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Nursing Students

Nursing students have many opportunities to gain experience at Catholic Health, with many deciding to begin their careers in one of the system’s hospitals or health facilities.

Immediate Treatment Assistant Program

Catholic Health’s Immediate Treatment Assistant (ITA) program at Mercy Hospital provides students with a full year of experience in a clinical setting before graduation.

The ITA program pairs up third-year nursing students with experienced nurses in a variety of clinical settings. The students not only gain more practical experience than they would through their regular course work, but also become more comfortable working in a clinical setting and more familiar with the day-to-day activities of hospital-based nursing.

ITA’s can perform most of the duties of a nurses’ aide and unit clerk, as well as draw blood, take blood pressures and perform electrocardiograms. They also gain valuable experience on the hospital’s clinical computer system, which is a real advantage for a graduate nurse.

The program allows students to enhance their skills and adapt to a hospital environment. It was established in hopes of helping new associates gain knowledge and experience that assists in preparing for the NCLEX exam, helping them gain clinical confidence necessary for a successful transition to Registered Nurse, and building a relationship with each associate so that they might choose to remain with Catholic Health.

Summer Internship Program

Catholic Health’s Summer Nursing Internship Program was created to allow students between their junior and senior year opportunities to practice and develop their nursing skills. Each student is precepted by an experienced nursing staff member and follows the schedule of that preceptor.

The 8-week summer internship program for 4-year nursing students allows training in specialized areas to include: emergency room, operating room, intensive care, NICU, pediatrics and telemetry. A variety of instructional strategies and clinical experiences are provided to achieve program goals and objectives.

Catholic Health’s summer nursing internship program provides students with the knowledge and skills to grow and enhance their clinical practice.

Last summer, the Recruitment Department welcomed 18 junior nursing students from D’Youville College, the University at Buffalo, Roberts Wesleyan College, Penn State University, and St. John Fisher College. All 18 students spent eight weeks with an assigned preceptor at one of our hospitals. The goal of this program is to reinforce the students’ academic knowledge with practical, hands-on nursing experience.

Through internship programs, students and organizations start the bonding process for potential long-term relationships. We welcome junior and senior nursing students and to learn more about the program. Please contact Catholic Health Recruitment Center at 1-877-247-5989.

Catholic Health’s 2009 Summer Nursing Interns

Catholic Health’s Summer Nursing Interns gain practical experience and a special insight to the exciting field of nursing. However, this year, they also got to have some fun while participating in a unique learning experience. In July, our nursing interns had the opportunity to attend Dr. Gunther von Hagen’s “Body Worlds & The Story of the Heart” exhibit held at the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Nursing school is a very rigorous and demanding program. The first two years of study are spent mostly on core non-nursing classes that focus on the academic bookwork and involve long hours of bookwork; this work helps prepare students for the clinical side of nursing.

The trip to the Science Museum was a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity that helped each student gain a better understanding of how the human body works and the important role the heart plays in health and wellness. It also helped bring the pages of their textbooks to life by being able to see life-like human specimens.

The Body Worlds exhibit is made possible through total body donations and Dr. von Hagen’s special method of “plasticizing” body tissue. The exhibit focused on the human heart and cardiovascular system.

As one of the thousands of Western New Yorkers that got to see this amazing exhibit, each of our nursing interns not only came away with a rare look inside the human body, but also a learning opportunity that will serve them well throughout their academic training and professional careers. 

More Information

For more information about our programs for nursing students, please contact the Catholic Health Recruitment Center at 1-877-247-5989.