Our externship program is an opportunity available exclusively to our graduates who have passed their certification exams. Externships allow you to choose from and work in one of our affiliated healthcare facilities to gain real-world experience and help your resume stand out from the rest. See the "Prerequisites" tab of this page to view the documents/materials that must be submitted before externship placement.
What’s an Externship?
Externships are optional volunteer positions within our network of partner hospitals. During your externship, you will be trained on how to handle the various responsibilities of your job by experienced hospital staff. You will be trained and supervised by staff when you are learning how to properly execute your daily tasks.
Externs apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world setting to familiarize themselves with the job. This program acts as a bridge between your formal education and professional career.
Sterile Processing Tech, Electrocardiogram Tech, or Tech in Surgery graduates can enroll in our externship program for no extra cost after passing your board exam.
Process Overview
After students graduate and pass their board exam (NCCT or CBSPD), they may reach out to the externship program for preparation (TS-C graduates will be automatically referred upon a passing result). Once graduates have completed all prerequisites requested by the externship team, they will be put on the waitlist for placement in order of prerequisite completion.
Upon site availability, the externship team offers the graduate a position which they may accept within 48 hours. Upon acceptance, graduates will be scheduled for a skills assessment and professionalism workshops. Upon passing the assessment and completing the workshop, they are cleared to begin the onboarding process with the hospital. Refusing a placement opportunity will put you back at the bottom of the list.
Once onboarding is completed, the extern will begin their externship. Externs will be considered complete once they have submitted their endorsed timesheets that demonstrate their completion of the requisite number of cases to the externship team.
Am I qualified to apply for the externship program?
To qualify for our externship program, applicants must meet 2 conditions:
The applicant graduated from a program at Altamont Healthcare.
The applicant passed the board exam associated with your program:
If you’ve met these conditions, you are qualified to apply for our externship program. Please note that externships are already included in the Sterile Processing Tech, Electrocardiogram, and Surgical Technologist (TS-C) program tuition. TS-C graduates will be automatically enrolled in externship upon passing their NCCT exam.
Externships are exclusive to Altamont Healthcare graduates, applications from non-Altamont graduates will not be accepted.
How long do externships last?
Externships last from 240-400 hours depending on the coordinator of the hospital in which you are placed. Your availability and the availability of the facility will determine your weekly schedule and hours. TS-C externships are not hours-based. Instead, externs are to complete 125 cases under the supervision of a preceptor/educator.
Your externship will typically be completed within 3-4 months. Externs that have open schedules will have an easier time getting placed into a hospital & working more hours per week can help you complete an externship in as little as 6 weeks!
Externship sites can be flexible with their hours, but highly limited schedules like "Weekends only" will not be accepted. Externs should plan to work at least 4 days per week.
How long does placement take?
Placement is guaranteed within 2 years of graduation. Externship placement speed depends on a variety of factors including:
No, externs do not get paid. However, the accelerated experience provided by the externship meets the “one-year of experience” requirement by most employers. It also provides a technician with connections within the hospital in which they were placed. Other benefits of the program include:
240-400 hours of real-world training & experience
Access to a wide network of hospitals across California
Potential job offers upon externship completion (depending on your performance & job openings)
An in-house Professionalism Workshop to sharpen your interview skills and improve your resumé
What advantages does it have?
Externships can lead to job opportunities and help graduates get their foot in the door for available job positions within the facility or hospital they are serving. Some benefits include:
Training + Work Experience in a real-world environment.
Building connections within the hospital you're placed in.
Gathering professional references for your resume.
Deeper understanding of the job, compared to non-externs.
Externships are a source of establishing formal work connections, building your network of job-related contacts. If an extern displays their ability as an effective worker and is a positive addition to the work environment, they may be offered a paid position at that facility.
Robert Glenn Campbell, Esq.
School Administrator and Legal Officer/ Co-Owner
Robert is a lawyer by profession for 13 years and owns his legal practice in two locations: Stockton, CA and Santa Clara, CA. He loves empowering the students and assisting them in developing their career in healthcare It is his vision to create a community of employable professionals in our local area.
Robert is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila, Philippines and holds a Juris Doctor or J.D.
Liana Dizon
Externship Advisor
Liana brings 17 years of experience in the medical field to Altamont Healthcare. She rose from the ranks as a physical therapy aide to assistant manager while she was employed at a local doctor’s office. Her work there gave her extensive exposure in a variety of situations, such as managing interpersonal relationships in the workplace, student onboarding, medical assistant training, externship issues, documentation, billing and reporting responsibilities. Her role as Externship Advisor enables her to use her skills effectively to place externs in hospitals for training and guide them towards a successful work experience. Liana enjoys her free time hiking, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Education: Therapy Health Technician Certification – Andon College, Stockton, CA
Khristiane Cruz, MD
Sterile Processing Instructor/ Operations
Khristiane joined Altamont Healthcare in 2018. He is Board Certified in Sterile Processing & Endoscopic Reprocessing. When not instructing he assists in office operations. Khristiane also holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology and a Medical Degree in Medicine. His passion to teach and dedication to his students is what makes him remarkable as an instructor.
Education: BA in Biology, Far Eastern University, Philippines, 1999
Doctor of Medicine, Far Eastern University, Philippines, 2004
Board-certified in Sterile Processing Tech, CBSPD, 2018
Board-certified in Endoscope Reprocessing Tech, CBSPD, 2019
Externship Prerequisites:
Graduate Altamont Healthcare's SPD, EKG, or Tech in Surgery courses.
Pass the NCCT or CBSPD exam associated with your program.
Documents needed at or before the workshop:
Resume
Certificate of Completion from Altamont Healthcare
NCCT/CBSPD Board Certificate or Passed Test Results
Documents needed before being considered for placement:
MMR (Rubeola/Measles, Mumps, Rubella/German Measles): Two documented doses or titer to show immunity
Varicella (Chicken Pox): Two documented doses or titer to show immunity
Hepatitis B: Three documented doses or titer to show immunity
TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis): Single dose within 10 years
COVID-19: Vaccination and booster (religious or medical exemptions are accepted by some hospitals)
Influenza (Flu): Required October 1 to March 31, declination is accepted
TB Test: Two-step skin test (1-3 weeks apart) or QuantiFERON TB test for the current year. Positive tests require a chest x-ray and symptom-free review form for the current year.
Must complete externship workshop
Documents needed once assigned to a hospital
Full Background Check (student expense)
Urine Drug Testing, 10 drug panel (student expense)
Note: Depending on the assigned facility, there may be additional requirements.
Robert Glenn Campbell, Esq.
Liana Dizon
Khristiane Cruz, MD
