medical Center was transformative in my nursing education. I am excited for my last year of nursing school and for my career ahead knowing that I have been exposed to such a high standard of healthcare as a part of this program. This program has transformed me from a nursing student to a confident nurse professional.”
“The Nurse Extern program was a deeply rewarding experience that has not only helped me develop and strengthen clinical skills, but most importantly taught me the value and significance of patient and family centered care. Northwell Health, especially Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is filled with dedicated employees who were beyond supportive and welcoming throughout the duration of the program. As I move on within the nursing profession, I will always value the opportunities the externship has provided and treasure the memories it has created.”
“Northwell Health’s Summer Nurse Extern program is the perfect combination of education and on the job experience. I found myself applying prior knowledge learned in school, as well as new knowledge I acquired from my amazing preceptor in the clinical setting at Glen Cove Hospital. The training and education I received completely prepared me for my future endeavors as an RN. This Nurse Externship left me feeling like I really made a difference and contributed to the well being of the patients who I cared for. The best part about this program was the one on one collaboration it offered to each and every student! I feel super confident entering my final year of nursing school, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity with Northwell Health.”
“The Northwell Health Nurse Externship was truly a life changing experience. The program has changed me not only as a nursing student, but as a person as well. This past summer I gained skills, knowledge, and developed competency as a nursing student, but what I am most thankful for is the confidence this program afforded me. With the support of my preceptors, nurse managers and nurse educators I was able to conquer competencies that I never thought possible as a student. Thanks to the Northwell Health Nurse Externship I begin my senior year of nursing school confident in my skills and with an even more intense passion for the nursing profession. This program has left me both excited and eager to begin pursuing a career in nursing and has made me sure that I am made for this!”
“I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to work as a Northwell Health Summer Nurse Extern at Southside Hospital. The guidance and clinical expertise that I received from my preceptors and educators were invaluable. I truly enjoyed my experience and I look forward to using the knowledge and skills that I learned this summer in clinical this year.”
“At the beginning of the externship program, I thought that I knew what nursing was about. Being in the emergency room opened my eyes to a completely new side of nursing, and led me to having experiences that I had never imagined taking part in. I will be a better nurse because of this. Thank you Northwell health for this amazing opportunity.”
“I fell in love with this externship as well as Lenox Hill Hospital and Northwell Health and I hope to return as an RN. It was the most educational and enlightening experience I have received throughout nursing school and has strengthened my passion for the nursing profession.”
“The summer Nurse Externship program at Northwell was a wonderful experience. The program encouraged critical thinking skills and helped me advance my clinical nursing skills. My preceptor fostered a learning environment and helped me gain confidence in the clinical setting. I had many optimal learning opportunities and by the end of the program I felt like I had become part of the Northwell nursing team.”
“Being a Nurse Extern at LIJ Valley Stream was truly an experience I’ll never forget. Before the program, I remember feeling anxious about becoming a nurse and the high expectations that are required of nurses, but after the 8 weeks, I have definitely felt more confident and excited to be an RN in the Northwell System. The entire staff of LIJ Valley Stream were incredibly welcoming and as genuine, I felt like a part of their family very quickly. This experience had validated all the information I learned in nursing school and it was awesome to see what I learned put into practice. I am truly glad I got the opportunity to be a Summer Nurse Extern at LIJ Valley Stream.”
I entered this externship knowing I would learn, of course. I learned about the nursing career, witnessed interprofessional communication, performed and observed skills, and practiced speaking to patients and professionals. But what I am most grateful for are the relationships I made with everyone I encountered at Plainview Hopsital. I am also immensely grateful for the abundance of knowledge I’ve learned about myself through bedside nursing. I’ve realized it’s not always about what you can teach patients, but what patients can teach you. I’d like to specifically thank all of the wonderful people on the telemetry unit. The experience I’ve had with Northwell are memories and lessons I will never forget, and they are helping me become the nurse I strive to be. I am honored to have been part of this program, because now I truly know I am made for this.
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If you are an individual with a disability requesting an accommodation for the application process, please click the contact us link above to request assistance.
Learn more about our hiring experience.
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© 2021 - Northwell Health
Click here to view the “EEO is the law” poster.
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