Gina
Heitkamp
Class Year:
2015
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Maria
Stein, Ohio
Internship:
Summer III Nursing Extern at Mayo Clinic
Location: Rochester,
Minnesota
Internship
Responsibilities: I worked as a Summer III Nursing
Extern at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The ten week program is geared
for nursing students entering their senior year of nursing school. Each extern is assigned to a specific unit in
the hospital for the summer and works with different clinical coaches. I worked on an internal medicine floor and
was partnered with four different clinical coaches who facilitated my learning
by involving me in the patient care they provided. As a Summer III Extern, I was able to work
side by side with my coach to see what being a nurse really entailed. I spent my shift with them, working to complete
assessments, administer medications, and perform a variety of nursing skills
under his or her guidance. I was able to
not only experience the nursing side of patient care, but also how Mayo Clinic
really stresses the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork. I collaborated with the medicine service,
social services, dieticians, pharmacists, in addition to other teams to provide
holistic patient care.
What I
Learned: I worked with some of the best nurses I have ever
met. They taught me more than just
nursing skills, but also how to prioritize, critically think, and see the
patient as more than just a diagnosis.
Most importantly, I gained confidence in myself as a nurse. The patient interactions have been
invaluable. It has been an honor to work at the #1 hospital in the nation.
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