As an NP student, how many clinical rotation hours do you do weekly?

Specializes in Psych.

My program isn't doing clinical until the fall semester. My program is requiring 192 hours that semester. Which shouldn't be too difficult over 4 months BUT because of Coronavirus I don't think many preceptors would even want to do hours until the end of the semester ?

12 Answers

Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I did four 9-hour days per week until I had my 300 hours for the semester completed. Previous semester was 240 hours. I had to split it up according to my preceptor's availability. For example, my 60 OB/Gyn hours were done as 10-hour days twice a week for 3 weeks. the remaining 180 hours was done as two 9-hour days and one 6-hour day per week. You're really at the mercy of your preceptor's schedule and availability. Not all practitioners work 5 days per week.

Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

My program gave us the opportunity to do a certain number of virtual hours that equate to clinical hours to help ease the stress of not being able to get clinical hours due to COVID. I forget how many per semester my initially required (of course that's on hold at the moment). The COVID pandemic has been making me superrrrrrrr lazy in doing my virtual hours but as of June 1st, everyone in my program could start clinic as long as we are cleared by the program and the clinic/preceptor. I actually start my first day back next week.

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
On 6/9/2020 at 11:35 AM, barcode120x said:

My program gave us the opportunity to do a certain number of virtual hours that equate to clinical hours to help ease the stress of not being able to get clinical hours due to COVID.

This kind of thing scares me.

Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.
43 minutes ago, BostonFNP said:

This kind of thing scares me.

Our school would not allow virtual clinical hours, even though AANP & ANCC allowed a small number of hours to be simulated and count towards the minimum 500 hours. We are required to have all clinical hours in-person, no exception. Frankly, having simulated hours scares me as well. You just don't get the full learning experience like you do when you're in an actual patient situation. My clinicals have been an incredible learning experience. Inspection, auscultation, percussion & palpation just can't be replicated exactly in a simulated environment. It's too manufactured. I find simulation valuable as a training tool, but not as a replacement for true clinical experience. I just finished my FNP clinicals and will start my ACNP clinicals in the Fall. We'll use the sim lab to practice & learn art line & central line insertions, intubations, etc. But being able to do it on a real person is completely different. You just can't 100% replicate the experience.

Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

Mine varied based on term/placement from 8 hours per week to up to 32 hours per week, but this was pre-COVID.

Clinical sites are starting to re-open to students. My own hospital recently sent out notice that we will be bringing back a very limited number of students starting end of June/early July.

On 6/9/2020 at 8:35 AM, barcode120x said:

My program gave us the opportunity to do a certain number of virtual hours that equate to clinical hours to help ease the stress of not being able to get clinical hours due to COVID. I forget how many per semester my initially required (of course that's on hold at the moment). The COVID pandemic has been making me superrrrrrrr lazy in doing my virtual hours but as of June 1st, everyone in my program could start clinic as long as we are cleared by the program and the clinic/preceptor. I actually start my first day back next week.

LMAO and this is why NP education is joke. You can get by during a residency with things like this but not in NP school where most programs only require 600 hours. To compare 600 hours with a MD residency equates to about 2 months of standard intern work...sad

Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
14 hours ago, Numenor said:

LMAO and this is why NP education is joke. You can get by during a residency with things like this but not in NP school where most programs only require 600 hours. To compare 600 hours with a MD residency equates to about 2 months of standard intern work...sad

Good thing I didn't go the MD route.

8 hours ago, barcode120x said:

Good thing I didn't go the MD route.

What a stellar argument for subpar education. Bravo.

Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
21 hours ago, Numenor said:

What a stellar argument for subpar education. Bravo.

I was trying to be sarcastic, but you know how online sarcasm goes ? nor was I trying to argue...just simply a reply to your reply. I'm sure there's a thread out there to debate NP education versus MD education. Not that I care though ?‍♂️

33 minutes ago, barcode120x said:

I was trying to be sarcastic, but you know how online sarcasm goes ? nor was I trying to argue...just simply a reply to your reply. I'm sure there's a thread out there to debate NP education versus MD education. Not that I care though ?‍♂️

Its not a debate of MD vs NP. It's safe vs unsafe.

On 6/12/2020 at 1:13 AM, Numenor said:

LMAO and this is why NP education is joke. You can get by during a residency with things like this but not in NP school where most programs only require 600 hours. To compare 600 hours with a MD residency equates to about 2 months of standard intern work...sad

Well I see "NP" in your title so I guess that you are including yourself in the "unsafe" category. So negative.

On 6/21/2020 at 7:15 PM, chulada77 said:

Well I see "NP" in your title so I guess that you are including yourself in the "unsafe" category. So negative.

I did a year long 4000 hour MD-supervised/structured fellowship immediately post-grad. Try again. I can walk the walk to get better, can you?

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