Choosing which hospital for clinicals?

[alexamasan]

So I will be beginning my nursing program in August and right now I need to prioritize which hospitals in my area I would prefer to have my clinicals. Any advice on how I should go about making my decision?

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

You get a choice??? Wow, consider yourself lucky. We're not allowed to choose. We're assigned, whether it's close or far away. I'd choose the place where you think you might want to work later so you can get a feel for their workflow and, let's face it, the politics :)

[Everline]

Well, you are certainly lucky to be able to have any say in where you have your clinicals. I agree with the previous poster about choosing the place you might want to work. Other than that, choose based on location—as in, whichever is closest and easiest to get to.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

If you have the choice of a teaching hospital take it :)

[alexamasan]

If you have the choice of a teaching hospital take it :)

I am dense and slow, mind explaining why? I understand teaching hospitals train medical students, but how does that help nursing students?

[meljonumd]

A simple answer as to why teaching hospitals/medical centers are preferred:

They tend to be more progressive, be the leaders in program development, seek and receive state and national certifications (such as Joint Commission -Stroke Certification), have a variety of specialties in one place (whereas a small community hospital will have an orthopedic and general surgery options, a medical center may have any combination of: heart/kidney/GI transplant, cardiothoracic, bariatric, oncology, specialty orthopedics, etc)

Nurses at medical centers also tend to be very familiar with frequent rotations of students, and generally the charge nurses know who to "pair" up the students with for the best experience.

The patients at a teaching hospital tend to be the sickest of the sick, so you will also see diagnoses that you may never see again.

I've worked at one of the best, and I credit that experience with making me a great clinician.

[loriangel14, RN]

Are you sure you get to choose?

[alexamasan]

Are you sure you get to choose?

You don't really choose, you prioritize your preference and they assign to you based on what is available.

[RunBabyRN]

I agree with the above criteria- teaching hospital, location, and where you want to work, not necessarily in that order. I know that when we put in for preceptorship, I avoided one of the local hospitals because of the poor culture.