Securing Internships in Your Major

By Breianna Cortez
​@YCbreianna

​As an incoming freshman, I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in biology because eventually, I want to be a nurse. What I didn’t know was the amount of effort I would have to put in to get my foot in the door. OR the type of things that are required from students who eventually want to be nurses. The best advice I could give you incoming students regardless if you are a freshman or transfer that is interested in biology is to DO YOUR RESEARCH and get going on your certifications, licensures, internships, clinical hours or anything else that your graduate program is going to require from you. ​

​After my freshman year, I knew I was getting closer to my nursing career and I wanted to do everything possible to make that easier on me when the time came. So, I did my research and learned that most nursing programs require applicants to have their certificate of nursing assistant before coming into the program as well as shadowing hours. So I did some more research and found a program in Omaha called Quality Career Pathways. This program offered 2 full weeks of nursing aide classes along with the written exam (which is not hard at all if you have common sense) and the practical skills exam. It was a simple course that has now put me in a position to be that much closer to my career. 

​Another license/job that is also helpful to becoming a nurse is a phlebotomist. This course was a bit more difficult because of the fact that 'phlebs' are working with open needles, blood work, and patients. I took this course at The Methodist College in Omaha. It was an accelerated course and was pretty pricey, but was totally worth every penny. I took the course in a classroom for about two weeks and then was sent off to the hospital with my other classmates to finish up the course. At the hospital, we followed our trainer’s schedule and we got to perform every blood draw they were called out to. It was definitely nerve-racking but it was so much fun and such a relief to see the blood flow into the blood collection tubes. This course was super challenging, but if you are wanting to pursue nursing that is something you should look into. It’s do-able if you put your mind to it. 

My advice is to find a career that most interests you, if you want to know what a certain career entails - watch videos, google it, or sign up to do shadowing hours at the clinics and hospitals. Even volunteering will get you on the inside and you can see for yourself what department you like and which ones you don’t. Once you find that passion though, pursue it and do everything you can to make sure you are ready when the time comes. I have one more semester until I graduate and then it’s off to what I have been preparing for. All the late night studying, the money spent and the countless hours spent on my feet to put myself to the test has finally paid off. I am ready for what the future holds in store for me and I hope that whoever is reading this will be in the same position one day. 

​Good luck and know that it takes a lot to be in the position you are in, but if anyone can do it, it's you.