Clinical Disaster

Nursing Students NP Students

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I was writing to get opinions or facts about a certain issue. I am currently in a BSN to DNP program for NP. The school has always maintained that they will find us clinical sites, which they have. Some have been better than others, and at times students have had trouble getting hours in because the preceptors call off, go on vacation, switch days with other co-workers, get sick, etc. This semester has been a disaster, as within the first week of school a preceptor was fired who had been assigned to several students for the 16 weeks. Needless to say, those students had to be squeezed in at other sites that already had students which prevented the original students from completing their required hours prior to mid-term. The second disaster and unfortunate event was a preceptor's husband passed away suddenly leaving myself and another student without a Women's Health site to work at for the second half of the semester. The school has yet to find alternative arrangements and attempting to find a site on my own has proven fruitless. My question is, can the school rightfully give you an incomplete when it was their responsibility to find a clinical site for you? As of now, we are being threatened with an incomplete if we can't finish our mandated 120 hours.

Any suggestions?

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Not sure the answer to your question. However, as a fellow DNP student, I would really try hard to work with them to get ALL my hours. I mean, 750 or 1000 clinical hours are really not a lot to try to learn the provider role. I wouldn't give up 120 of those without a fight.

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Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.

Just be grateful they are getting your clinical sites. I'm sorry for the shortfall by some truly unfortunate circumstances. Hang in there.

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I was writing to get opinions or facts about a certain issue. I am currently in a BSN to DNP program for NP. The school has always maintained that they will find us clinical sites, which they have. Some have been better than others, and at times students have had trouble getting hours in because the preceptors call off, go on vacation, switch days with other co-workers, get sick, etc. This semester has been a disaster, as within the first week of school a preceptor was fired who had been assigned to several students for the 16 weeks. Needless to say, those students had to be squeezed in at other sites that already had students which prevented the original students from completing their required hours prior to mid-term. The second disaster and unfortunate event was a preceptor's husband passed away suddenly leaving myself and another student without a Women's Health site to work at for the second half of the semester. The school has yet to find alternative arrangements and attempting to find a site on my own has proven fruitless. My question is, can the school rightfully give you an incomplete when it was their responsibility to find a clinical site for you? As of now, we are being threatened with an incomplete if we can't finish our mandated 120 hours.

Any suggestions?

I have a suggestion...get an attorney.

This so called school.. is not providing you the education that you are paying for.

Of course you would only be graded incomplete. Sounds like a scam.

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That sounds like a horrible situation to be in. I don't have a solution, but you have my sympathy.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I would hope that if you have to take an "I" for the semester, you would not pay to make it up. usually there is some sort of contract you sign for school. What does it say about guaranteeing clinical sites and if they can't fulfill their obligation? You should be able to professionally inquire of the school/program of how they have handled these situations in the past. It is your money they are taking and not providing services.

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Hi bboughter

Curious is this Temple?

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

If you are female: ask your own Ob/gyn and every single woman you know, especially those who were recently pregnant. They often have excellent relationships with their providers.

Ask your previous preceptors, male or female. They got to make referrals; they may know someone.

Read again your student handbook. If it is not said directly there that the school is responsible for preceptorship, then it probably will make little sense to bother with lawyers.

Go (better all of you together) to your clinical coordinator and program director and ask them in all details about timeline and what might happen if you won't find anyone to the X date. Can you just withdraw from the course and wait? Miss a semester? Switch courses? Complete those 120 hours next semester? (yes, I know, it will be hard... but still possible to do 30 hours in 1 week. That will take only 4 weeks, after all). Go in FNP office which does some Gyn?

Check out preceptorlink.com Their services are not free, but they found me an excellent ObGyn preceptor in less than 2 weeks - in an area which was deemed "impossible".

Good luck to you and your pals!

P.S. that's why I chose program which doesn't place students.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
P.S. that's why I chose program which doesn't place students.

Almost weekly, we see desperate AP students begging for referrals, names and/or facilities who might be open to precepting them since their school does absolutely nothing to help with placement. It's really sad how the situation throws almost-grads into such a state of panic.

This OP's situation is truly one of a kind and really should not be generalized as commonplace.

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