General Overview:
Internship training is a core requirement of the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all health specialties. It is also a requirement of Saudi Commission for Health Specialties/Nursing Board to grant professional registration and licensure to practice within the kingdom.
It concludes the BSN curriculum, and starts straight after successful completion of academic requirements and course work.
Purpose:
The program is designed to achieve the following goals:
• To expand the interns’ understanding of the structure, scope, and services of real practice settings.
• To consolidate previously learned knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to professional nursing practice.
• To orient the interns about the different professional nurse roles & responsibilities.
• To facilitate the transition of interns’ performance from supervised to independent and functional professional practice.
• To prepare interns effectively for future full time employment and related workplace/ professional requirements.
• To explore interns’ career interest and employment preferences in order to prepare them accordingly.
Intended Learning Outcomes of internship field experience
By the end of the internship year the interns will be able to:
• Recognize the structure of the practice settings and its available services needed to facilitate patient care delivery.
• Integrate theoretical knowledge and concepts related to nursing, basic, and social sciences into the practice of professional nursing.
• Recognize the knowledge and theory foundation related to core nursing interventions and skills.
• Evaluate clients’/patients’ health conditions in a systematic manner within standards of professional practice.
• Plan holistic patient and family center care utilizing the nursing process framework.
• Evaluate research evidence necessary to guide professional nursing practice.
• Demonstrate utilization of critical thinking skills in making informed decisions related to the care of patients & their families.
• Conduct self professionally.
• Assume responsibility and accountability for own decisions and actions.
• Incorporate professional values including ethical and legal aspects into the practice of nursing.
• Provide health education for patients and their families/caregivers.
• Demonstrate basic clinical leadership skills.
• Work effectively with interdisciplinary team in order to meet the healthcare needs of patients and their families.
• Demonstrate effective time management skills.
• Explore available career pathways within nursing most suitable for future employment.
• Communicate effectively using therapeutic verbal and non-verbal communication with patients, families, interdisciplinary team.
• Document nursing care plan and interventions effectively following standards of legal and professional documentation.
• Demonstrate mastery of basic mathematical calculation necessary for nursing care delivery.
• Utilize nursing informatics and technology in reviewing, reporting and documenting day to day patient care.
• Advocate human dignity and patients/families rights.
• Perform comprehensive physical assessment for individuals across life span.
• Perform the core nursing skills stipulated in the internship curriculum within satisfactory performance level as an intern.
• Carry an assigned patient load and deliver holistic nursing care within standards of practice guidelines.
Structure of KSAU-HS Nursing Internship Program
Nursing internship program is divided into two phases:
1. Phase I:
It covers 32 weeks period and has unified requirements that all enrolled interns are expected to meet. Phase I is structured to facilitate consolidation of interns’ clinical experience, knowledge and professional conduct in medical, surgical, maternity and pediatric areas.
2. Phase II:
It covers a period of 16 weeks and starts after successful completion of phase I.
The KSAU-HS nursing internship program is career-linked which means that, phase II of the program is designed to prepare the interns effectively for their targeted future positions as nurses. Such approach is believed to improve the interns’ functionality, adaptability and improve their retention on their first employment.
In preparation for phase II, the division of Nursing Services at the clinical settings in collaboration with the College of Nursing will offer structured career counseling activities so that the interns can make an informed decisions about their possible future career path within the clinical settings where they are placed.