Leslie Njingang, NUR ’26, Silver Spring, MD
This past summer, I had a great opportunity to participate in the Clinical Nurse Externship Program with the Johns Hopkins Health System. My rotations in the Medical ICU and Cardiac ICU exposed me to challenging and rewarding environments that helped me grow both professionally and personally.
The externship was key in strengthening my basic patient care skills, from helping with hygiene and movement to doing thorough assessments and careful charting. Beyond these essentials, I was in situations that truly demanded sharp critical thinking and quick clinical judgment, which are vital for caring for complex ICU patients. Every shift brought new learning, whether it was providing care for a ventilated patient on many drips or anticipating what to do when a patient’s condition worsened quickly.
One of the most valuable aspects of the externship was learning from experienced ICU nurses during emergencies like intubations, code responses, and line placements. They responded fast to changes in a patient’s status, adjusted care in real-time, and gave caring support to families during difficult moments. This showed me a really important lesson: critical care is more than just technical skills; it requires being present, smooth teamwork, and the ability to act under pressure with both care and clear thinking.
Each case helped me understand more deeply how all body systems are connected. It was incredibly valuable to see how textbook concepts about physiology and pathology played out in real-life patient scenarios, truly bringing my classroom learning to life. Beyond the scientific understanding, I also gained a much better appreciation for the importance of communication within the ICU. From nurse handoffs to detailed team discussions during rounds, these interactions highlighted the immense value of working in an interdisciplinary healthcare team to provide the best possible patient care.
This externship has definitely been a turning point in my nursing journey. I am coming away with better clinical judgment, more confidence at the bedside, and a deeper commitment to becoming a nurse who always cares with both skill and deep compassion.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2025 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
