Nurse Associate Program
Huntington Hospital’s Nurse Associate Program
was created in response to nursing students’ requests
for increased clinical exposure as well as the hospital’s
need for dedicated, committed individuals in a nursing
support role.
In addition to Huntington Hospital’s orientation
requirements, applicants must have the experience of
at least one semester of a clinical nursing rotation.
This gives them the didactic and hands on experience
needed to perform at a basic nursing assistant level.
But because of their increased knowledge base from
that of a nursing assistant, nurse associates are given
some additional responsibilities such as performing
EKGs, and glucose monitoring.
As part of the application process, nursing students
must submit two letters of recommendation, at least
one from a clinical instructor in their nursing program,
and submit a copy of their nursing school transcript.
They must also take the hospital’s standard nursing
assistant pre-employment exam.
The unique title Nurse Associate indicates to the
staff that they are currently in nursing school which
promotes on going mentoring for the students each time
they report to work. As an added bonus, nurse
associates are offered an externship during their last
recess before graduating from nursing school. They
are removed from the nurse associate role and paired
to work side by side with a tenured RN. This challenge
enables them to gain a bird’s eye view of the
true RN role.
Students are required to commit to at least one shift
per week throughout their tenure in the Nurse Associate
role. Many choose to work more when school is in recess.
Available positions are primarily on the 3PM-11PM and
the 11PM-7AM shifts because this is where there is
greatest need on the nursing units. Experienced nurses
in Staff Development work very closely with the students
throughout their experience at Huntington Hospital.
These mentors make it very clear to the nurse associates
that nursing school should remain their top priority.
The benefits for the student are many. In addition
to the increased clinical exposure and professional
patient care experience, they begin the socialization
process should they decide to transition to an RN position
at Huntington Hospital. Many choose to accept positions
once they graduate. Also, the staff is able to get
a true view of their work ethic, commitment and maturity
level and the students have the opportunity to witness
nursing at Huntington Hospital first hand.
The program continues to be a work in progress with
changes occurring on an on-going basis. Currently,
it is being offered twice per year in January and May.
If you meet the above criteria, can fulfill the commitment
to the position and are interested in learning more
about Huntington Hospital’s Nurse Associate Program,
please contact Donna Tanzi, RN, at dtanzi@hunthosp.org.
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