Externships provide great experiences and insights for nursing students! They let nursing students practice basic skills, while being a part of the interdisciplinary team caring for patients.
During their externships, students live the day-to-day flow of the hospital. When
students are in clinical experiences, their focus is on their assigned patient, and
they may not be able to see “big picture” of how nurses are patient care managers.
- Suzanne Sutton, Assistant Professor
During my externship, I was able to experience hands-on clinical opportunities and create genuine relationships with the oncology patients I provided care for. I was primarily located in the infusion suite, where patients received their chemotherapies. MSKCC also gave us the opportunity to attend numerous educational seminars throughout the summer about various topics related to oncology nursing.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYC, Clinical Assistant Program
This summer, I learned about what it is like to be a nurse as I was 1 on 1 with my preceptor. The most important lesson I learned was that each individual's care involves a team of providers. Care involves people from food services to physicians. It is the nurse's job to communicate with each of those people to ensure that the patient receives the best care to heal faster.
Roper Hospital, Charleston, SC, Intermediate Cardiothoracic and Vascular
The knowledge and experience I received this summer was priceless. One of the most important aspects was being able to further advance my nursing skills through practice. I paid attention to every little detail while watching nurses perform their daily tasks. I can confidently say I want to be an ICU nurse after this summer and know I will be a better nurse in the future because of the experience I had.
The Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, Cardiovascular ICU
This experience has positively impacted my future practice as a registered nurse by developing my critical thinking and providing hands-on experiences. It has also helped me develop better patient communication and interaction, which is important to help my patients achieve their goals.
Prisma Health Richland, Columbia, SC, Surgical Trauma