The Impact of Internship Training on The Performance of Nursing Internship Students in Intensive Care Unit at Zagazig University Hospital

SummaryInternship program is a guided experience with gradual increase in the responsibility, to make the newly graduates to be a self assured practitioner. It is considered to be the first contact between the new graduates and their profession . Internship yearThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of internship training on the performance of the interns nurse working in intensive care unit at Zagazig university hospital.This study conducted in intensive care units at Zagazig university hospital, namely, Surgical hospital ; Emergency hospital and Encology hospital .study subjects included 80 student nurse interns , after they completed the four years undergraduate years at the faculty of nursing, Zagazig university. The study extended through 6 months from June, first to the end of November, 2004. All nurse’s internTwo tools were used for data collection ; – questionnaire sheet (pre– post test), and observational checklist (pre–post test).The most important findings of the study are as follows• The majority of the student nurse interns (95.0 %) have completed their secondary school education before joining the faculty, (5.0 %) completed technical nursing institution.• There was a highly statistical significant differences in the interns’ knowledge and performance scores in all studied procedures after the internship training comparing to before internship training .• There were poor knowledge scores in specific items related to oral hygiene, endotracheal suction, nasogastric feeding, intravenous infusion and catheter care after the internship training period.• There were unsatisfactory performance scores in relation to oral hygiene, endotracheal suction, catheter care after the internship training.• Pre enrolled qualification has no statistical significant effect in the interns knowledge and performance scores after the internship training.• There was no statistical significant effect of the nursing practice duration and the interns knowledge scores after the internship training period.• Studied nurse interns who have nursing practice duration have the highest scores of performance in all studied procedures before the internship training and in most studied procedures after the internship training.Depending upon these findings the present study recommended more emphasis on the importance of orientation programe for all internship student, periodic ward conferences, presence of manual handbooks containing procedures rendered to patients in ICU, and