Encouraging Externship Participation
Our school offers a dental assistant program on Saturdays. We also offer voluntary externships that provide good experience helpful in student placement after graduation. However, some students work during the week and can not afford to take time off to participate in the externships offered during the week.
Are there any suggestions on how to encourage these working students to participate in externships? For example, does anyone offer paid externships so working students will not be financially impacted by missing work?
Any thoughts will be appreciated?
HI Barbara
This is indeed a challenge. If you want to construct paid externships that may be do-able. You would have to show the externship host site why it is beneficial to them. You'd have to be careful that the student is not exploited as a source of free labor. I'm sure you have considered trying to set up externships at nights and weekends? Will look forward to ideas from everyone. With lots of brainstorming we can all construct quite a valuable solution.
Good luck, Susan
Susan, Thanks for the suggestions and comments. Most of the practices are open 8am to 5pm M-F. Some practices do have extended hours and Saturday hours that we can look into.
Also try some brainstorming. It's amazing the kinds of answers that develop when people just let ideas come out. And when they are given permission to think out of the box. Let us know. Thanks, Susan
Hi Barbara,
I am a Director of Career Services at a career college where we have a required externship course built into each two year Associate Degree program. Most medical programs require that the externship not be paid, but some of our other programs allow the student to be paid. If you have programmatic accreditation for your dental assistant program, you may want to research their requirements for paid or unpaid externships. Externship experience for students is so key to their success - I hope you can increase your student’s externship participation.
Hi Sheryl and Barbara
Really great points re externships. Lots of incentive when it's paid. But lots of value either way. For those students with little to no experience the externship experience makes their resumes. And enhances their confidence. And develops your relationships with current and prospective employers. Lots of benefits. Best wishes, Susan
I agree that an externship is an important part of the learning experience. It is particulaly helpful for those who have little work experience in any field because they can learn how to be a resonsible employee. We encourage our students to treat their externship like a job by always calling if they are not going to make it in and always being on time, ect.
Hi Lore, We also agree about the importance of externships. It builds confidence, skills, and is often the only work experience a student has for his/her resume. We encourage schools to create externship manuals and agreements that the student signs agreeing to follow all the rules and treating the experience as if it were a job. Thanks, Susna
Our students actually have had some success with being offered jobs after completing their externship. Externships are not only good for hands on experience but also great for self- exposure.
Hi Rhona
Yes, externships create a lot of opportunities for both the student and the school. The employer can observe the student in the workplace and pre assess how the individual might fit in. It's important for the school to stay in touch with the employer and obtain a lot of information such as how well the student is prepared, what skills and knowledge might be needed to add to the curriculum, what competencies should be added to the experience, and more. Staying in touch with the employer helps to insure more externship experiences plus feedback, information, and employer involvement in the placement process. Thanks, Susan
Hi Susan!
We offer several Allied Health programs at my campus. With these programs externship has provided me with 30-35% of my yearly placement. When conducting my marketing calls to employers I offer externship as a working interview. It provides them with an opportunity to get to know the students work ethic, skills and personality before hiring them at the end of their hours. It has proved to be a great success! Wishing everyone great success with externship!
Antonia,
Great endorsement. We have seen schools that place 100% of their students at the externship sites. Our goal is to learn their strategies. They make sure their students are well trained and have great employment skills. They set the expectation on the part of the employer that this is an extended job interview. They are in constant communication with the supervisors to see how the extern is doing and put improvement plans in place. It's a win win for everyone. We think that every program should have an extern component even if not required. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
