UK HealthCare Career Center

The UK HealthCare Career Center is available to all UK HealthCare nurses, nurse leaders, 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

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.

Nursing Care Tech Scholarship Program

Now accepting applications. Learn more about the program.

NCT Scholarship Program

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:

University of Kentucky Student Nurse Academic Practicum (SNAP)
Baptist Health Student Nurse Practicums
Cincinnati Children's Hospital - Information about the Summer Nurse Externship program is available by emailing: nurses4kids@cchmc.org
Indiana University Health Patient Care Internships for Nursing Students
University of Louisville Nurse Extern Program
Norton Healthcare Student Nurse Externships
Ohio State University Medical Center Student Nurse Associate (SNA) Positions
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Observation Opportunities
Veterans Administration Hospital Nurse Externships (VALOR)

Continuing Education

UK HealthCare and the College of Nursing offer many options for continuing education including the residency program, the only one in the state and one of only a few in the country to be accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Review all our educational opportunities by visiting Nurse Recruitment and the College of Nursing.

Education Fair

The UK HealthCare Nursing and Health Sciences Education Fair has been postponed until fall 2022. More information will be posted when it becomes available. If you are interested in more information email Sheila Giles.

At education fairs, 25 nursing and health profession programs were in attendance to discuss applications, scholarships, degree programs including ADN, RN to BSN, MSN, DNP, Ph.D., BS completion, OT, PT, Radiologic Technology and more.

Learn more about the event.

Lunch and Learn Workshops

During the academic year, the UK HealthCare Career Center hosts various career planning workshops and speakers who share educational programs and career-related information. The workshops typically last 30-45 minutes with time available for Q&A. Free lunch and drinks are often provided. Registration is highly encouraged.

To register please email: Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN at sue.strup@uky.edu.

To review past Lunch and Learn presentations on RN to BSN programs, Advanced Practice Nursing Programs, "Hot" Nursing Careers, Nursing Career Specialties, Career Planning Tools such as Writing a Resume, Cover Letter or Interviewing Tips and more, please visit: Past Lunch and Learn workshop presentations

Certifications

Visit our Nursing Certifications page for more information.

Other Nursing Programs in Kentucky

See the listing of all CRNA schools.

Other Health Careers

Learn about other available health career opportunities:

General School Entrance Examinations and Test Preparation

Graduate School Applications

Your Guide to Graduate Nursing Programs provided by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
Writing Personal Statements for Graduate School Applications: Nursing. Part 1 of 2
Writing Personal Statements for Graduate School Applications: Nursing. Part 2 of 2
Writing a Personal Statement for Graduate School
Graduate School Checklist
Miller Analogies Test information and test prep

Financing Your Education

View this page for information about our scholarships. This policy pertains to public colleges and universities in Kentucky. More information is available from the UK Employee Education Program.

To receive a copy of the Tuition contract email Andrea Gudenkauf in Hospital Fiscal Affairs at hospitalpayments@uky.edu. If you have any questions regarding these policies or procedures, please contact Andrea Gudenkauf at 859-323-1183 or tuitionpayments@uky.edu.

If you are inquiring about tuition payments, tuition loan repayment program, submitting a contract for payment, requesting reimbursement or payment for certification exams, or requesting information regarding any other tuition program payment please e-mail hospitalpayments@uky.edu. This is a shared, monitored e-mail 24/7 and responses will be provided as soon as possible and will handled in the order in which they are received. Gloria Tyler in Hospital Administration Fiscal Affairs will respond to all e-mails as soon as possible.

P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education

The P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE) is intended to provide one-time need based grants to women who are citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States or Canada for use in completing a degree or certification necessary for improving or gaining skills leading to employment. Learn more about PCE »

Nursing Care Tech Scholarship

UK HealthCare offers a Nursing Care Tech Scholarship Program to support individuals interested in obtaining a State Registered Nurse Aide (SRNA) Certification. Learn more »

Resource Areas

Job Search and Networking Websites

Professional Associations

Learn about the benefits of joining a professional nursing association.

Other Resources

Career Planning Tools

Certified Nurse's Aide

You may be interested in becoming a Certified Nurse's Aide (SNRA) or Nursing Assistant while you are in nursing school to gain valuable skills while working under the guidance of a Registered Nurse. This also will allow you to network and establish a relationship with potential coworkers and professionals.

There are various titles for Nurse's Aide including Nursing Care Technicians (NCTs), Nurse's Aide, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) or Nurse Assistant. Employers such as academic medical centers like UK HealthCare, hospitals, home health care agencies, doctor's offices, laboratories, clinics or skilled nursing facilities hire nurse's aides.

Below are just a few of the Nurse's Aide educational programs offered in Kentucky, and in particular Lexington, Richmond and Louisville. The length of time and price will vary so it is imperative that you visit each program's website or call the program directly to find out availability, cost and online versus traditional courses. Once you have successfully completed a Kentucky state-approved training program, you will be eligible to sit for the Nurse's Aide Certification exam.

Find more information about becoming State Registered Nursing Assistant (SRNA) certified or the role of a Nurse's Aide.

Here are a sample of SRNA courses in Central Kentucky:
University of Kentucky College of Nursing

Bluegrass Community and Technical College System (BCTCS)

Emergency Medical Training Professions, Lexington.
859-455-8438
(Traditional SRNA courses offered during the week and on Saturdays)

Health Education Center of Louisville (online courses)
502-510-1363

KY Health Training LLC
859-963-2901
(Traditional SRNA courses offered as well as online courses)

Nurses Aide Training School, Inc, Richmond, Ky.
(online and traditional course)
859-624-4068

If you are interested in finding Nurse's Aide programs in rural or remote areas outside of Lexington, please call Denise Welch, with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services at 502-564-5707.

License and Renewal

The National Student Nurses Association offers help for preparing for licensure as a registered nurse.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing provides information about obtaining RN licensing, renewing a license plus other educational programs to finish your BSN, start back on your MSN, DNP and more.

Shadowing Program

Shadowing professionals can be beneficial in deciding whether you’re a good fit for a career or workplace. Career Services provides the names of professionals who are willing to speak with others about their careers and experiences.

These individuals include:

Nurse administrators
Clinical nurse specialists (Acute care or Ambulatory care)
Nurse practitioners (Acute care or Ambulatory care)
Nurse educators (Staff development specialists, nurse educators or college faculty)
Nurse researchers
Nurses specializing in settings such as the operating room, PACU, ED, ICU, Behavioral Health, etc.
Nurse recruiters
Nurse anesthetists (CRNA)
Pharmaceutical and medical equipment sales representatives
Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
Respiratory Therapists
Pharmacists

See shadowing details »

If you are a nurse or health care professional with a specialization and would be interested in having a UK HealthCare nurse, nursing student or health care professional shadow you, please complete the form below.

Shadowing contact form »

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, 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.

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