Summer break doesn’t always mean time off for students. Many spend the months working or interning to build real-world experience. For Indiana University School of Nursing senior Roxanne Bewley, that meant trading in her usual summer routine for a 10-week nurse internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Bewley was drawn to the opportunity to expand her nursing skills and experience a new healthcare environment.
“Once I got the internship, I was just excited to dive in and explore nursing not only in another state, but at this world-renowned institution,” she said.
Before the internship, Bewley worked at IU Health West Hospital as a patient care technician, rotating through medical-surgical and progressive care units and shadowing in labor and delivery and the emergency department.
At Mayo, she joined a cohort of about 80 interns and was assigned to the pre-op and post-anesthesia care units (PACU)—a fast-paced setting filled with complex cases.
“I was surprised by the amount of interesting cases in the PACU,” Bewley recalled. “People would come as a last resort to Mayo and get these crazy surgeries, and then you would recover these patients.”
Among the many patients she encountered, some happened to be from Indiana—a connection that made the experience even more meaningful.
“It kind of felt like I was bringing home to them,” Bewley said. “It helped the patient feel more at ease and more comfortable just knowing that someone had their background or experience.”
The move to Minnesota also challenged Bewley personally. Having lived at home and commuted during college, she had to adapt to living on her own and navigating a new city.
At the beginning of the program, Bewley said she was hesitant and nervous to ask questions. Through the encouragement and support of the other staff and her preceptor, Kylo Courteau, she became more confident.
“I felt very comfortable asking [Courteau] questions the whole time and he even said he was able to experience my growth from the first day to the last,” Bewley said. “Throughout the 10 weeks with the team, I was able to open up and be more comfortable asking those questions which then led to that growth toward the end.”
Now back at IU for her final year, Bewley is eager to apply what she learned.
At Mayo, she cared for patients from across the country and around the world—many with high-acuity conditions—broadening her perspective on nursing.
“I’m bringing back that other perspective, too, seeing nursing in Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic and be able to apply different things to my future nursing career in Indianapolis right after I graduate and in this next year,” she said.
Bewley encourages fellow nursing students who are interested to apply for the Mayo Clinic internship when the application opens in November.
“Give it a try and don’t be afraid to move to a different place," she advised. “It’s only 10 weeks and you’ll learn more than you think.”
