[clhRN2b2010]

To anyone on this thread...

Can anyone tell me about clinical days at UMB? How many days in each semester and what were the hours you were at clinical? Also, where were they? Primarily Baltimore or did some of you get more rural/suburban assignments? Did they try to match you up individually based on your interests and strengths or was it completely random?

Thanks a lot. I am planning on attending the info session in a couple weeks but anything I can get ahead of time would be helpful in my decisions making process.

[MZTwin]

clhRN2b2010,

Since I don't start until the Fall I don't have firsthand experience about the clinical schedule. However, I did look at the Fall 08 lecture schedule and the fall 07 clinical schedule to get an idea of what to expect. The link below will take you to the class schedules at UMB's website. Hope it helps

http://nursing.umaryland.edu/admissions/schedules.htm

[clhRN2b2010]

I've seen that, and unfortunately it still leaves me perplexed. Either the class #'s don't align or I don't see much clinical at all the first year. Where is the adult health clinical?

I was given a schedule from AACC that stated starting week 9 of each semester, Wed and Thur are clinical days and be prepared to be at your clinical site from 8-4. I know that the clinical hours are supposed to be the same for each program, but I don't see it.

This might be a question to cover at the info session. Thanks for trying! I would still like to hear from current or past students re: their experience.

[MZTwin]

For the first year there isn't much clinical, as opposed to CCBC who starts clinicals right away. Although I haven't started yet I know people in the program. When I just went to the Fall 07 pdf. I found a clinical day under NURS330 (Adult Health). The hours where Mondays, 2:00-4:50pm. Granted, they may change, But I don't think they vary too much. In the third semester I saw clinicals for three of the classes. In fact, a comment that a friend of mine in the program said was that those last two semesters are insane because of the class/clinical schedule (i.e a large class+clinical load).

[clhRN2b2010]

I saw that too, but I can't believe that a med surg (adult health) clinical would only be 3 hrs a week. I think that is the time frame for the lecture for 330. If you notice the other classes such as 403 they break out clinicals and the times are listed as 7:00am to 4:00pm. That sounds more reasonable, but again doesn't look like much happening to first year. I see other posts about clinicals being all day affairs for each care component. i.e. maternal/child, adult health, psych, et cet.

Anyway, I'm sure you will get more detailed information during registration and I'll ask a bunch of questions next week. I'll post whatever I find out.

[aHolisticStudent]

Originally Posted by clhRN2b2010

Can anyone tell me about clinical days at UMB? How many days in each semester and what were the hours you were at clinical? Also, where were they? Primarily Baltimore or did some of you get more rural/suburban assignments? Did they try to match you up individually based on your interests and strengths or was it completely random?

Clinical days aren't set. There are slots made available at the beginning of the semester and the registration is done online. It's basically first in wins. Most of the favored spots (i.e. those close to campus or where most people live) are full ~2 minutes after registration opens. After that the spots go further afield based on what the professors were able to negotiate with different units at different hospitals. So once the list is made available you choose your top 10-12 sites you'd be willing to work on and then wait until the service opens at 6 AM at which point you submit your whole list and if you're lucky you get one of your top choices.

Regarding days and hours of clinicals. During the first semester you have 2 clinical .5 days (6:30 AM - 1 or 2 PM) followed up by lunch and a post-mortem. Second semester is all about adult health. I'm trying to remember if it is 180 or 200 hours but it's somewhere in that range. 2 days a week and the available courses are split into a long Monday and a partial Friday. That way all the clinical sites commit to either T/W or W/Th schedules. Start time is the same as first semester, but you put in full days instead of partials.

HTH, best of luck.

[clhRN2b2010]

That's really helpful. I will ask specific questions about that next week. It is helpful to know that way ahead because I have children to get to school and day care and 6:30 is wayyy early. School morning care and day care don't even open until 7:00 and DH goes to work-usually- at 5:00am. Problem here.

I guess if we go that route, he will need to be flexible and we may have to find additional child care options.

Thanks!

[FutureNurseSaga]

Originally Posted by lonestar88

I currently have a 3.57.
I also know of a girl who got a 2.4 who got in just because of this program agreement my school has with UMB.

What school is that??? What agreement? I'd like to be in on this lol

[Bee76]

chlRN2b2010 please post the information you get about clinicals. I plan on attending in the fall, but I haven't received much information yet. I was pretty content with waiting, but seeing that 6:30 start time got me a little worried lol.

I attended an info session in January, but they just kind of glazed over it, basically saying there were a variety of clinical sites and times. I didn't bother to ask more about it because I wasn't set on applying at that time.

If 6:30 is the only option, I'll just have to make it work. But even 7 would be a little better for me daycare/school wise especially when my hub.'s job requires him to be out of town.

[lonestar88]

Originally Posted by FutureNurseSaga

What school is that??? What agreement? I'd like to be in on this lol

You have to specify it when you apply as a freshman to UMBC. I know UMCP has a similar program because they're all sisters schools.
According to my sister, the Women college of Notre Dame has the same program but with JHU.

I was bitter but now that I'm accepted I don't care as much. lol.