What is the Difference Between Nursing Externships and Internships?

Life as a nursing student can be full of surprises. In nursing school, you may have heard the terms externship nursing and internship nursing. What’s the difference between externship vs internship nursing? What exactly does it mean to do externships for nursing or internships for nursing?

Some new graduates nursing students are unclear about how an externship differs from internships in nursing. This article will help nursing students understand the differences between externships and internships to aid them in their decision-making.

What is a nursing internship?

A nursing internship is a period in which clinical practice as an employee under the direct supervision of nurses with more experience. Internships are important because they provide students with hands-on training and the opportunity to observe professionals at work. 

In addition, a nursing internship teaches students and helps them learn valuable skills, gain confidence, build relationships with peers and develop critical connections in their field.

As you internship for nursing, your responsibilities may include taking medical histories and vital signs, administering medication, observing and reporting unusual findings to the staff nurse or doctor. You will also be participating in patient care activities such as bathing patients and assisting with feeding patients.

Internships are considered an essential part of a challenging journey that leads to professional success. In addition, the internship experience provides opportunities for students to develop relationships with their mentors and other peers, which helps them build confidence in their abilities. 

This internship program allows students to gain knowledge from their mentors and builds character by helping new graduates find themselves through various experiences they encounter. 

In addition, the internship year gives students a chance to explore different work settings while gaining valuable skills in their chosen profession.

What is an externship?

An externship is an internship that takes place outside a formal institution like nursing school, after graduation, and before the new graduate earns their license to practice as a nurse. 

Externships for nursing are offered in hospitals or other clinical settings so that students can gain hands-on experience in their field while they prepare for their careers. 

As part of the internship program, students will continue to study the theory of medicine. Still, they will have more freedom than interns do to explore various experiences during their internship year. 

New graduates often choose an internship as preparation for greater responsibility and higher salaries once they get licensed. In addition, doing an internship helps give them more skills while gaining valuable training time with experienced nurses who can provide critical insight.

Externships for nursing also help new graduates make connections and build relationships that will benefit their careers in the long run. 

Aside from internship experience and knowledge, externships afford students valuable networking opportunities that they may not get during internship programs conducted by hospitals or schools.

Externship Vs Internship Nursing

The difference between internship and externship is the duration of the program. An externship is usually shorter in length than a nurse internship. Internships are organized and funded by hospitals or nursing schools; conversely, an externship is an individually set up experience that may take place after graduation from nursery school up to the point where the nurse has been licensed.

Externships for nursing are more flexible, depending on the needs of both nurse and employer. Although some employers offer internships, many do not since they require that nurse-to-be be under their supervision during work hours. 

This requirement limits those who can organize an internship experience because it restricts them to working only within the hospital system and may make it difficult for new nurses to arrange ongoing actions with doctors or practices outside the hospital.

Externships, however, are more about getting nurses job-ready, and nurse employers often make arrangements with nurse externs to work at their practice after they earn their license. 

In addition, externships allow new nurse graduates to gain nursing experience in areas that might not have been available during an internship program, even if they are within a particular nurse school’s system. 

What is the difference between externship and residency for nurses?

There is no difference between externship for nursing and nurse residency programs. The two terms are used interchangeably since both describe nurse internships after nurse graduation and before nurse licensing. 

Nurse residency programs require students to attend lectures on subjects like pharmacology, anatomy, and physiology. Still, students are also allowed to participate in hands-on learning experiences, which are not usually available during an internship year.

Reasons to internship in Healthcare industry

To become a part of the healthcare industry and get hands-on experience in direct patient care. To intern in this field is very helpful to a college student who wants to make their career in nursing or any other healthcare-related field. Hospitals need college students for different departments, like clinical work, hospital administration department, pharmaceutical companies, etc.

With college students, hospitals get more benefits like learning to deal with patients and making them feel comfortable. Also, college students can provide the hospital with various ideas that will help improve hospital administration.

The good thing about college student interns is that it’s free for the organization to hire college students as interns. Because college students need internships to earn credits that they require for graduation and don’t need any wage from their work, internships in the healthcare industry are very beneficial for both parties involved – college students and institutions.

Does An Externship Mean Working for Free?

The short answer is no. Externships are paid professional positions where college students will work with professionals in natural world settings. They are also expected to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s goals and objectives. 

What should college student expect during externship?

College students who choose an externship program can expect more than theoretical knowledge gained from books or lectures. College externs will be integrated into hospital activities, and they will develop their own set of skills that can be applied even after college graduation. 

This way, new graduates or nursing students can learn about working in real organizations outside university campuses before they become licensed nurses. 

Many college institutions offer internship programs, but most don’t provide opportunities for college students to gain hands-on experience. These schools require their students to become licensed as Nurse Practitioners or Registered Nurse before working in hospital settings. 

Also, some programs have set limitations where students are required to complete internships within the same institution they attended during college education.

Reasons Why Companies Offer Externship Vs Internship Nursing

Internships and externships provide organizations with a new workforce in a short time. It can be achieved by recruiting college students on campus for a limited amount of time before moving on to bigger things in the world. Also, companies will have more flexibility when it comes to hiring their workforce.

For example, suppose they need help in specific departments like accounting or billing. In that case, they have the option to hire college student interns because they are readily available on campus for just one summer or school year.

Another reason why companies offer internships and externships is that these programs allow them to get feedback from future nurses regarding their services that include both medical treatment and administrative aspects of running a hospital or health care organization. This feedback can help the company improve its services to patients, and it will serve as a guide for the organization’s future.

What Do Students Get from This Experience?

College students who participate in internships and externships programs will have a chance to apply what they’ve learned in college. They can develop their leadership skills as well. Also, they will be able to interact with senior staff from all different professions, including doctors, nurses, business people, etc. 

This way, college students will get first-hand knowledge about the real world, and they will be prepared for it when the time comes. Another benefit of the student participating in this internship or externship program is that they get valuable experience and recommendations from organizations outside the university campus. 

Students who choose to complete these programs show how serious they are about their career goals, making them even more attractive to future employers.

Conclusion:

Both internships and externships are valuable learning experiences for college students. They can be applied towards practicing nursing jobs as they already have practical knowledge about real-world hospital settings with patients, doctors, nurses, and other staff. In addition, this type of medical training will help them develop better empathy skills which mean their future patients will benefit from it.

More Resources for Externship Vs Internship Nursing:

• How to Land a Job as a New Nurse
• A Day in the Life of a New Nurse
• What is the Difference Between an LPN vs RN vs BSN