Ever considered applying for an externship? Read about Ilya Bernstein's experience below:
How did you obtain the externship opportunity? What was the interview/selection process like?
After seeing the externship advertised under the Jobs/Externships section of NUSI, I began putting together my application. I asked two faculty members for letters of recommendation well before the deadline, which made them all the more happy to help, and submitted those along with my transcripts. I was contacted some weeks later for an interview, which I approached with some anxiety. My nervousness was misplaced, though, as the interview didn’t require my answering any questions; the Director of Nursing Education simply told me about the program and told me to email her if I was still interested in participating.
What did you do in your role?
The summer externs were allowed to choose their department from nearly every department Bellevue had. I chose to work in the recovery room or PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit) as I knew it would provide me with a variety of patients and illnesses. As patients come to us from the operating room, I connect them to the cardiac, respiratory, oxygen saturation and blood pressure monitors, as well as connect the sequential compression devices on their lower legs. Following that, I complete an assessment of the patient that varies based on their surgery, and try to predict what the patient will experience, what the physician will order, and what the nurses will plan.
How did your time at NYUCN academically prepare you for your externship? What classes, skills, and/or concepts have been most helpful?
Adult and Elder I and II are central courses for a reason; I’ve seen patients suffering from the vast majority of conditions we’ve discussed in those courses. Knowing the clinical manifestations and pathophysiology of these conditions, in addition to the best practice to implement, helps out a lot in predicting the needs of patients. For example, when an older patient comes in after surgery, I know they’re more prone to pressure ulcers and atelectasis than younger patients. As a result, I can predict the need to check their skin for pressure ulcers they may have received on the operating table, and teach them about using the incentive spirometer. Or if a patient with a history of heart failure comes in, I make sure the bed has oxygen and suction ready-to-use, in the event they have an acute episode following their surgery.
What is one piece of advice you have for students who want to get an externship? Why are externships valuable?
The externship has been a great experience because human health and illness can manifest itself in so many different ways. Assessment findings that would be concerning on one patient may be entirely normal for another. Thanks to the opportunity to assess multiple patients, I’ve been able to begin a database in my mind of what is “within normal limits.” Now when I experience something dramatically outside of these limits, I’ll be able to recognize it as such. This has improved my clinical confidence quite a bit.
It’s great for the patients too. As externs have less responsibility than the nurses, they have more time to interact with the patients and provide basic comfort.
Currently, Ilya is a 15 Month Accelerated B.S. in Nursing student in his second clinical semester. In addition to serving as an extern some of Ilya's other activities include participation on UNSO's executive board, working as a research assistant for Drs. Maja Djukic and Madeline Naegle, and assisting in manuscript preparation for an article with Professor Fidel Lim.
If you are interested to know what positions are available, more information on externships can be found on NUSI Blackboard under the Jobs/Externship Opportunities tab!
Questions? Contact Cindy Lundberg at cindy.lundberg@nyu.edu
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