externship
externship Lexical Profile
externship Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A short-term, practical training program offered by educational institutions and businesses in which a student shadows an experienced professional in the workplace to gain exposure to a specific career field.
"During winter break, she completed a two-week externship at a local law firm to observe daily courtroom procedures."
North American The position or tenure of a medical student or nonresident practitioner who assists with patient care at a hospital while living outside the institution.
"His fourth-year medical externship allowed him to rotate through several outpatient clinics before beginning his formal residency."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike an 'internship', which typically lasts a full semester or summer and involves active work assignments, an 'externship' is usually a much shorter, unpaid experience focused primarily on job shadowing and workplace observation.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in mid-20th-century American English from 'extern' (from Latin 'externus', meaning 'outward' or 'external') and the suffix '-ship', modeled directly on 'internship'.