Understanding Externships in Healthcare Training

Key Insights:

• A healthcare externship involves advancing your knowledge and skills within a functioning healthcare organization, often as part of an education program.
• Choosing a healthcare program that offers externship experience has several benefits, including the opportunity to build your skills, network with others, and, in some cases, gain practical experience.
• Ultimate Medical Academy offers several healthcare programs that include an externship, enabling learners to gain real-world experience in their chosen career path.

Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) provides learners in our healthcare programs with access to one-on-one academic assistance, individual job search help, committed advisors from start to finish, and potential resource guidance for outside the classroom. Several of our programs also include a valuable career resource: a healthcare externship.

What Is a Healthcare Externship?

A healthcare externship refers to practical experience that is provided as part of an education program. This experience enables learners to gain a better understanding of what their job role entails within a healthcare facility. It also provides the opportunity to gain both knowledge and skills in a real-world healthcare setting.

Externships vs. internships in healthcare

When researching healthcare programs, you may find that some offer externship opportunities and others might have internships. What’s the difference?

Externships are often viewed as more of a job shadow experience, whereas internships typically include practical, on-the-job experience.¹ However, this isn’t always the case.

While some educational institutions may only allow externs to shadow professionals in their desired role, others — like UMA — enable learners to put their skills into practice by completing tasks at the externship site’s discretion.² Additionally, externships are typically shorter in duration than internships, and they’re more likely to be unpaid.³

Ways a Healthcare Externship Can Benefit You

Pursuing your healthcare degree at an institution that offers externship experience can provide several benefits:

• Develop your skills: Participating in an externship that includes hands-on experience provides the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills relevant to your future position.
• Network with others: Continuing your learning within a healthcare facility is a good way to make connections with other professionals in your desired position and field.
• Build confidence: Practicing your skills can help you build your confidence and comfort level with your future job duties.
• Gain practical experience: Externships provide the opportunity to see firsthand what it’s like to work in your chosen healthcare field. Additionally, employers sometimes prefer applicants with practical experience, and an externship may supply some of the experience they desire.

“I finished all my classes. I did my extern, and I got hired. And now I work with a doctor full-time.” Albany S., UMA Student

7 Strategies to Maximize Your Healthcare Externship Experience

Here are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your healthcare program externship.

#1: Be attentive

When at your externship site, pay attention to what’s going on around you. Watch how workers in your desired position perform their job duties. Notice the steps they take to complete a certain task, how they interact with staff and/or patients, or how they document their actions in the organization’s recordkeeping system. You can pick up a lot just from watching others perform their job roles.

#2: Ask questions

One of the benefits of a healthcare externship is that it gives you access to people you can ask questions to. If you see a worker perform a particular task in a certain way but you’re not sure why, ask them about it. Also, ask questions about job duties or knowledge areas that you may struggle with. They may be able to offer helpful tips and tricks that can make learning your future job role easier.

#3: Look for opportunities to assist

Look for opportunities to expand your skills — staying within your scope of practice, of course, and within the parameters set by the school, program, and organization offering the externship experience. If you see a job duty that you may be able to assist with, for instance, ask if you can help. Your willingness to be proactive may help you stand out. It can also show that you’re a team player who is committed to doing your part.

#4: Request (and be open to) feedback

Just as it can be valuable when an instructor in your online or in-person classroom provides feedback on your assignments and tests, it’s equally valuable to get feedback from those you work with in an externship experience. Ask them to tell you if they see you doing something in a way that you could do differently or better. And when they provide feedback, be open to it. It doesn’t always feel good to be told that you should change the way you do something, but you can use their guidance to hold you back or to help you advance and grow. Choose the latter. Remember that a healthcare externship is a learning experience.

#5: Set goals

Setting career goals can help keep you motivated and on track as you progress through your healthcare journey. Why not take this same approach with your externship and set goals for it too? Maybe there are certain skills you want to practice before the externship is over. That could be a good goal to set. Or you might create a goal to learn a particular type of software or electronic health record (EHR) program. Write down 3–5 things you want to accomplish as part of your externship and work to achieve each of them before this portion of your education program is complete.

#6: Connect with others

A healthcare externship is a great opportunity to meet and connect with other professionals in your field. The people you meet may become your next mentor, a job referral resource, or even a good friend. Yes, externships are designed to help you grow professionally. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t establish genuine connections with the individuals you meet on-site.

#7: Keep track of skills practiced

At the end of each day you spend at the externship site, write down the skills you practiced. Keep this list handy for when you’re ready to create your healthcare resume. Use it to tell potential employers about the tasks you performed during the course of your externship.

UMA Offers Externships in Numerous Healthcare Programs

If you’re interested in a career in healthcare and would like to enroll in a program that offers an externship, UMA offers several options designed to prepare you for the following healthcare roles:

• Pharmacy Technician – includes a 180-hour externship
• Dental Assistant – includes a 240-hour externship
• Medical Assistant – includes a 220-hour externship
• Patient Care Technician – includes a 180-hour externship

We will also be there to support you during your externship journey. Our externship team, which is part of our career services, can help you explore the opportunities available, working with you to identify the ones that could help you stand out to potential employers.

Contact us to learn more about your healthcare externship opportunities at UMA, or to discuss any of our healthcare education programs.

FAQs

• What is an externship? An externship involves gaining practical knowledge and experience within an actual workplace, typically as part of an education program.
• How is an externship different from an internship? Externships are often shorter in duration than internships and more likely to be unpaid.³ The level of hands-on experience you can gain in either is dependent on the parameters set by the educational institution, the healthcare program you’re enrolled in, and the organization offering the experience.
• Do externships guarantee a job? No, they don’t. However, they do provide the opportunity to show a potential employer your level of professionalism and how you perform on the job. Additionally, the experience you gain in an externship can help set you apart from job applicants without this type of learning experience.
• How should I prepare for a healthcare externship experience? One step you can take is to make sure you understand the clinical externship requirements for your specific program. These are found within UMA’s school catalog, or you can speak to the individual overseeing your externship experience. Also, gather any materials or supplies you need in advance, and secure the type of clothing needed based on the dress code at your externship site (i.e., scrubs or office attire).
• How long are externships in allied health programs? The duration of externships in allied health programs can vary. For instance, externships offered at UMA can range from 45 to 240 hours, depending on the healthcare program you’re enrolled in.