Thirty senior nursing students are getting eight weeks of valuable nursing experience this summer thanks to area hospitals.
The nursing students are participating through the Senior Clinical Nursing Externship program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Kearney Division. It includes students from the UNMC College of Nursing in Kearney, Lincoln and Norfolk, Creighton University in Omaha, Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln, and Morningside College in Sioux City, IA.
Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island, CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney, and Great Plains Health in North Platte are hosting the students. The program gives the students an opportunity to apply nursing theories and skills, as well as learn to make appropriate decisions in a hospital setting under the guidance of a practicing registered nurse.
The health facilities provide a salary for the nursing students, along with tuition reimbursement for their externship. They also compensate UNMC faculty who supervise the students, as well as pay for the registered nurse assigned to the student.
Mary Ann Mertz, Ed.D., interim assistant dean of the UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division, said the experiences are important in learning to become a professional nurse.
"The externship is a very valuable experience for students as it provides them with more clinical experiences," Dr. Mertz said. "It improves their critical thinking skills and clinical judgment, as well as increasing their confidence with patients and their families. We are pleased to be able to work with agencies in the area to provide this opportunity."
She said part of the experience requires students to think through situations and make decisions based on patient data and symptoms as they work with the assigned staff nurse. The students and their preceptor work together to set goals as outlined in the course objectives while faculty provide feedback and guidance during site visits and through the students’ written assignments.
The externship also develops the student’s organizational skills and helps them decide which area of nursing they may want to work.
Miguel Pedraza, a student who is working in the intensive care unit in CHI Good Samaritan in Kearney, said the summer externship is a great opportunity to solidify the material and clinical aspects of class.
"In the intensive care unit I have learned to cover the bases of patient care/assessment as well as an introduction to a higher quality of care that requires extra training," Pedraza said. "The preceptors are great at teaching and walking through the various types of procedures. It’s an outstanding program that helps students develop and refine their nursing skills."
Below is a list of where students are doing externships. The students are listed by their hometown.
CHI Health Good Samaritan, Kearney
UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division (Norfolk)
Chadron–Chrissy Calamari
UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division
Culbertson-Jacee Kershaw
Elkhorn-Emily Fink
Gibbon-Miguel Pedraza
Hay Springs-Elizabeth Roberts
Kearney-Scott Bauer, Abigail Crocker
Ord-Kalie Pelton
Mitchell-Shayla Garetto
Kearney-Cassie Wroblewski
North Platte-Jesse Henne
Pierce-Tad Fuchs
Roseland-Catarino Perez
CHI Health St. Francis, Grand Island
UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division
Aurora- Ben Grossnicklaus, Allyson Wilson
Kearney-Lyndsey Block
Orleans-Kim Maly
Phillips-Ashley Gowlevech
Weeping Water-Michael Heinz
UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division
West Point-Nicole Buse
Creighton University
York-Alexandra Dickinson
Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings
Creighton University
Hastings- Haley Hughes
UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division
Axtell-Jordan Miller
Kearney-Jackie Anderson, Sonya Gancos, Alexandra Himmelberg
O’Neill-Danette Barelmann
Scottsbluff-Gladys Orona
Great Plains Health, North Platte
Bryan College of Health Sciences (Lincoln)
Indianola-Kimberly Lord
Morningside College (Sioux City, IA)
Omaha-Maggie Theiler
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