Pre-Health Paid Internships for Gap year, Juniors and Seniors
Paid Internship for Pre-health students- Gain 600-1000+ hours experience in Patient Care
Are you planning to apply to medical school, PA school or other graduate school program for a career in healthcare? Experience in Patient Care as a pre-health intern will enhance your application and demonstrate you are capable of succeeding as a health care professional.
Moon River Senior Care, in partnership with Moon River Nursing Careers, offers a unique internship that results in students getting accepted to some of the best graduate schools in the country. If you are passionate about your career path and want to stand out from other applicants, this pre-health internship provides a great opportunity for professional growth.
It starts with the 120-hour training to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and gaining experience in patient care. The Nurse Aide training course is the pre-requisite to taking the Board of Nursing exam to become a CNA. This credential opens the door to working in a hospital, assisted living, nursing home, memory care, medical clinics, home health care and hospice.
This internship also is valuable to those who have completed the Nurse Aide or CNA training and for nursing students who have attended clinicals. In addition to gaining experience working with patients, students attend training sessions with well-respected healthcare experts and have networking opportunities.
Preference is given to college graduates in the gap year before medical or PA school who can work a minimum of 24 hours per week. We also encourage mature undergraduates to apply to our fall/spring internship program if they attend college in the Northern Virginia area and can work at least 12 hours per week in home care for at least nine months.
Pre-Health Internship Description: Moon River Senior Care, in partnership with Moon River Nursing Careers in Ashburn, VA, is offering internships for pre-health majors and welcomes applications from:
a) Students who are recent college graduates majoring in Biology, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Nursing, Exercise Science or other healthcare majors,
b) Students who are undergraduates majoring in Biology, Neuroscience, Nursing, or other healthcare related majors.
Components of the internship:
● Receive a scholarship to attend the 144-hour licensed Nurse Aide training course. It is offered in partnership with the American Red Cross and includes 50 hours of on-line instruction in partnership with the American Red Cross, 24 hours online training in dementia and end-of-life care, 30 hours in the skills lab and a 40-hour clinical rotation. Upon completion of the course, interns are prepared to the Virginia Board of Nursing exam to become a CNA (certified nursing assistant).
The Nurse Aide training is the first step to gaining experience in patient care. Those who already have completed this course can start with the orientation to providing home care for older adults.
● After completing the Nurse Aide course, each intern will be scheduled to work at our affiliate Moon River Senior Care assisting older adults in their homes in the Ashburn/Sterling/Reston area.
● Interns are expected to participate in the monthly internship meetings that are done via ZOOM one evening a month.
● During the course of the internship, interns have the opportunity to lead an educational session on a healthcare related subject. Inters are required to submit a reflection paper at the end of the internship.
● Motivated interns can pursue additional experience such as shadowing experienced nurses and learning about assessments/ medication management, wound care, end-of-life care, etc. Some interns have also developed and implemented programs (great resume addition) that our agency has adopted to improve an older adult's client's quality of life.
Detailed description of the internship:
● Moon River Nursing Careers, affiliated with Moon River Senior Care, will provide the Nurse Aide training at no charge to the students. This class is required to take the state exam to become a CNA but taking the exam is not a requirement of the internship program.
● Completion of the Nurse Aide training course is required for the internship. Students who want to become licensed as a CNA are responsible for paying the fee of $140 fee to take the state exam. Full-time interns can apply to participate in a federal grant program that will pay for the licensure test.
● Students are required to be CPR certified to participate in the internship. Those who are not already CPR certified can take the course at Moon River Nursing Careers for the discounted price of $60.00. Full-time interns can apply to participate in a grant program that will pay for the CPR training. The grant is not restricted to low-income students.
● Interns are provided with scrubs and all equipment and supplies for the Nurse Aide training. When working in home care, interns will need to provide their own black scrub pants. Moon River Senior Care will provide a polo shirt with the agency name that will be worn with the black scrubs for the home health assignments.
Stipend: Our home care agency works with multiple community partners. The stipend will vary depending on whether the intern has part-time or full-time availability.
Internship Sessions:
This internship requires a 6-12 month commitment to work part-time or full-time in home care in the Ashburn, VA area.
After completing the Nurse Aide class, students can schedule home health shifts around their school schedule. Home care is provided 24/7, so we also have opportunities for students who are only available specific days, evenings or weekends. Priority is given to those in the gap year, but we also accept mature, responsible juniors or seniors who attend school locally. Interns must have reliable transportation to the Ashburn area.
Responsibilities of Interns working as Aides:
● 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
● Demonstrate charting and proper documentation
● Gain understanding of infection control, confidentiality, and privacy
● 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 older adults to medical appointments, as needed and take notes.
● Crisis intervention; communicate with RN supervisor
● Accompany client to physical therapy session
● Opportunity to accompany a registered nurse for patient reassessment / medication management visit.
Benefits to Students pursuing Healthcare Careers
● The internship includes valuable training valued at $2,000-$3,000, depending on the add-on training modules for certification in dementia, end-of-life care, etc. This training is offered free of charge to those accepted into the pre-health internship program. We currently are accepting three new interns each month. This internship requires a 8-12 month commitment and a minimum of 400 hours working with our licensed home care agency.
● 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 each day.
● During team meetings, interns learn from the expertise of healthcare professionals and have an opportunity to interact with other interns.
● Students with direct patient care experience have a competitive edge when applying to nursing school, medical school, and other healthcare degree programs.
Who should apply for this internship?
This internship is recommended for a college student or recent college graduate who is passionate about a career in healthcare and motivated to achieve his/her goals. This is a great internship for a student who is planning to attend Medical School or pursuing a career in Nursing, Social work, OT/PT, Psychology, Pharmacy, Public Health, or Healthcare Administration. While these are typically the majors of interns, we will consider any candidate who has the academic potential, compassion, work ethic and motivation to become a healthcare professional. Preference is given to students who have completed two years of college.
Applications accepted until each class is full. Please send a cover letter and their resume to Cathy Ahrendsen at cathy@moonriverseniorcare.com. Include the word “internship” on the subject line. Qualified candidates will be scheduled for a first-round phone interview. Second round interviews will be scheduled to come to tour our school and meet our team. To learn about our agency, please visit:
www.moonriverseniorcare.com www.moonrivernursingcareers.com