During summer ‘23, a total of 517 nursing students were employed in our hospitals, participating in the annual externship program. This successful program has been in operation for many years, allowing future healthcare professionals to gain bedside experience and provide care to patients under the supervision of a veteran nurse. The program guidelines and skills checklist are scrutinized to ensure guidelines are met. Many of these externs return to the same hospital for full-time employment after graduation.
A total of 38 hospitals partnered with 20 schools of nursing, making this year’s program the largest group of participants to date.
The program begins with the election and meeting of an Externship Committee that leads to the application approval process. This is followed by hospital recruiting, school of nursing course configuration and enrollment, job queries and interviews, orientations both at MHA and at hospitals, and qualified preceptors who mentor these students through health procedures and practices. The SON instructors are in communication with the hospital representatives to ensure their students are achieving success on the floor. The Externship Committee is available throughout the summer for questions and/or direction. The extern works a total of 320 hours in order to receive 3 hours course credit.
Three of the state’s Planning and Development Districts support this important program with funding. Those PDDs are:
Central Mississippi Planning and Development District: Provided salary reimbursement and tuition fee for the student (115 externs)
South Delta Planning and Development District: Provided salary reimbursement (20 students)
South Mississippi Planning and Development District: Provided salary reimbursement (21 students)
Questions on how to participate in ‘24? Contact Robin Powell or 601-368-3321.
Program
The program is offered to students after successful completion of year one in nursing school. It lasts for 8 weeks or 320 hours. Students can earn college credit through the program. The students are taught by registered nurses. Through the program, the students get the opportunity to gain hands on experience. In addition, a paycheck is earned while completing the program.
All facilities who plan to participate in the 2022 Externship Program must first watch this webinar: Externship 2022 Participant Meeting. It is one hour in length and explains the program in detail, including guidelines for COVID19:
2022 MANDATORY WEBINAR
Access Passcode: .RV?b6Mk
2022 CHAT BOX QUESTIONS - EXTERNSHIP WEBINAR
2022 APPROVED FACILITIES LIST
Planning and Development District - Video and Documentation
The four Planning and Development Districts (PDD) in the state of Mississippi fund the Externship program. Each PDD has its own specific guidelines the hospitals / externs must follow in order to receive the funding.
The four districts are as follows:
• Central Mississippi Planning and Development District - CMPDD
• Mississippi Partnership (Three Rivers) Planning and Development District - MSPTNR
• South Delta Planning and Development District - SDPDD
• South Mississippi (Twin Districts) Planning and Development District - SMPDD
Please click the appropriate district (see the map for reference) and listen to your district’s webinar and download the appropriate documents.
Questions? Please contact [email protected]
MS Partner PDD Central MS PDD
South Delta PDD
Southern MS PDD
Externship Survey and Additional Resources
All externs (funded and non-funded) are requested to complete this survey once they finish their externship hours at participating hospitals.
Every employed extern must complete the following survey prior to leaving the hospital campus on last day of employment:
Please complete the 2022 EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM SURVEY
Questions or problems with link? Please email Robin Powell or call 601-368-3321.