Muskegon's Nursing Extern Program: ATTENTION Nursing Students!

Rebecca Temple did.

She just completed two paid externships at Trinity Health Muskegon where she began in the RN Extern program, became licensed as an LPN, and then “graduated” to the RN Extern LPN-Qualified program. During that time, she was also enrolled in nursing school.

Now an RN graduate, actively pursuing her BSN, and working at Trinity Health Muskegon, Rebecca is enthusiastic about having incorporated a nursing externship into her journey to become a nurse:

I absolutely loved the nurse extern program. I worked primarily on the Ortho-Med Surge floor but also worked on the Stroke and Trauma floors. I began as an RN extern and then transitioned into the LPN-Qualified extern role.

As part of my internship, Trinity Health paid for my NCLEX-PN exam and for the prep course for the NCLEX-RN exam, which was an unexpected surprise!

I truly enjoyed getting immersed in the clinical environment and gaining extra hands-on experience before transitioning into my RN role today. I feel extremely prepared to work on the floor, complete nursing tasks, and talk with patients, families, and colleagues.

During the externship, I was able to pass oral medications, work on skills and tasks independently within my scope of practice, get guidance with duties I was not yet comfortable doing, and observe RNs doing tasks that were out of my scope of practice. During my 10 months of externships, my preceptors took the time to let me learn and grow. I was able to spend time thinking about interventions and bolster my clinical reasoning skills.

One of the reasons I decided to begin my career at Trinity Health Muskegon was because of what I observed during my externships. The staff are very welcoming. While working closely with the nurses, I got to see how they work as a team and support each other. And I saw the compassion they have for their patients.

Overall, my nurse externships were fantastic experiences, I recommend nursing externships to any nursing students who want to get paid to learn.

Advantages of Completing a Nurse Externship

An externship is different from a clinical experience because students work one-on-one with an RN and participate in patient care as an equal partner. Preceptor David Tinsley, RN, shared why a nurse externship provides a competitive advantage to participants.

I worked with Rebecca toward the end of her externship, and she was independent. I only had to answer questions and show her some techniques I use. An externship is more than clinicals because students can expand what they’ve learned, apply it in a variety of settings, and spend more time at the bedside with the support of an experienced nurse.

Get more information about Trinity Health Muskegon’s Nurse Externship programs or apply online:

RN Externship Program

Stephanie Hetz, Talent Acquisition Partner

616.685.6825

RN Extern LPN-Qualified Program

Meredith Bradley, Talent Acquisition Senior Partner

616.685.5758