Developing an internship program to support nursing student transition to clinical setting.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Clinical Internships

Background:

• A statewide hospital system partnered with nursing schools to establish a patient care internship program.
• The initiative aimed to build a future nursing workforce and enhance nurse retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a student nurse internship program on NCLEX-RN pass rates.
• To evaluate the program's effect on hospital retention rates, cost savings, student confidence, and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 25 nursing students for unlicensed assistant personnel roles in system hospitals.
• Implemented a six-week intensive training followed by a mentored experience throughout the senior year.
• Collected and analyzed both qualitative and quantitative data.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 96% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN examination.
• Reported an 82% participant retention rate within the hospitals.
• Generated $216,993 in cost savings and reported increased student role satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The internship program demonstrates positive outcomes for NCLEX-RN pass rates, nurse retention, and cost-effectiveness.
• Findings support program expansion to enhance the transition of nursing students into professional practice.