How Internships Help You Decide Which Nursing Specialty Is Right for You

Participating in a nursing internship is a valuable first step in your nursing career. A nursing internship provides the opportunity for hands-on experience to help you discover the nursing specialty that best suits your abilities and interests. Here’s how focusing on the technical skills gained during a nursing internship can guide your career decisions.

Learn Core Clinical Skills

In nursing there are foundational skills essential for any nursing role, and an internship provides the supervised practice necessary to master them. One of the critical clinical competencies you can expect to develop during an internship is how to administer medication accurately and safely. This experience is helpful to determine whether you're drawn to roles where medication management is central, such as oncology, critical care or ambulatory care nursing. You’ll also learn how to evaluate, monitor and document a patient’s condition through vital signs monitoring and assessments and practice with filling out an electronic medical record (EMR). Interning on units like medical-surgical floors, emergency departments or intensive care units (ICUs) will help you discover whether you enjoy in-depth assessments or thrive in environments that require rapid, high-stakes evaluations.

Gain Exposure to Specialty-Specific Protocols

Every nursing specialty comes with its own set of protocols and procedures. These protocols often reflect the specific challenges, patient populations and goals of care within a given field. Gaining firsthand exposure to these processes helps you develop a deeper understanding of the technical skills, responsibilities and workflows that come with different nursing roles. For example, on a labor and delivery unit there’s a focus on fetal monitoring, supporting deliveries and managing postpartum care. Whereas with emergency nursing, the environment is fast-paced and requires rapid triage and frequent reassessment of patients.

Refine Your Goals

An internship gives you a clearer picture of what’s possible in nursing. Once you’ve explored different areas, you can set informed goals. Are you interested in advanced practice? If so, you may want to pursue a path that prepares you for becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) or clinical nurse specialist (CNS). Do you find fulfillment in managing chronic conditions and end-of-life care? Acute care may be a good place for you. Do you thrive off the intensity and unpredictability of emergency care? The clinical experience gained through a nurse internship can help you discover where your passions lie and guide your career goals.

Wherever you find your calling in nursing an internship will serve as a vital experience as you start off your career. So, embrace the challenge and ask lots of questions along the way. At Baton Rouge General we are currently accepting applications for our 2025 nursing internship program. Find out more information and how to apply here.