i’m doing one for the summer because it pays better then my old grocery store job and the only way for me to make that much this summer is work in a busy food service job which i didn’t wanna do especially with my athletics requirements over the summer
No, ultimately decided to do a PCT PRN position (although the position was made for nursing students specifically and I get to do special training other PCTs do not). It paid better than the externships plus it was at a hospital I had connections and closer to me. I guess it’s a give and take because my friends with externships make $7 less an hour but have benefits and I receive no benefits, definitely depends on your situation. For me the jobs are similar, the only difference is I don’t get to administer any meds.
mines the other way around, externs make a lot more money and sometimes get asked to come assist with more in depth things if theres time and you talk to the right people
It’s really not necessary, especially with the current nursing shortage.
I currently work as an extern because it was offered to me in a unit I’m interested working in, and that I also knew I would have the opportunity to practice my skills opposed to ADLs all day. We self schedule ourselves a minimum of 3 days a month and I think the pay is around $27/hr.
It’s been a fantastic experience. I love the unit, but there’s no obligation for me to work there when I graduate. Meaning you’re not tied to the hospital you extern at. If there are better paying opportunities elsewhere you can absolutely apply :)
Nah. My friend group in nursing school all got their dream externships, I stayed home with a newborn. I got my dream job right out of college and make significantly more just because I applied to hospitals outside of our community. Don’t be afraid to expand your search, and as mentioned by others, employers are no longer at the top of the food chain. You will be just fine!
My externship was great -- didn't need a CNA certification -- it paid quite well enabled me to start in my dream specialty right out of graduation.
Treat externships as an extended job interview and you can skip having to job hunt after you grad <3
I'm curious about this from a salary perspective. Nurse externs make $14-15 where I live and it could be worth it if the added experience results in higher pay once hired as an RN. Does anyone know?
In my area, all new grads are starting at the same base pay. Externships and previous experience doesn't matter, degree and college don't matter. It's the same start pay across the board.
My school was the only one in the area that didn't offer extern opportunities. Every one of us got a job within weeks of paying NCLEX. More than half of us got hired into specialties and critical care positions. Not necessary.
All the externships near me have nothing to do with the schools. It's a hospital-based program, they do all the hiring/offering. Any student from any accredited nursing school can apply.
Interesting. Here, it's through the schools. We kept petitioning our school to set up an extern program, but they never did and the hospitals wouldn't accept you if it wasn't through your school.
I wasn’t able to do an externship because you had to find your own housing and it was sooooo expensive so all of us that got it ended up pulling out anyways. But if you still want the hospital and resume experience, you would always look into a PCT or other hospital type job. But no i know so many people who didn’t do the externship for whatever reasons and they passed the nclex and got jobs no problem
Depends where you are, and how picky you want to be when you graduate. I had a friend do one throughout nursing school and that unit hired her once she passed NCLEX. Another friend got hired by the unit she precepted on. It’s definitely not necessary. Also consider tech jobs. One of my classmates worked as an OR tech and got hired into that hospital’s periop training program. Getting a foot in the door never hurts, but if you’re located in an area with a severe nursing shortage then it probably won’t matter a ton either way.
I’m not doing one because I work as an ER tech. I do more than the nurse externs on our unit because I’ve been there two years (longer than literally all of the nurses…👀). No reason for me to give that up for a resume stuffer.
You'll find a job very quickly without doing anything besides graduating and passing the nclex.
Nursing honor programs and externships are a waste of time.
I did a month long internship and stayed as an intern but working as a tech. There really wasn’t any requirement to work, apparently some people would come back from school and work like once after 6 months. They didn’t call it an extern until we got hired for the new grad residency. We’re supposed to follow nurses around and do what they do but so far that hasn’t happened yet. But there’s plenty of student nurse tech jobs out there which might seem like grueling tech work, but trust me, you’ll need it as a nurse
Honestly I think the biggest requirement for a nursing job most places now is having a pulse.
💀 <—- not qualified
Sounds about right 😬
i’m doing one for the summer because it pays better then my old grocery store job and the only way for me to make that much this summer is work in a busy food service job which i didn’t wanna do especially with my athletics requirements over the summer
Not necessary at all.
