Trauma internship: a success story

Internships, valuable mechanisms that bridge the gap between academic preparation and initial clinical experience, are attractive to new graduates who have had limited exposure to different aspects of nursing and want a chance to learn more about a particular specialty. Upon completion of an internship, nurses have a broader knowledge base than those who have had an indepth orientation to just one nursing unit. This article describes the development and implementation of a trauma internship in a 570-bed tertiary care, level I trauma center. Program components and evaluation are presented.