McLaren Macomb

Nurse Intern

September 2022 • Mount Clemens, MI

What I liked

I have learned so much as an intern! As an intern you are assigned a nurse and will basically do all the patient care, documentation, and assist with med pass just like you would in a clinical preceptorship (however you get paid as an intern:). Being with a nurse throughout the shift allows you to ask any questions, gain confidence in your nursing skills, and develop prioritization and time management skills. Some skills I have been able to perform under a nurse's supervision and guidance are: IV starts, dressing changes, assessment, documentation, med pass, admissions, discharges, straight catheter insertion, foley catheter insertion, bladder irrigation, and assisting with PICC line dressing changes. I have learned SO MUCH during my time as an intern and would highly recommend this job to anyone in nursing. Management is extremely accommodating with your school schedule and the nurses are so appreciative of the extra help. This is literally a perfect job for nursing students.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have started sooner!

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions! The more questions you ask an intern the more prepared you will be as a nurse. Try working on the days you have class. With my schedule being busy sometimes I could only fit in a 4 hour shift on a class day. This actually boosted my in class learning because oftentimes there would be a patient that had some condition we had just discussed in class. This helped me connect the 'textbook knowledge' to an real patient which helped me remember the material so much easier. Consider working as nurse intern. McLaren Macomb has an excellent intern program seeking to promote student learning. There are frequent intern meetings for all the nurse interns with the CNO and Director of Patient Care Services, both of whom are eager to hear what is going well as well as ways to enhance our experience as interns.

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