Clinical Extern program at CMH seeks to recruit, retain nurses

As Ontario continues to grapple with nursing shortages, Cambridge Memorial Hospital is continuing a program designed to find and hire young nurses.

Stephanie Pearsall, the vice president of clinical programs and chief nursing executive at CMH, says the Clinical Extern program is in its third year.

“It is funded by the Ministry of Health,” Pearsall said. “It allows us to place nursing students, we pay them. They can be in various years.”

The students get the opportunity to work in the hospital learning from a Clinical Preceptor who is typically an experienced nurse.

“It’s often a nurse that is on the unit, with the externs that provides that bedside support sort of at the elbow,” said Pearsall. “How do you put a nasogastric tube in? How do you give your medications?”

The hospital has a relationship with universities and colleges in the province and puts job postings up for the positions. In the upcoming year, there are 37 extern positions available at the hospital.

Pearsall added that many young nurses missed out on some clinical opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s very anxiety-producing to come into a hospital as a new employee, and then to be faced with not getting the clinical experience you might have gotten in your program is just an additional layer,” she said.

Clinical externs can work in various areas within the hospital. Eight students have been hired in the past year as staff at CMH.

“While eight doesn’t sound like a lot when you think of eight students that could potentially go into full-time jobs, it’s significant,” Pearsall said. “We will continue to place them year-over-year if they’re interested in really hope to convert them.”

The program is also open to high school co-op students, as well as physiotherapy and respiratory therapy students.

“Really, it is a recruitment initiative,” Pearsall said. “We hope they come, they enjoy the space, they like the staff and then we can hire them when they graduate.”