<p>Although this thread seems to focus predominantly on getting into a nursing program, I have a question that would affect current students. A number of hospitals offer externships for BSN students in the summer between junior or senior year. Many are paid, so it' say great summer job. What percentage of students take advantage of these? Based on the experience of you/your children, would you say most are super competitive? ( This year, Mayo had 800+ apps for 50 spots, but it is Mayo, after all). Or are they fairly easy to land? If not highly sought after in your/your child's cohort, is it because the part-time healthcare job the nursing students work during the school year is enough to get a foot in the door for employment? </p>
<p>Our D was involved with two Nursing externship/Nursing assistant jobs while in her BSN Program beginning in the summer following her sophomore year (one in a pediatric hospital and one in general med/surg hospital). She began to look for these jobs in the second semester of her sophomore year. They were in hospitals which also provided clinical training for nursing students from her college. She actually worked in the summers and even during her last two years while at college. You have to be very active in searching for and seeking out these programs. You can increase your chances of finding a position by completing a CNA training program on-line (and training is available at no cost-just google CNA Training Programs) as many hospitals will give preference to nursing students who have completed this training. You don’t necessarily have to become formally state certified as a CNA, it depends on state law, but in many hospitals just having completed the training is enough to give you a competitive edge. Our D looked into some of the more highly publicized nursing externship programs (i.e. Mayo Clinic, Penn, NYU) but decided to stay locally near her college because she had an apartment there and therefore there would be be no additional costs for travel/lodging. This also allowed her to continue in the jobs throughout her junior and senior years. When she graduated she found that all these experiences were one factor which helped her land her first job as an RN at an Ivy League University Medical Center. Hope this info helps. Good luck. </p>