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UK HealthCare Career Center

The UK HealthCare Career Center is available to all UK HealthCare nurses, nurse administrators, Nursing Care Technicians (NCTs), UK College of Nursing students and other UK HealthCare staff members. We offer assistance for all phases of a career.

Career Center Services

  • One-on-one, confidential career coaching and exploration.
  • Résumé and curriculum vitae critique and preparation.
  • Critique and preparation of cover letters.
  • Interview strategies and practice interviews.
  • Exploration of educational options, including graduate offerings, degree completion and more.
  • Personal statements and setting goals.
  • A resource library with hundreds of handouts, applications, et cetera.
  • A monthly Lunch & Learn workshop series covering a variety of career-development topics.
  • An annual education fair featuring 25-plus health-science and nursing programs offering degrees and certifications in health informatics, public health, hospital administration, exercise science, epidemiology, and more

    Career services for nurses and nursing care technicians are available in person, by phone or through email.

    • Announcements

      The UK HealthCare Career Center is celebrating its 10th year. Since 2011, "formerly the UK Nursing Career Center" has helped many nurses, nursing care technicians and staff members grow in their health care careers. Building on that success, the program has expanded to offer a broad range of career services to all health professionals, including respiratory, occupational and physical therapy; speech-language pathology; social work; pharmacy; radiologic technology; and laboratory sciences.

      UK BSN students

      If you are a UK BSN student, you will want to take advantage of the weekly group sessions. These are offered during the fall and spring semesters, as well as during the summer.  To sign up, please email Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN at sue.strup@uky.edu. 

      Group resume and cover letter writing sessions: These group sessions are available from 11 a.m. to noon every Monday. Bring a draft of your updated resume and cover letter to the group session. You can have your questions answered and leave with a critique worksheet to help you fine-tune your resume for your upcoming job search. This information will also include out-of-state job searches and how to develop a targeted resume for various specialty nursing positions, such as pediatrics, emergency department, ICUs or oncology.

      Group interviewing strategies sessions: These group sessions meet from 11 a.m. to noon every Wednesday. You will discuss interview etiquette, how to dress for success, how to prepare for behavioral-based interview questions, what questions you will want to ask a Patient Care Manager, and much more.   

    • Current Job Openings

      View current UK Job Postings for all UK HealthCare nurses, nurse administrators, Nursing Care Technicians (NCTs), UK College of Nursing students and UK HealthCare staff members. We offer assistance for all phases of a career.

      Summer Student Nurse Programs (After the Junior Year)

      Summer student nurse programs are structured programs for BSN students in between the junior and senior year that will typically last 6-10 weeks. Academic credit may be offered for the experience as well as financial compensation. Some summer programs may have a theme (e.g. pediatrics, critical care, etc.), while most are more general, allowing you to get experience in multiple types of nursing settings. Many students enjoy summer programs because they help clarify future nursing career goals, and often lead to a nursing care technician position, which may lead to a full-time RN position after graduation.

      Summer student nurse programs are usually competitive. It is recommended that you do a summer job search or plan to continue any student nurse positions you already have in addition to applying to summer nurse externship programs. There are many names for summer nurse externship positions including nurse externships, nurse internships, nurse academic practicums, nursing student fellows program, etc. Applying for summer student nurse programs include writing a professional cover letter and resume, and completing the applications in their entirety and supplying the required number of recommendation letters.

      The majority of hospitals in the country do not offer nurse externships but many Academic Medical Centers such as UK HealthCare, Indiana University Health, University of Louisville Hospitals, etc., do. Other hospitals hire nursing students as nursing care technicians, nurse's aides, nursing assistants, etc. For many hospitals with nurse externship programs, starting in the externship is a way to make connections that may lead to a full time position after graduation. Deadlines are also specific to each hospital, with most applications due in mid winter quarter for a summer program. Here are just a small sample of Nurse Externships/Academic Practicums/Internships/Nurse Fellowships that we found:

    • Location

      UK HealthCare Career Center
      Waller Healthcare Annex, Suite 108
      115 Waller Avenue
      Lexington KY 40508
      Call 859-323-3169 
      Email sue.strup@uky.edu
      Schedule an appointment with me via Calendly

      Mailing Address

      UK HealthCare Career Center
      Waller Healthcare Annex, Suite 108
      115 Waller Avenue
      Lexington KY 40508

      Hours of operation: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays  

      8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m.
      (By appointment only—8:00 a.m. appointments held for those who work the night shift before.)

      Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN

      UK Senior Career Consultant Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN
      UK Senior Career Consultant Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN

      UK Senior Career Consultant Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN, leads the center. Strup has more than 25 years of experience directing career centers at UK, Drexel University and Thomas Jefferson University. Prior to her work in career services, Strup served as a cardiac intensive care nurse at Indiana University Medical Center and as a nursing research assistant at the IU School of Nursing. She has taught hundreds of career planning workshops and seminars, led numerous presentations, and authored many career-related articles and publications.

      To set up a one-to-one career coaching appointment, ask quick questions or discuss resume critiques and last-minute interview tips, contact Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN at sue.strup@uky.edu or 859-323-3169. You may also schedule an appointment with me via Calendly.

      "Thanks to Sue H. Strup and the UK HealthCare Career Center, I am now the new UK Enterprise Operations Manager of the Hemodialysis Unit. Sue helped me to build my resume and shared interviewing tips that I feel increased my confidence level tremendously. I walked into the interview feeling prepared with the tools and resources she shared. Thanks for all of the tips and I will forever be grateful. Sue was a great help!" Brandi N. Adams RN, BSN, MSN, MHA, UK HealthCare Enterprise Acute Dialysis Manager.