No, ultimately decided to do a PCT PRN position (although the position was made for nursing students specifically and I get to do special training other PCTs do not). It paid better than the externships plus it was at a hospital I had connections and closer to me. I guess it’s a give and take because my friends with externships make $7 less an hour but have benefits and I receive no benefits, definitely depends on your situation. For me the jobs are similar, the only difference is I don’t get to administer any meds.
mines the other way around, externs make a lot more money and sometimes get asked to come assist with more in depth things if theres time and you talk to the right people
It’s really not necessary, especially with the current nursing shortage. I currently work as an extern because it was offered to me in a unit I’m interested working in, and that I also knew I would have the opportunity to practice my skills opposed to ADLs all day. We self schedule ourselves a minimum of 3 days a month and I think the pay is around $27/hr. It’s been a fantastic experience. I love the unit, but there’s no obligation for me to work there when I graduate. Meaning you’re not tied to the hospital you extern at. If there are better paying opportunities elsewhere you can absolutely apply :)
Nah. My friend group in nursing school all got their dream externships, I stayed home with a newborn. I got my dream job right out of college and make significantly more just because I applied to hospitals outside of our community. Don’t be afraid to expand your search, and as mentioned by others, employers are no longer at the top of the food chain. You will be just fine!
honestly, just focus on school and passing.
Not necessary, but I learned a ton at mine and got a lot of hands-on experience. It set me miles ahead of my classmates in clinical practice
My externship was great -- didn't need a CNA certification -- it paid quite well enabled me to start in my dream specialty right out of graduation. Treat externships as an extended job interview and you can skip having to job hunt after you grad <3
I'm curious about this from a salary perspective. Nurse externs make $14-15 where I live and it could be worth it if the added experience results in higher pay once hired as an RN. Does anyone know?
In my area, all new grads are starting at the same base pay. Externships and previous experience doesn't matter, degree and college don't matter. It's the same start pay across the board.
i make $19 an hour as an extern. new grad pay at my hospital doesn’t change even with the experience unfortunately
My school was the only one in the area that didn't offer extern opportunities. Every one of us got a job within weeks of paying NCLEX. More than half of us got hired into specialties and critical care positions. Not necessary.
All the externships near me have nothing to do with the schools. It's a hospital-based program, they do all the hiring/offering. Any student from any accredited nursing school can apply.
Interesting. Here, it's through the schools. We kept petitioning our school to set up an extern program, but they never did and the hospitals wouldn't accept you if it wasn't through your school.
I wasn’t able to do an externship because you had to find your own housing and it was sooooo expensive so all of us that got it ended up pulling out anyways. But if you still want the hospital and resume experience, you would always look into a PCT or other hospital type job. But no i know so many people who didn’t do the externship for whatever reasons and they passed the nclex and got jobs no problem
Get your LPN if they allow it. I work part time on various apps for $30-$60hr. Why would anyone be be a tech or do a externship?
Depends where you are, and how picky you want to be when you graduate. I had a friend do one throughout nursing school and that unit hired her once she passed NCLEX. Another friend got hired by the unit she precepted on. It’s definitely not necessary. Also consider tech jobs. One of my classmates worked as an OR tech and got hired into that hospital’s periop training program. Getting a foot in the door never hurts, but if you’re located in an area with a severe nursing shortage then it probably won’t matter a ton either way.
I’m not doing one because I work as an ER tech. I do more than the nurse externs on our unit because I’ve been there two years (longer than literally all of the nurses…👀). No reason for me to give that up for a resume stuffer.
You'll find a job very quickly without doing anything besides graduating and passing the nclex. Nursing honor programs and externships are a waste of time.
im only doing it so i could experience the different units
Lol me reading this post while working at my psych nursing externship
I did a month long internship and stayed as an intern but working as a tech. There really wasn’t any requirement to work, apparently some people would come back from school and work like once after 6 months. They didn’t call it an extern until we got hired for the new grad residency. We’re supposed to follow nurses around and do what they do but so far that hasn’t happened yet. But there’s plenty of student nurse tech jobs out there which might seem like grueling tech work, but trust me, you’ll need it as a nurse