London Health Sciences Centre’s clinical extern nursing program is part of a Ministry of Health funding initiative to help hospitals respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program allows hospitals to hire nursing students as Unregulated Care Providers. In order to become a Clinical Extern Nurse (CEN), you must be in the third or fourth year of an RN program or in the final year of an RPN program. CENs are assigned to one of the medical-surgical units at LHSC (at either Victoria Hospital or University Hospital) and work initially under the PSW scope of practice.
What training will I receive?
CEN's complete the central nursing and PSW orientation. This online training is three days long. Once you are assigned a unit, you will receive four buddied orientation shifts to practice your skills under supervision. As you progress in the program, you will also have the opportunity to attend one of our skills fair training sessions. Successful completion of skills fair allows you to practice under an enhanced scope of practice, performing nursing tasks such as bladder scanning, pain assessments and simple dressings, along with a number of controlled acts, including MRSA swabs, saline lock removal and POC serum glucose checks.
How often will I work?
You will work two 12-hour shifts per pay period. This amounts to one shift per week. These shifts are scheduled for you, but you can switch as necessary to avoid conflicts with exams and student placements. Depending on your availability, you also have the option to pick up additional shifts on your unit.
How can I apply to the program?
There are intake sessions regularly throughout the year. You will find job postings on the LHSC Careers page and Indeed. We look forward to hearing from you!
