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Professional Student Nurse Extern Programs

MD Anderson Cancer Center offers two Professional Student Nurse Extern (PSNE) programs, one for the summer and one year-round. The programs are designed to provide nursing students an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of oncology patient care at a comprehensive cancer center.

PSNE program participants can advance their clinical and critical thinking skills at a Magnet facility and work alongside a Registered Nurse as part of the multidisciplinary team.

PSNE Year-Round Program

The PSNE year-round program application process is now closed. The next opportunity to apply for the year-round program will be in Fall 2025.

To qualify for the year-round PSNE program, students must:

Be currently enrolled full time in an accredited BSN school of professional nursing
Have completed at least one nursing clinical rotation by beginning of year-round program
Verify academic standing by submission of unofficial school transcript
Have a desire to work with the oncology patient population
Be able to work a minimum of 24 hours every month (students may work a maximum of 64 hours every month)
Be able to attend all days of mandatory institutional and nursing PSNE orientation. No exceptions will be made for this requirement. Mandatory orientation dates to be announced once the application opens.

Frequently asked questions about the year-round PSNE program.

Clinical experience

The program length is two to four semesters. Selected applicants will complete an orientation overseen by Nursing Workforce Planning and Development and the Nursing Education team. Each student will be assigned to work under the direct supervision of registered nurse preceptors in one of our many clinical inpatient specialty areas.

Compensation

This is a temporary position. Students are paid a competitive hourly salary and work a minimum of 24 hours every month (students may work a maximum of 64 hours every month). This position is not eligible for benefits.

Application

Step One

Apply via the MD Anderson careers website. Find the PSNE position by using the "Search Now" link and performing a keyword search for "PSNE" or "Professional Student Nurse Extern." Please follow the instructions in the posting regarding additional documents required as part of the application process.
The following documents are required for your application to be considered. Please be prepared to upload the following as part of the online application process:

° Unofficial transcript - include prerequisite transcript if in first year of your nursing program
° Current resume / CV including clinical experiences to date

Step Two

The Professional Student Nurse Extern Faculty/Instructor Recommendation Form must be submitted separately by the faculty/instructor via email to PSNE@mdanderson.org no later than 5 p.m. on Monday after application deadline.

Faculty/Instructor Recommendation Form (pdf)

Contact information

Nursing Workforce Planning and Development
Email: PSNE@mdanderson.org

PSNE Summer Program

The 2024 PSNE Summer Program application period is closed. The Summer 2025 application process will open in late January 2025.

To qualify for the PSNE summer program, students must:

Be currently enrolled full time in an accredited BSN school of professional nursing
Have completed at least one clinical nursing rotation by the beginning of the summer program
Verify academic standing by submission of unofficial school transcript
Have a desire to work with the oncology patient population
Be able to work 36 to 40 hours per week for the duration of the 11-week program, including some weekends
Be able to attend in-person institutional and nursing program orientation. No exceptions will be made for this requirement.
Students are ineligible for PSNE summer program if enrolled full time in academic nursing classes during summer semester.

The program is limited to first-time participants only.

Frequently asked questions about the summer PSNE program.

Clinical experience

The program length is 11 weeks. Selected applicants will complete an orientation overseen by Nursing Workforce Planning and Development. Each student will be assigned to work under the direct supervision of registered nurse preceptors in one of our many clinical inpatient or outpatient specialty areas.

Compensation

This is a temporary position. Students are paid an hourly salary and must be able to work 36 to 40 hour work week. This position is not eligible for benefits.

Housing

The responsibility for housing rests solely with each student. The Texas Medical Center has provided a list of some options in the area.