What does a clinical externship do?
A clinical externship is a short medical student program directly mentored by professionals within their chosen career path in healthcare. Clinical externs work in various settings such as hospitals, a doctor's office, or clinics and work directly with patients to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired in the classroom. They will be graded and must pass the program to be able to graduate from medical school. Externs must request a letter of recommendation from their site supervisor when applying for jobs.
Clinical externship responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical externship resumes:
- Set up and manage new medical transcription department.
- Manage large scale TMF inventory/file cleanup projects in preparation for FDA and EMA inspections.
- Manage difficult or emotional patient situations, with compassion and professionalism.
- Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
- Monitor EKG's, assess blood pressure, palpate heart rates, safely progress patients in exercise.
- Perform manual data entry in CTMS, TMF, CRF imaging and various departmental databases.
- Transcribe radiology reports (all modalities).
- Award combined training in both adult and child psychiatry departments.
- Collaborate with occupational therapists and ABA therapists in order to lead family training sessions.
- Help in the youth recovery process by providing compassion and new opportunities for growth.
- Train in CPR, first aid, sexual abuse awareness, and safe restraint procedures.
- Attend CPSE and CSE meetings in order to discuss students' progress and recommendations for services.
- Assist the physician during consultations in such areas as basic obstetric ultrasound scanning and reading of EKG strips.
- Provide disabled seniors with training on the use of Facebook and Skype, online shopping and basic printer troubleshooting.
- Maintain cleanliness of the environment within patient rooms; utility room; med/surge telemetry floor; and pediatrics/women health floor.
Clinical externship skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Clinical Externships are proficient in Patients, Mental Health, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Externships that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 32%
Verified medications for delivery to patients across the country and worked with providers regarding different monitoring parameters for these disease states.
- Mental Health, 7%
Evaluated for mental health diagnoses, relational capacity, cortical modulation skills, and ability to maintain safety and emotional regulation.
- Patient Care, 5%
Accompanied general surgeons on intensive schedules and absorbed knowledge of comprehensive patient care - Quickly gained in-depth understanding of general surgery procedures
- Crisis Intervention, 4%
Conducted assessments and performed group therapy in a residential adolescent addiction treatment program, working under a solution-focused crisis intervention.
- Vital Signs, 4%
Assisted in Respiratory Rehab unit monitoring patient vital signs and exercise to provide a safe/effective environment resulting in maximal recovery.
- Substance Abuse, 4%
Handled substance abuse evaluations at the Department of Youth Services facility; actively participated in weekly clinical and psychiatric review meetings.
"patients," "mental health," and "patient care" are among the most common skills that clinical externships use at work. You can find even more clinical externship responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform clinical externship duties is organizational skills. Clinical externships responsibilities require that "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment." Clinical externships also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "co-led organizational group for students conducted stress and anger management group treatment sessions for eighth grade and high school students. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of clinical externships is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday clinical externship duties, as "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "completed psychosocial assessment provided individual therapy facilitated conflict resolution groups co- facilitated substance abuse group assessed youth for suicidal/homicidal ideation"
Communication skills. A big part of what clinical externships do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to clinical externship responsibilities because "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical clinical externship tasks: "provided in-service education and liaised between direct patient care and pharmacy staff resulting in improved communication and understanding of pharmacy processes. "
Interpersonal skills. Another crucial skill for a clinical externship to carry out their responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." A big part of what clinical externships relies on this skill, since "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." How this skill relates to clinical externship duties can be seen in an example from a clinical externship resume snippet: "maintain a client caseload of approximately 7-10 clients, practicing interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapy. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical externships are:
- Children's Home Society of Florida14 clinical externships jobs
- Fcmhs6 clinical externships jobs
- Health Alliance5 clinical externships jobs
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Compare different clinical externships
Clinical externship vs. Student volunteer
A student volunteer is an individual who participates in the university's volunteer program to gain work experience and develop new skills. Student volunteers make significant contributions to organizations and local communities by using their skills and giving their time. They follow directions and guidelines that are set by the organization and complete all the necessary training. To optimize their work experience, student volunteers must properly select an organization that appeals to their interests.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical externships and student volunteer. For instance, clinical externship responsibilities require skills such as "mental health," "crisis intervention," "substance abuse," and "group therapy sessions." Whereas a student volunteer is skilled in "criminal justice," "public health," "community services," and "district court." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Student volunteers tend to reach lower levels of education than clinical externships. In fact, student volunteers are 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Clinical externship vs. Behavioral health specialist
Typically working for clinics and learning institutions, a behavioral health specialist is in charge of counseling and treating patients with behavioral issues. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment through interview and observation, maintaining records and data, developing treatment plans, and referring patients to other support services when necessary. Moreover, a behavioral health specialist must communicate with the patient's families or guardians, discuss conditions, and provide advice on taking care of them. Aside from treating patients, it is also essential to continuously monitor their behavior while building positive relationships with them.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real clinical externship resumes. While clinical externship responsibilities can utilize skills like "traumatic brain injury," "individual therapy sessions," "physical therapy," and "surgery," behavioral health specialists use skills like "social work," "rehabilitation," "behavioral health," and "direct care."
Behavioral health specialists earn a higher average salary than clinical externships. But behavioral health specialists earn the highest pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $53,632. Additionally, clinical externships earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $37,353 annually.In general, behavioral health specialists achieve higher levels of education than clinical externships. They're 9.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical externship vs. Case manager
A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy. A case manager should be able to provide a reliable support system for the client and monitor progress to achieve wellness and guarantee satisfaction.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, clinical externships are more likely to have skills like "vital signs," "group therapy sessions," "traumatic brain injury," and "individual therapy sessions." But a case manager is more likely to have skills like "social work," "rehabilitation," "home health," and "customer service."
Case managers make a very good living in the insurance industry with an average annual salary of $50,652. On the other hand, clinical externships are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $37,353.case managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to clinical externships. Specifically, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical externship vs. Primary therapist
Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.
Types of clinical externship
Updated January 8, 2025
