How many clinical sites?

[Yuppers21]

Just curious - on average, how many different sites does a student FNP visit to complete all the necessary rotations? Since the focus is on primary care, can most be completed in a family practice clinic or are specialty specific settings required (pediatric, women's health, etc)? I have shadowed a FNP that owns his own small (but busy) primary care clinic in a rural area and the experinece was wonderful! He offered to be my preceptor for when I start school. I am wondering how many clinical hours I could complete there.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

It will depend on your program. I'm doing a primary peds. We need a new site every quarter. They have allowed individuals to stay at a site twice...but that was it. You might hear some schools will allow your to stay longer and others that will be strict about wanting new sites.

I would plan on have to go to more than one place. I know the FNP students where I'm at do a quarter in peds and a quarter in women's health. So that would be 2 quarters a family doc wouldn't work.

[Yuppers21]

Thanks IrishIz, that makes sense. I guess I will need to email some advisors as I look at different programs

[zmansc, ASN, RN]

Some programs want you to do certain populations at a time, so they want you to get x hrs of peds in this term, and y hrs of xxx in next term, etc. In that type of program you might need someone who sees primarily a peds population for one term and someone who sees primarily a ob population the next, etc.

Other programs allow you more flexibility to mix and match your population as long as you get x contacts/hours/whatever they measure with population x and y contacts with population y, etc. In that case you would be more able to work with someone with a mixed population and get all of your contacts done that way.

Has this provider precepted for any programs in the past? Sometimes programs they have already precepted for are a good place to start because A) they are familiar with the program; and B) there will not be any credentialing issues.

[Yuppers21]

I don't believe this NP has precepted in the past, but I did not ask so I'm not sure. Thanks for the insight!

[adventure780, BSN, MSN, RN, APN]

yes the overall consenus of my research has indicated that you can use the same preceptor/site not more than twice. Seperate sites for peds and women's health are required.