Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Wraps Up Nurse Externship Program

In addition to academic studies, vital to many undergraduate nursing students is the opportunity to gain extensive hands-on experience.

Over the course of the past five weeks, five undergraduate nursing students, all graduates of the New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School, benefited from a rare opportunity to learn first-hand the ins and outs of their chosen profession.

“Being part of this externship was a wonderful opportunity, and it gave me an advantage over other nurses because during the six weeks that I had in this externship, I got more experience than I did in my whole four years of college at Rutgers University,” said Jessica Rodriguez during a luncheon on the program’s last day, Thursday.

The externship, funded with a $15,000 grant from the TD Bank Charitable Foundation to the Foundation of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, allowed students to implement their knowledge in a work environment and experience a nurse's role up front.

Thelma Mendoza, an incoming Senior at the College of New Jersey School of Nursing, said she learned more about geriatrics than she had anticipated.

“Enhancing even the smallest comfort definitely goes a long way,” she said.

During her time at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, she and the other nurse externs were each paired with a registered nurse preceptor to explore a total of 24 different units at the hospital.

“Being able to have a one-to-one preceptor was very beneficial in that they were able to see any strengths that I had and any weaknesses and provide suggestions of how I can improve,” said Rodriguez, who graduated from Rutgers College of Nursing, New Brunswick, in May.

The externs worked one-on-one with their preceptors for 32 hours each week, performing such tasks as dispensing medications and documenting in patients’ charts.

“Sometimes it’s the little and sometimes trivial facts that you learn that make a difference in how efficient you are,” said Stephanie Torres, an incoming senior at Rutgers College of Nursing, Newark. “For example, I’m starting to get a hang of which medication wrappers I can pop out instead of taking a minute to unwrap the foil, and that definitely cuts down my time in giving medications to my patients and making sure they get it on time.”

The organizer of the externship and RWJUH’s director of the health professions scholars program, Roseanne Tully, works with the New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology School to pique student interest in health careers.

“We’ve encouraged these students to pursue health care careers, and we always say to them they are part of the Robert Wood Johnson family and they’re always welcome back,” she said.

"Through this externship, they’re getting experience that I think we owe them. To see these students develop from young girls in high school to young adults returning eight years later to Robert Wood Johnson, pursuing a career in nursing makes us so proud,” said Tully.