Intro

I am a rising Senior Nursing Student at Clemson University from Orange County, California and this blog is about my summer as a Nurse Extern at a hospital in South Carolina. An externship is basically an internship, but in the hospital setting they use the term extern to differentiate nurses from doctors (interns). Also, externs are more supervised than interns. I will have a preceptor during each clinical rotation who I will follow around and learn from. As externs we technically aren't allowed to perform many skills or administer medication but hopefully I will gain the trust of my preceptor and be able to do something!

My externship is 9 weeks long in addition to a 1 week orientation and 1 week vacation for the 4th of July. The Nurse Extern Program allows us to work for 3 weeks on 3 different floors of the hospital to experience as much as possible. We will work 36 hours a week during the day shift which will allow me to enjoy the hot South Carolina summer and hopefully visit some friends and family!

I have many reasons for writing this blog...First, I have strange, funny and touching encounters with my patients on a day to day basis and I like to share these stories with my family and friends. Second, it is hard to respond succinctly when people say, "Tell me about your summer!" So now, in a true a 21st century manner, I can just give them a link to my blog. Conversation over. And finally, and on a more serious note, I want to use this blog in the future when I desire to reflect on my experience. I anticipate this summer to be challenging both emotionally and mentally, but also rewarding, and I want to remember every detail!


**To protect the identity and information of my patients, I won't reveal the name of the hospital or any identifying information about the patients.