The Nursing Extern Program: innovative strategies for students in transition

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Clinical Practice Transition

Background:

• Addressing critical nursing personnel shortages requires effective strategies for student-to-nurse role transition.
• Early clinical exposure enhances student understanding of unit operations and skill acquisition.
• Motivated students benefit from immersive learning experiences in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the L'Ordre des Infirmières et Infirmiers du Québec Nursing Extern Program.
• To identify key components of successful hospital-based externship programs.
• To evaluate the program's impact on graduate nurse retention.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a summer externship program for nursing students.
• Supervised practice of 21 nursing care activities by externs.
• Tracking of extern retention rates upon graduation over the first two years.

Main Results:

• The program provided supervised practice opportunities for nursing students.
• 62% of externs were retained as graduates within the first two years.
• The program facilitated the consolidation of clinical learning.

Conclusions:

• The Nursing Extern Program effectively supports the transition from student to registered nurse.
• Hospital-based externship programs are vital for recruiting and retaining nursing professionals.
• This model demonstrates a successful strategy to mitigate nursing shortages.