Pre-Health internships/Gain Patient Care experience
Pre-Health Internships 2021 -2022 (Juniors, Seniors or Gap Year opportunity)
Moon River Senior Care, in partnership with Moon River Nursing Careers in Ashburn, VA, is offering internships to pre-health students. This is a great opportunity for those applying to medical school, nursing school, PA school or pursuing other healthcare careers. Our well-respected internship program accepts 20-30 interns per year and provides a unique experience that results in personal and professional growth and is definitely a great addition to your resume!
Internship time frame: The start date is flexible since we can accepts new interns each month. Interns typically commit to an 8-12 month internship experience and gain a minimum of 400 hours of patient care experience. Some interns have completed more than 2000 hours in patient care. We can accept five more interns for the next internship class that starts in early January 2022.
The Internship experience involves training, patient care experience, and networking opportunities with other interns. This unique internship has several components as outlined below:
1) The internship starts with a scholarship for the 120-hour Nurse Aide training course at our affiliate Moon River Nursing Careers and is offered in partnership with the American Red Cross. The course is valued at $1,850, but it is offered to interns at no charge. The course normally takes 5-6 weeks to complete.
The Nurse Aide training course is structured as follows:
* 50 hours on-line instruction using the excellent American Red Cross video curriculum that can completed from your home.
*30 hours skills lab training at Moon River Nursing Careers in Ashburn, VA three evenings a week from 5 p.m - 9 p.m.
*40 hours clinical rotation at a long-term care facility in Leesburg, VA scheduled as 8 hour shifts. Some are on Saturdays and some weekdays, but we can discuss your availabilty to meet the requirements.
2) Following training, interns attend an orientation with Moon River Senior Care (a licensed home health agency in the state of Virginia) and are assigned to work one-on-one with patients receiving home health care. Scheduled shifts with patients can be flexible (day, evening, or weekend). Interns are required to complete a minimum of 50 hours a month in patient care for a minimum of 8 months. There is the option to gain additional patient care experience, and some interns have elected to continue working and completed more than 1000 hours. The stipend compensation is $13-$15 per hours and increases as the intern completes additional hours.
Interns are not required to take the Board of Nursing exam to become a CNA after completing the Nurse Aide training, but this is highly encouraged. Becoming a CNA in Virginia will open the door to jobs in hospitals, assisted living, nursing homes and memory care. It allows the intern to gain a broader scope of experience during the internship. Working at a facility (rather than a private home) requires being a CNA. Without this credential, your experience is limited to assisting patients residing in private homes or apartments in senior communities. If you are a CNA, you can do both. If you are assigned to assist a patient residing in a facility, it is a one-on-one assignment in which a family member has employed our agency to give their loved one individual attention.
3) Ongoing training:
*Interns participate in ZOOM or in-person internship team meetings and training sessions twice a month with well-respected national/internationally recognized guest speakers.
*Complete a 4-6 page reflection paper about your experience as an intern.
*Select a healthcare topic of interest approved by the Director of Nursing and lead a 20 minute presentation that includes a discussion.
*Interns have the option of working with the Internship Director on a project that is compatible with your interests.
Responsibilities of Interns:
· Attend all training sessions and actively participate in discussions.
· Follow the Plan of Care developed by a Registered Nurse
· Provide medication reminders
· Provide personal care services including bathing, oral care, shaving, dressing, feeding,
restroom assistance, incontinence care and transfers
· Report observations regarding skin breakdown
· Monitor vital signs and changes in communication or cognition
· Learn and demonstrate proper charting
· Gain understanding of infection control, confidentiality, and privacy protocol
· Simple meal preparation, such as making a sandwich
· Assist with daily tasks
· Provide a listening ear, companionship and engage in activities
· Schedule medical appointments for client, if requested
· Accompany to medical appointments or physical therapy as needed
Terms of the Internship
· Moon River Nursing Careers is affiliated with Moon River Senior Care. The Nurse Aide training program (valued at $1,850.00) is offered at no charge to interns. Successful completion of this course is required to work with patients receiving home care. While interns are encouraged to take the Board of Nursing exam following the course to become a CNA, this is not a requirement to proceed with the home health experience. A student who chooses to become licensed as a CNA is responsible for paying the $140.00 to take the state Board of Nursing exam.
· Interns are required to have a current CPR certificate to participate in the internship. Those who are not currently CPR certified can take this course at Moon River Nursing Careers. It is provided by one of our community partners for the discounted price of $90.00.
· Interns must provide proof of COVID vaccine and Flu Vaccine.
· Interns need to provide their own black scrub pants. Moon River Nursing Careers will provide one set of scrubs for the clinical rotation. Moon River Senior Care will provide a polo shirt with the agency logo that will be worn with the black scrubs for the home health assignments.
Once assigned to home health shifts, an intern receives the following stipend:
$13.00/ hr. - 1-300 hours
$14.00/hr. - 301-599 hours
$15.00/hr. - 600-1000 hours
Interns are expected to submit their work availability at least 30 days in advance. The shifts can be scheduled daytime, in the evening or on weekends. All interns must have availability to work some weekends and evenings. Your shift can range from a few hours to a 12 hour shift. We schedule interns with consideration to whether shorter or longer shifts are preferred.
Benefits to Students pursuing Healthcare Careers
This internship is with a highly respected award-winning home health agency. For the past three years, Moon River Senior Care was recognized as an Employer of Choice, Trusted Caregiver, and a Leader in Excellence.
· The internship includes receiving Nurse Aide training.
· Successful completion of the Nurse Aide course prepares an intern to take the Virginia Board of Nursing exam to be licensed as a Certified Nursing Assistant. A CNA license in the state of Virginia is an important credential that opens doors to jobs in hospitals, clinics, medical offices, assisted living and memory care, nursing homes, Hospice, and home health.
· Interns learn about many different medical conditions and gain insight into the challenges that patients and family caregivers face at home daily.
· During ongoing team meetings (currently done on ZOOM), interns learn from the expertise of healthcare professionals and have an opportunity to interact with other interns. Extraordinary, experienced nurse instructors can share experiences providing person-centered care in various healthcare settings.
· Graduates of our internship program have a competitive edge when applying to nursing school, medical school, PA school and other healthcare advanced degrees.
Who should apply for this internship?
This internship is recommended for a college junior, senior or recent college graduate who is passionate about a career in healthcare and motivated to achieve his/her goals. It is an ideal internship for someone in the gap year prior to attending medical school or PA School, but open to other qualified candidates. Former interns have included students majoring in Biology, Neuroscience, Nursing, Social work, OT/PT, Psychology, Pharmacy, Public Health or Health Administration. While these are typically the majors of interns, we will consider any college junior, senior or recent college graduate who has the academic potential, compassion, work ethic and motivation to become a healthcare professional.
This internship and the opportunity to become a CNA will enhance your resume and demonstrate to graduate school selection committees that you have the skills and motivation to pursue a career in healthcare.
Applications are reviewed as they are received, and interviews scheduled on an ongoing basis until the internship class is full. We encourage qualified candidates to apply today. Please note that applicants need to provide a resume and a cover letter to be considered for the internship program.