Student Nurse Intern Program - Summer 2026

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

For the Student Nurse Internship Program, we are seeking nursing students that have an expected graduation date of August 2026, December 2026 or Spring 2027.

Please note - If you have an expected graduation date in August 2027, December 2027 or Spring 2028, consider applying to our Student Nurse Externship instead.

The Student Nurse Intern (SNI) is an unlicensed person who works, under the supervision of a Registered Professional Nurse (RN), to support the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of patient care.  By participating in the healthcare environment and enhancing their knowledge of patient and family care needs in each clinical area(s), the SNI will prepare for their future transition as a staff nurse. The SNI reflects the attributes of the NM nurse, mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Medicine, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. 

Responsibilities:

The Student Nurse Intern’s (SNI) tentative responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide direct patient care under RN supervision, consistent with the Relationship Care Model
• Participate in bedside report, patient rounding, and care planning discussions
• Support patient hygiene, mobility, nutrition, and comfort
• Collect specimens and perform basic monitoring tasks
• Document care activities in the electronic medical record, as permitted
• Practice infection control and isolation precautions
• Engage in educational opportunities, performance improvement projects, and professional development activities

Successful Student Nurse Interns will receive an employment offer at the conclusion of their 8-week internship. 

Program Dates (mandatory minimum of a full-time 8-week commitment):

• Application Due Date: January 16, 2026
• Candidate Screening: January - March 2026
• Program Start Date: May 27, 2026
• Program End Date: July 21, 2026

Hours:

Students must be reliable, flexible and punctual with schedules. Your hours will be scheduled with your Patient Care Manager and aligned with your assigned preceptor, which may include:

• Day or Night Shift
• Full time schedule - 8 or 12 hour shifts
• Some Weekend shifts
• No holidays or overtime

Additional Details:

Locations participating in the 2026 SNI program are as follows:

• Central DuPage Hospital (Winfield, IL)
• Delnor Hospital (Geneva, IL)
• Huntley Hospital (Huntley, IL)
• Kishwaukee Hospital (DeKalb, IL)
• Lake Forest Hospital (Lake Forest, IL)
• Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital (Wheaton, IL)
• McHenry Hospital (McHenry, IL)
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL)
• Palos Hospital (Palos Heights, IL)
• Valley West Hospital (Sandwich, IL)
• Woodstock Hospital (Woodstock, IL)
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Tentative units participating in the 2026 SNI program are as follows; be sure to select your desired units in the application in order of preference. (We cannot guarantee a match; however, this is taken into consideration):

• Behavioral/Mental Health
• Cardiac
• Emergency Department
• Float Pool
• General Surgery
• ICU
• MedSurg
• Neuro
• NICU
• Observation
• Oncology
• Ortho
• Pediatrics (limited locations)           
• Perioperative Services (Operating Room, Pre/Post)
• Rehabilitation
• Telemetry
• Women’s Health (L&D, Mother/Baby, Postpartum)

Required

• Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR through American Heart Association
• Documentation of enrollment in an accredited Nursing Program. Students must graduate no later than June of the calendar year following completion of the SNI program. In addition, they must have completed at least one clinical rotation. 

Preferred

• Currently enrolled in an accredited professional nursing program and entering the last year of college. Some locations may require enrollment in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member

Required Documentation for Application Submission to be Uploaded:

• Resume

*Please note, to be considered for this role, you must submit all attachments at the time of your application submission.  When you apply, you may log back into your application to attach additional and/or optional attachments such as letters of recommendation, cover letters, etc. You can navigate to the upload section and press the "+" sign to submit these additional attachments, if desired.

For any questions or difficulties, please email [email protected] 

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.  Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.