Kate Egan, a Nursing student from Levittown, N.Y., completed an eight-week nursing externship at Northwell Health’s Plainview Hospital, earning the Nurse Extern of the Summer award.
Long before they walk across the stage at graduation, Mount Saint Mary College students are already clocking in at some of the most high-stakes professional environments in the country.
Mount students have completed internships and externships everywhere from the FBI and the Mayo Clinic to Disney and the U.S. House of Representatives, providing hands-on experiences in dozens of fields.
Among these success stories is Kate Egan, a Nursing student from Levittown, N.Y., who spent her summer completing a rigorous eight-week nursing externship at Northwell Health’s Plainview Hospital. Immersed in the telemetry unit – a cardiac step-down environment – Egan worked three 12-hour shifts a week, mirroring the demanding schedule of a full-time professional nurse.
“I wanted to see what it was like to do the 12-hour shifts three days a week and actually follow the full routine,” Egan explained.
Under the guidance of a nurse preceptor, she navigated complex medical, respiratory, and cardiac conditions, performing assessments, administering medications, and documenting care in real-time. The experience was as intense as it was rewarding, she explained: Egan even found herself participating in emergency code situations and performing CPR.
Her dedication did not go unnoticed. At the conclusion of the program, which included participants from ten different Northwell Health sites across Long Island, Egan was honored as the Nurse Extern of the Summer.
“It made me feel really happy that I was honored and recognized for my work,” she said, noting that the experience solidified her confidence as she prepares to enter the field.
Egan credits much of her preparedness to the college’s Center for Academic and Career Services (CACS). Working closely with the staff, specifically Academic and Career Counselor Amanda Schmidt, Egan refined her résumé to highlight her leadership roles and clinical experience.
Schmidt “really helped me find key things that stand out with my leadership roles on campus and ways that I could make my résumé applicable to the [externship] position,” Egan recalled. The CACS office proved to be a constant resource, assisting her with everything from cover letters to interview skills.
Also in the healthcare sector, the Mount’s School of Nursing recently celebrated three students – Angelina St. George of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., Michelle Tingson-Pregno of Highland, N.Y., and Ivan Labuda of Danbury, Conn. – who completed the highly selective Northwell/Nuvance Rising Senior Summer Internship Program at Putnam Hospital. This three-month intensive internship allowed students to apply critical thinking in real-world clinical settings.
“I got to experience the different roles a nurse plays in healthcare,” explained St. George. “They provided me a chance to use my critical thinking skills, put my knowledge into practice, and collaborate with healthcare teams.”
Tingson-Pregno described the role as a “transformative experience” that gave her a great deal of confidence in her nursing skills.
Before she graduated in 2025, Mount alumna Tara Baeza of Washingtonville, N.Y., interned as a Human Resources assistant for Access Supports for Living, an organization that aids people in the Hudson Valley who are facing the challenges of disability and mental illness. Her work was so impactful that the organization requested she continue as a maternity leave replacement before she even finished her initial tenure.
“This is a really good experience,” Baeza said. “It’s showed me that HR is a good career fit for me.”
The result of a Mount education with hands-on internship experience is clear: 95 percent of recent graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months of Commencement, with an average starting salary of $70,000.