¶ … externship is an essential component of a nursing education. There is no way to duplicate the experience that I will receive with an externship in the classroom. Thus, I consider an externship to be of utmost importance.

To this point, I have engaged in extensive study of nursing and medical knowledge and principles. I feel that an externship will allow me to gain invaluable practical experience in the workplace. I will be able to apply the concepts that I have learned in my studies to the real world environment.

One of the most important components of the nurse's role, I feel, is patient interaction. As a nurse, I feel that delivering quality care is about more than technical knowledge. The only true way to develop strong patient interaction skills is through hands-on experience. The externship will give me the opportunity to work directly with real patients who have real needs. By interacting with dozens of patients a day on the externship, I will be able to better understand how I can help patients, especially in areas that do not directly relate to the technical aspects of the job.

Moreover, a nursing externship will allow me to better synthesize what I have learned. By seeing the concepts I have learned applied in a hospital or clinic setting, I will be able to put that knowledge into its proper context. As well, when I go back to school to finish my degree, I will take with me all of the practical knowledge that I have gained. This will benefit not only myself, but my classmates as well.

In short, I strongly believe that no nursing education can truly be complete without an externship. This is not a job that can be learned entirely in the classroom. It is a hands-on profession that deals with real people in their time of need. An externship is essential to acquiring the key interpersonal skills and practical experience needed to become the best nurse possible.