Medical students today face a challenging but rewarding career path. Fortunately, they have access to more support during their medical studies than ever before. An externship is a short-term training program, typically lasting a single day to several weeks, that is designed to provide a student with hands-on experience in a chosen field of healthcare.
The primary goal of medical student externships is to prepare students for post-graduate life by immersing them in real-world settings. Externships can take place in hospitals, clinics or urgent care centers. These opportunities may involve participating in patient rounds, so students improve their understanding of the healthcare provided by observing practical everyday skills.
Although externships typically do not include direct patient care, they provide an invaluable experience and help students avoid gaps in their clinical training. Unlike a medical student’s internship, externships generally do not offer payment and may not count towards academic credit. However, they do provide essential exposure to clinical practices, enabling students to apply their knowledge and start building his or her professional network.
Externships involve industry partners…
For today’s aspiring medical students, externships are crucial and offer experiential learning opportunities similar to internships and are provided by partnerships between educational institutions and medical employers to give students a taste of practical experiences in their field of study. The externship experience also can be beneficial if the student plans to apply for a highly competitive residency program.
Medical students face a unique set of challenges during their education. Unlike simple shadowing or an observer-ship, an externship is a useful short-term training program designed to help the student gain confidence, build professional connections, and begin preparing for their career in medicine. The time invested provides the student with knowledge and experience that’s only found in a functioning healthcare environment.
When Should a Student Do an Externship?
The daily life of each medical student varies. In addition to his or her rigorous coursework, they must also balance studying for exams, applying for residency programs, and participating in extracurricular activities. For those reasons, some pre-med students choose to experience an externship before their first year of medical school. After all, pre-med students can interact with qualified professionals and kickstart their learning experiences too.
Depending on the year of study, medical student externships provide a great opportunity to get clinical and educational experience outside the standard program. For instance, during the M1 year, students spend a lot of time with their peers and have the more flexibility in their schedules. On the other hand, students in the M2 year take on responsibilities directly related to patient care and may begin studying for their eventual licensing exams.
During the med student’s clinical years M3 and M4, they are fully immersed in the hospital setting, rotating through different specialties and working alongside physicians. Certain medical facilities do offer opportunities as a key clinical experience in highly competitive fields, including radiology, internal medicine and oncology. Moreover, hands-on learning experiences can still be done under the supervision of a physician even after graduation from med school.
Externship versus Internship
Navigating a career can be challenging from day one for pre-med graduates. While medical school courses provide valuable knowledge through real-life scenarios, adapting to the demands of the actual workplace can be difficult but is also very important. This is where both externships (which are not required but recommended) and internships (which along with residency is required before practicing independently) deliver a needed dose of real-world experiences.
Internships offer the ultimate in hands-on experience and are usually paid positions that involve working on projects or initiatives over an extended period. They typically require a substantial time commitment, are normally full-time, and most often are the first year of graduate residency. Internships are a great way for medical students to gain practical experience, build their resume, and transition from their role as a student to a practicing professional.
Externships, on the other hand, provide shorter, unpaid opportunities to observe and learn about a specific niche. They can occur before or during the school year, or over a short stint in the summer. These last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Externships offer a chance to shadow professionals, understand the typical workday, and gain insights into various clinical settings from a small practice to a large hospital. This observation-focused experience helps students build confidence, develop essential skills, and establish professional connections.
IN SUMMARY: Both internships and medical student externships are valuable in different ways. Internships provide in-depth, hands-on involvement, while externships offer a broader understanding of the industry through observation. By participating in these opportunities, healthcare students can enhance their resumes, gain practical experience, and build relationships with mentors who can guide them throughout their careers.
Making the Most of Your Externship
Approach the search for an externship using school resources, networking, professional or alumni associations, and job portals. These short-term opportunities range from one day to weeks and provide eyes-on exposure designed to complement the student’s academic coursework. In the healthcare field, medical students shadow professionals in settings like hospitals for a firsthand experience with clinical practices, medical equipment, and patient interactions.
Externs are typically pre-med, medical students or sometimes graduates. Many externships offer excellent educational opportunities for students, but they do not receive college credit for their participation. Simple online searches for externships in your chosen field can help you identify options, plus here are some tips to use for selecting medical student externships that complement your goals:
- Checkout the Opportunities – Unlike employees, externs are more like guests gaining firsthand experience in the industry. So, researching a wide array of options and then narrowing your choices can help you find opportunities that best align with your career goals. In some fields, externships are part of the curriculum, providing practical experience that complements classroom learning. Understand that externships may require more travel to get to the facility, so consider the program length to ensure it fits your academic schedule.
- Verify the Requirements – Every medical externship comes with its unique set of requirements. For example, some programs may ask you to complete a year of medical school before applying, ensuring you have the foundational knowledge needed. Others might require a minimum GPA or a curriculum vitae (CV). Before entering some medical student externships, you’ll need to interview, so take time to prepare by researching the facility and the program, expressing your interest in their specific location, and detailing your current experience and knowledge.
- Partnered Clinical Learning – Chances are your school might collaborate with hospitals or medical facilities to offer externships, especially ones during the summer months. You can discuss your options with academic advisors and professors to learn more about such opportunities. Many medical organizations that welcome externs usually take the extra effort to help you acquire essential skills and knowledge, and sometimes prior to starting med school. You may be invited to assist with operational tasks or ongoing projects, offering a chance to gain real-world experience.
- Reporting and Reflections – At the end of an externship, students may be asked to create a report detailing their experience, which they present to their mentors or share with their medical school. With the influx of new information, listening is a critical skill during your externship, so pay attention to your surroundings, workplace dynamics, and how others respond to situations. In your report, provide insights into various facets of the practices you observed that would help you better navigate the complexities of that healthcare environment.
While externships are unpaid and may not offer college credit, they do equip pre-med or medical students with essential skills such as punctuality, responsibility, and mutual respect for colleagues and patients. Practicing these skills in a genuine healthcare setting can help students begin building their professional network. An externship also offers enough real experience to give the student a glimpse into the skills they’ll need to develop. Plus, participating in an externship significantly enhances a student’s understanding of their chosen field, making them more prepared for professional life.
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Since every facet of medical school takes time and effort to become a full-fledged doctor, WOLFPACC Physicians Achievement Concept Course was developed to provide allopathic and osteopathic students with a powerful approach to practicing medicine. If you are a medical student or IMG who wants or needs to score well on any USMLE or COMLEX-USA medical licensing exam, Dr. Hans Wolf and his team of professionals look forward to helping you reach your goals.
