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Nurse Externship

A paid opportunity to increase your skills and gain experience before you graduate.
Apply today Summer Nurse Externship FAQ
two nurses in hospital

Our approach

As a Summer Nurse Extern at Centra, you will partner with an experienced nurse preceptor and work as a contributing staff member of the patient care team. You will gain a wealth of skills and experiences that will help you prepare for your future career in nursing.

Centra’s Summer Nurse Externship program is an 8-week paid program. Summer Nurse Externs will attend orientation during the first week. Externs will be assigned a preceptor and will follow the preceptor’s schedule for 7 weeks, working up to 40 hours per week.

  • Centra’s Nurse Extern Program is offered annually during the summer.
  • Applicants into the Summer Nurse Extern Program must be within one year of their anticipated graduation date at the start of the program.
  • ADN and BSN students are invited to apply.

The Nurse Extern, under the direction of a licensed professional nurse, performs care appropriate to the patient population served and meets daily routine patient care needs.  The nurse extern may also assist nursing staff by transporting patients, running errands, and transporting equipment to and from units as requested. The Nurse Extern Program typically runs from May to July. 

caregivers standing around a computer

Positions are available at Centra’s hospitals and outpatient facilities which include: 

  • Medical-Surgical
  • Intermediate Care/Critical Care
  • Maternal-Child Areas 
  • Emergency Department
  • Centra Specialty Hospital
  • LGH & VBH Operating Room

Certification/Licensure/Program Requirements:

BLS certification

  • Nurse Externs will need to have successfully completed the Fundamentals of Nursing class during their Sophomore year and are currently enrolled as a Senior Student.
  • Nurse Externs will be required to complete General and Nursing Orientation during the first week of employment.
  •  Nurse Externs will work with their assigned nurse preceptor at a Centra facility and will follow the preceptor’s schedule working 32-40 hours per week.

Educational Requirements:

  • High School graduate or equivalent.
  • Must be a rising senior nursing student in a BSN program or rising junior in ADN program at the start of the extern program

Applicants MUST submit the following for the application to be complete and to be considered for an interview:

  1. On-Line application
  2. Cover letter explaining why you want to work as a Nurse Extern at Centra. Please include your top 2 divisions/units of choice and what location you prefer to work (Lynchburg, Gretna, Bedford, Farmville).
  3. Full Resume with contact information for 2 instructor references

***If the application is not complete, it will not be sent for review by the hiring managers.

Apply for the Summer Extern Program

Click each link for more information and to apply. The Nurse Extern Program typically runs from May to July.