Program overview
The Nursing Student Work-Study Summer Internship Program provides upper-level pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students with a paid and supervised internship at one of the 21 Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical centers. Interns are exposed to the realities of nursing practice and gain confidence with learned skills while working under the supervision of a registered nurse.
Program details
- Conducted during summer break when students are not distracted by other course work.
- Sanctioned by California Board of Registered Nursing and structured as a clinical practicum course.
- Selected students screened and hired into nursing work-study intern non-benefited positions at a Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical center.
- Nursing student interns work on clinical and non-clinical teams, including but not limited to quality and risk, education, and infection prevention.
- Program costs, including intern salaries, are covered by Kaiser Permanente Community Health.
Eligibility
- Students must be attending a nursing program at one of our 7 partner universities in Northern California. Out-of-state students are not eligible to apply for the program.
- Eligible students will receive information from out partner faculty about the application process early spring each year.
How to apply
- Nursing student interns at participating universities complete program application and are selected by university faculty, based on academic excellence and diversity.
- Students who are multilingual and/or from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Additional information
Hours
Are interns able to work 12-hour shifts?
- No, interns are only allowed to work for a total of 8 hours per day for a total of 40 hours a week. They can be assigned to a nurse working 12-hour shifts, but will have to leave after working 8 hours.
Can interns work overtime?
- No, interns cannot work any overtime hours.
Supervision
Are interns evaluated by their supervising nurse?
- Yes, interns are evaluated on their performance at midpoint and endpoint of internship.
Hiring
Are interns considered Kaiser Permanente employees?
- Yes, interns complete the Kaiser Permanente hiring process and are hired as Kaiser Permanente employees prior to beginning the internship program. As interns they are members of the United Healthcare West Union.
Are interns part of the union?
- Yes, all interns are required to join United Healthcare West (UHW) and pay monthly dues for their term of employment as interns (non-negotiable).
What if a unit wants to hire an intern?
- It is encouraged for our medical centers to hire their interns if they are a good fit. Some medical centers hire their interns as techs until they graduate and become a RN.
Once hired, are interns in the time keeping system or do they do manual timecards?
- Interns should be integrated into the timekeeping system. Sometimes medical centers need to work directly with their timekeepers to integrate interns into the timekeeping system the same as any employee if it does not happen automatically.
Placements
How is it determined what medical centers have interns and how many?
- Placements are determined based on intern requests for specific location and specialty interest, as well as medical center intern requests.
Can interns float to other areas than assigned for unique learning opportunities?
- Yes, if these opportunities are approved by their hiring manager and manager of float areas. It is encouraged for interns to have the highest quality learning experience as designed by their hiring manager and/or supervising nurse to best meet the goals of the intern/medical center.
How is it determined if interns are qualified for assigned placement?
- Assigned faculty select interns for program based on competency level. Faculty work with interns as needed to make sure they are prepared to perform skills on unit assigned.
Contacts
Jodi Galli
jodi.b.galli@kp.org