MIAMI – An internship program created by Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) to train recent nursing graduates in advanced care settings has been recognized as a best practice program for nursing education by the Nursing Executive Center of The Advisory Board Company, a global research, technology and consulting firm. The MCH Horizons Internship Program was created in 2010 and has since provided training to over 30 nurses in a variety of different areas of service at MCH.  The program was featured as a case study that was shared nationally among nursing leaders who are members of the Nursing Executive Center.
 

“The Horizons Internship Program has been an invaluable tool for recruiting and retaining flexible exemplary nurses with a broad base of knowledge at Miami Children’s,” said Jackie Gonzalez, DNP, ARNP, MBA, NEA-BC, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at MCH.  “This is a beneficial training model that can be replicated by other hospitals and institutions in their efforts to support and assimilate new nursing graduates.”

 
Through the MCH Horizons Internship Program, nurses are given the opportunity to cross-train in a variety of different units, including all three of MCH’s intensive care units, with the ability to select an area of focus. Nurses rotate through designated areas every three to four months, on average, and remain in the float pool program for a total of 18 months. To date, 33 RNs have been hired as a result of the program and 30 continue to work within the organization after two years of completing the internship and several have moved into entry level leadership roles.
 
View the case study on MCH’s Horizons Internship Program for nurses.