Texas Woman’s University Institute of Health Sciences-Houston Center College of Nursing senior nursing student Jessica McKinley was one of 10 nursing students in the U.S. who participated in a summer research internship at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. — a great honor and unique experience for a student nurse.

McKinley, who has been pursuing nursing for many years, part time initially and full time in recent years, said her passion for nursing began when she cared for her ailing grandmother as a teenager. "I took care of her until she was placed in a nursing home," McKinley said. "Although the outcome wasn’t what I hoped, the experience changed the way I saw the world. Since then, my passion to help others has been my driving force for pursuing my degree."

The NIH internship was far from being a "sure thing" for McKinley, but she pursued it anyway. "After I applied for the internship, all I could do was wait and hope for the best," she said. A few weeks later, McKinley, who is a former Marine, said she received an email from the recruiter in the nursing department at the NIH Clinical Center.

Selected from a pool of more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students for the NIH’s Intramural Research Training Award programs, McKinley spent last summer in a biomedical research setting at the center, working alongside some of the nation’s top physicians, clinical research nurses and healthcare leaders.

Cheryl Fisher, RN-BC, EdD, senior nurse consultant for extramural collaborations in the nursing department at the NIH Clinical Center, said summer interns participate in activities such as observing clinical research nursing and interdisciplinary teams, rounds and lectures with investigators and career and professional development workshops. They each work on a research project and develop a research poster that is presented at Summer Poster Day in August.

"In the nursing department specifically, we accept eight to 12 nursing students interested in psychology, community health, science and other aspects of healthcare," Fisher said. The number of students is based on the available budget. "Our hope is to give them a rich learning experience in nursing within a biomedical research facility and to allow them to learn about what we do here at the center."

The NIH consists of the 240-bed Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center and more than 1,200 laboratories on the main campus in Bethesda. The program was implemented in 1987 at the NIH campus, and about 50 student nurses have participated in the research internship program during the past five years.

Fisher said there are many opportunities for nurses at the NIH Clinical Center.

"Student interns on the nursing units and clinics can spend their summer supporting nursing research, studying disease processes or developing patient education programs," Fisher said. "We allow the students to choose an area of interest and then we support them to develop a project for the NIH-wide poster session. This allows the intern the opportunity of intense learning while contributing to their assigned location for the summer."

As the first nursing student at TWU College of Nursing to participate in the internship program, McKinley’s selection will serve as a model for her fellow students as they consider future opportunities, said Robin Toms, RN, PhD, MN, NEA-BC, associate professor, coordinator, Nursing Health Systems Management, TWU College of Nursing.

Regardless of her position as the "first" nursing student, McKinley received the opportunity much like the care she gave her late grandmother — with a humble heart.

"Working alongside the nation’s top healthcare leaders was a humbling experience," she said. "Being able to attend seminars and grand rounds where I was able to get a rare inside look at many conditions not seen or treated elsewhere was an exhilarating experience."

McKinley said work at the clinical center is devoted to finding more effective treatments for rare and perplexing illnesses and disorders. As part of her internship, McKinley’s participation in a research project included developing a research poster and the brochure "Understanding Mastocytosis," about a rare disease caused by too many mast cells. "My experience was not just limited to mastocytosis research, however," she said. "My experience was more of an observational experience, which included becoming familiar with the different laboratories within the institute and to learn more about the different roles and responsibilities of a clinical research nurse.

"I assisted nurses with their application of care, whether it involved case management responsibilities for providing comfort measures, or assisting my preceptor while she aided in the care of a bone marrow aspiration. It’s very exciting to have been able to travel and see into a new world of nursing, which few know what is like on the inside. I hope to never stop learning."