2022 Mississippi Summer Student Nurse Externship Program 

The Mississippi Center for Quality and Workforce (MCQW) is once again coordinating the annual Mississippi Summer Student Nurse Externship Program (Externship Program). The program is coming to a close for 2022, with 39 hospitals and 19 Schools of Nursing (SONs) participating across the state.    

A total of 451 externs have been reported as hired in Mississippi’s hospitals.

Review 2022 MS Summer Nurse Externship Program Highlights and Pictures  

The Externship Program is a joint effort between MCQW, the Mississippi Council of Deans and Directors and the Mississippi Hospital Association Organization for Nurse Executives.  The Education/Service Liaison Committee developed the guidelines with input from the Mississippi Board of Nursing.

A clinical affiliation is formed between Mississippi’s SONs and surrounding hospitals. Both entities submit annual applications to MCQW for participation. Once these documents are in place, the nursing students who meet the pre-requisites can be hired at the approved hospital for a summer of work experience (320 work hours required) before he/she returns to school in the Fall. The hospital follows the mandatory program guidelines to set up their externship program, including trained preceptors assigned to oversee/mentor these future nurses. A skills checklist is provided along with an exclusion check list. These lists give the extern a specific guideline of skills they will hone during their summer tenure. This opportunity makes nursing come alive for the externs, providing them with invaluable training experience for their career toolbox. At the same time, the hospital benefits by having additional nurses on staff for the summer who will then hopefully return for full-time employment after graduation. This recruitment tool has been very successful to all hospitals that have participated in the Externship Program.  

THE GOALS OF THE STUDENT NURSE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM ARE AS FOLLOWS: 

• Provide students in nursing with an opportunity to enhance previously learned competencies i.e., critical thinking, time management, communication, teamwork, people management, under the supervision of experienced registered nurses in the healthcare setting.
• Assist students of nursing to experience acceptance in a work situation appropriate to their potential as future registered nurses.
• Prepare students in nursing to assume responsibilities of full-time employees with respect to performance requirements, policies, and procedures of a health care agency
• Encourage retention of nursing graduates through provision of supplemental practice experience within the workplace.

Together, the SONs and approved hospitals support the extern as he/she completes the accredited summer course – a required 320 hours of employment on the hospital campus. This platinum program has proved itself invaluable year after year. 

Another element of this program is our partnership with the Planning and Development Districts across the state: Southern Mississippi PDD, Central Mississippi PDD, Three Rivers PDD, and South Delta PDD. MCQW contracts with all four districts to acquire reimbursement funds to the hospitals for the extern salaries ($12 / hour). In 2022, an additional benefit was added in two of the districts - the Central Mississippi and South Delta PDDs. These two PDDs not only reimbursed the hospital for the salaries but also paid the tuition fee for the summer externship course for the funded student.  This is just another level of support to ensure success for Mississippi’s future nurses.  

Photos are provided of externs participating in the 2022 Externship Program from employing hospitals. If you want more information regarding this program, please visit our website or contact Lanelle Weems, MSN, RN, Executive Director of MCQW at (601) 368-3322 or [email protected]. 
 

Facilities participating in the 2022 program are:

Anderson Regional Medical Center 
Baptist Memorial Hospital Attala
Baptist Memorial Hospital Booneville
Baptist Memorial Hospital DeSoto
Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle
Baptist Memorial Hospital Leake
Baptist Memorial Hospital MS Baptist Medical Center
Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi
Baptist Memorial Hospital Yazoo
Bolivar Medical Center
Claiborne County Medical Center 
Copiah County Medical Center 
Delta Health System Highland Hills 
Delta Health System Northwest Mississippi 
Delta Health System The Medical Center 
Forrest General Hospital
Greenwood Leflore Hospital
King's Daughters Medical Center

Merit Health Woman's Hospital
Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center 
North Mississippi Medical Center Eupora 
North Mississippi Medical Center Tupelo
North Sunflower Medical Center
OCH Regional Medical Center 
Rush Foundation Hospital
Singing River Hospital - Gulfport 
Singing River Hospital - Ocean Springs
Singing River Hospital - Pascagoula 
South Sunflower County Hospital 
Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Hospital | Lawrence County Hospital 
St. Dominic's Hospital
Tallahatchie General Hospital
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Grenada
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson
Alcorn State University 
Belhaven University 
Copiah Lincoln Community College 

Robert E. Smith SON Delta State University 
East Central Community College 
East Mississippi Community College
Hinds Community College 
Holmes Community College 
Itawamba Community College 
Meridian Community College 
Mississippi College 
Mississippi Delta Community College 
Mississippi University for Women, ASN and BSN 
Northeast Mississippi Community College 
Northwest Mississippi Community College 
Pearl River Community College
Southwest Mississippi Community College 
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Mississippi Medical Center