| Title: COMBINING WORK AND STUDY: NURSING INTERNSHIP | | | Co-authors: Pauline Paul, Rene Day, Cathy Giblin and Mariann Rich
In 2003, the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta and the Capital Health (CH) Region of Alberta began to discuss the possibility of jointly offering an internship program for undergraduate nursing students entering the fourth year of a baccalaureate program. Negotiations included nurse managers, senior nursing management, human resources personnel, the local nursing union, and members of the Faculty of Nursing. These discussions led to the creation of a pilot internship program that took place in Summer 2004.
The Faculty of Nursing identified potential students on the basis of previous academic and clinical performance. These students were then offered the opportunity to apply to work as interns with the Capital Health region while completing the equivalent of one of the required fourth year clinical courses. Students were interviewed by CH staff; 17 were accepted to be in the internship project and were assigned to selected medical and surgical units of two major teaching hospitals. Two Faculty of Nursing instructors (one at each hospital) were available to the students and the staff by pager 24 hours a day. While the nursing staff on the clinical units all shared in assisting and supporting the students, each student did have a designated supervisor responsible for evaluating the students’ performance as employees. These individuals also contributed information to the students’ clinical course evaluations. The Faculty instructors were responsible for the students’ academic course activities and the clinical course evaluations.
Course requirements, as well as the outcomes and challenges encountered in this project will be described. By successfully completing the internship program, students have the potential to complete all their nursing degree requirements by December 2004 instead of April 2005. | | |
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