Not-for-profit continuing care retirement / life plan community Jefferson’s Ferry in South Setauket, NY, has restarted an internship program with Suffolk County Community College through which students are trained to be licensed practical nurses.
The program, put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides supervised, practical clinical experience for students in the community college’s LPN program so that they can work in skilled nursing. It originally was launched in 2019.
“We are extremely pleased to once again be able to offer this important internship program to Suffolk County Community College nursing students,” Jefferson’s Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield said in a statement.
The CEO said that the arrangement is a win-win for the CCRC and the students.
“The students get to work alongside our nurses as they learn about the standard of care we deliver as a five-star facility,” he said. “They get hands-on experience and can readily observe the strong relationships that develop amongst residents and caregivers.”
The internship program lasts 10 weeks and fulfills a requirement for the school’s Fundamentals of Practical Nursing course. Twenty students currently are enrolled in the program. The Long Island senior living community will welcome 20 new interns in the fall for a second 10-week program.
“It’s gratifying to know that the rotation through Jefferson’s Ferry’s skilled nursing unit is contributing to the development of highly competent and much-needed healthcare professionals in our area,” said Jill K Thornton, RN, academic chair of nursing at Suffolk County Community College. “It’s a testament to the great work our health center team is doing in partnering with a high-quality local healthcare facility like Jefferson’s Ferry.”
