Internships & Programs

Duke Heart Center

The Duke Heart Center Nursing Internship is designed to recruit and retain outstanding new RNs to cardiovascular specialty areas while allowing each intern the opportunity to focus on continued learning in a supportive environment.

About Duke Heart Center
With more than 80 board-certified cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiac anesthesiologists, Duke Heart Center can provide patients a complete continuum of care, including prevention and rehabilitation programs, medical and surgical interventions, and home care. It’s 500 nurses and technicians provide care to patients in 160 beds and 6 operating rooms in Duke University Hospital. Ranked by US News & World Report as the top heart facility in the South, Duke Heart Center is also a leader in individualized care. By addressing our patients' emotional issues and lifestyle concerns as well as their medical needs, we're able to heal hearts and change lives.

Program Structure

Target Audience – The Duke Heart Center Nursing Internship is available to new graduates or any RN with less than one year of experience in cardiovascular nursing.

Participants – Heart Center Nursing Interns will be chosen to begin the program each summer and each winter. Applications for the summer program are due no later than April 15th each year, and applications for the winter program are due no late than October 15th each year. Internships begin in February and August.

Educational Stipend – Each Heart Center Nursing Intern will be allotted a stipend to be used for educational purposes. This money can be used for any of the following at each individual intern’s discretion: conference registration fees, associated travel and lodging, course tuition, reference books/materials, and software. Should any participant not complete the full internship, they will be required to reimburse Duke Heart Center for any portion of the educational stipend used prior to their leaving the internship program. Should any participant not complete the one year post-internship commitment, they will be required to reimburse Duke Heart Center for a pro rated portion of the educational stipend.

Post-Internship Mutual Commitment – After 12 months of participation in the Heart Center Nursing Internship Program, participants will be allowed to select, from among the Heart Center units where job openings are available, the unit to which he/she will be permanently assigned. If there is no job opening in an intern’s selected unit, they will have the opportunity to transfer to the selected unit when a position becomes available before other transfers and outside hires.

Program Curriculum

Clinical Rotations – Each Heart Center Nursing Intern will choose to participate in one of the clinical rotation options outlined in the table below. Each clinical rotation will be six months in length and will include time to participate in additional clinical area experiences of the intern’s choice. Potential additional clinical area experiences include but are not limited to the electrophysiology lab, the cardiothoracic OR, and the outpatient clinics.

Leadership Exposure – Through a series of shadowing experiences and roundtable breakfasts and lunches, each Nursing Intern will gain exposure to unit, Heart Center and Hospital Leadership.

Assigned Mentors/Fellows – Each Nursing Intern will be paired with a Heart Center Nursing Fellow (experienced cardiovascular RN who is participating in the Nursing Fellowship Program) who will facilitate their experiences as a Duke Heart Center Nursing Intern and assist in their career development.