This May, Hanover Hospital welcomed a new group of twelve for an 11-week, paid, learning experience - Hanover Hospital's Nurse Externship program. The program gives students who are striving to become registered nurses, and who are preparing to enter their senior year, and opportunity to see an RN's role in different departments throughout the organization.
The Nurse Externship program was started in 2001 by Jennifer Shimkonis, RN, MS, Nursing Director for M-4. Over the last two years, JoAnn Scheu, RN, BS, M. Ed., Med/Surg Clinical Educator, has used her expertise to supplement the program.
Before becoming a Nurse Extern, students must submit an application, undergo a personal interview, submit two letters of recommendation from nursing faculty, an official transcript, and provide proof of current CPR certification. If selected, the Nurse Externs participate in a Med/Surg rotation along with the choice to spend time in other departments such as the Emergency Department, Critical Care, or Maternity. Externs will also have the chance to observe diagnostic procedures, as well as PT, OT, and Respiratory Care. Each student is paired with a qualified Registered Nurse preceptor and then the invaluable experience begins Additionally, throughout the program, Nurse Externs are provided with in-services specifically tailored to their benefit. We asked each of this latest class to answer the following question.
How has this experience changed your perception of nursing?
Name: Rebecca Eckard
School: Penn State Mont Alto
"I was able to actually experience everything that a nurse is responsible for in their role as a caregiver. It gave ma a better idea of what I was going to experience as a new graduate."
Name: Eileen Hawbaker
School: Harrisburg Area Community College of Gettysburg
"My experience this summer as a nurse Extern at Hanover Hospital has inspired me to put forth every effort to succeed. The experience has been incredible. I am now more confident about tackling nursing clinicals and I have truly discovered my passion for nursing."
Name: Gary Laabs
School: Harrisburg Area Community College of Gettysburg
"I've come to realize that there is more latitude for independent action by individual RN's. Most of the nursing expectations can be accomplished in a number of ways This experience has shown me a variety of approaches from the various preceptors I've had."
Name: Amy Messinger
School: Harrisburg Area Community College of Gettysburg
"This experience has made me want to become a nurse even more then I did before I entered the program. I enjoyed every part of the program."
Name: Christa Roth
School: York College
"It opened my eyes to the vast diversity of nursing. I learned how nurses in different departments use their skills and talents. It made me further realize I will never get bored with nursing."
Name: Lanita Salzgiver
School: Lancaster General College of Nursing and Health Sciences
"This experience has given me a fresh new look at a variety of different nursing positions. I t has given me a renewed enthusiasm to sharpen my skills further and the confidence that I will be able to be the nurse that I have always dreamed of."
Name: Catherine Stegos
School: Harrisburg Area Community College of Gettysburg
"In the real world of nursing, it is you, and you have no one to fall back on buy yourself. You need to really know your stuff and the nurses that I have worked with know theirs."
Name: Stephanie Pickett
School: York College of Pennsylvania
"Getting the opportunity to be in several different areas has broadened my perception of nursing. Before this, I never realized how nursing affects almost every department of the hospital."
Name: Jonathan C. Smith
School: University of Pittsburgh
"It's a whole different perspective than clinicals. I didn't have to worry about lengthy care plans like I did in school, so I was able to focus more on my patients than on getting my schoolwork done. Overall, I think it is a more realistic experience of what an RN has to do on a day-to-day basis than I could have ever gotten in my clinical experience along. After completing this externship, I'll
definitely have an edge on my classmates when I return for my senior year."
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to all nurse extern preceptors for sharing their time, knowledge, and experience. Our hope, aside from educating these promising individuals, is that after seeing the passion, purpose, and potential our staff possesses, they too will come back to Hanover Hospital to work.
Externs Christine Cook, Sonya Naylor, and Amber Snyder were not available for photo and/or comment.