Clincials in nursing school

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Hello. I hope you can help me out here. I read on another posting that a young lady was in the process of finishing up her nursing school and just finished a 12 hour clinical in the ER. 11a-11p. Is that typical?? Do nurses have to put in monsterous clincial hours like resident doctors? You hear about the docs. pulling 36 hour shifts. I want to go into nursing, but is it true nurses have 12 hour clinicals????? Wow! Can you shed some light here???

Thank you! Epona :uhoh3:

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Specializes in med surg-oncology-progressive care-Rehab.

Student nurses have to put in 120-150hrs with a licensed RN, if that's what the RN is scheduled to work then the student stays with her. You don't have to work 12 hr shifts for your clinical, just pick the right RN to precept with.

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Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

We have to put in about 400 hours in my BSN program, but it's spead out over 4 semesters. The longest we work is 8 hours shifts, either days (7-3) or pms (3-11). I have never heard of a nursing program with 36 hour shifts, but some schools do 12's.

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Students do not have to do 12-hr shifts depending on how their clinical works, but 12-hr shifts are very common in nursing. If this is not something you think you can do, make sure you ask when you interview because not all places have 8-hr shifts. Some larger places have 8-, 10-, and 12-hr shifts so you can choose.

Personally, I love 12's. I never though I could do them but I have more free time that way because I only work 3 days a week and am still full time. Not all people can or want to do 12's and I respect that, but I love them.

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Specializes in ER.

After our first sesmester, we did 12 hr clinical days. At first it was horrendous, but we got used to them...even if we don't necessarily LIKE them :lol2: .

The total clinical time in our program is about 1200 hours over 6 semesters.

This is something you will want to ask any schools you are interested in because not all schools do 12 hr clinicals. Another University very close to ours does very short clinical days, about 4-6 hours.

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THANK YOU to everyone who has answered. That is all very good news to know. See I have a medical condition where I cannot work 12 plus hours on my feet. I can do eight... fine.. no problem, but 12 is pushing it. I will check that out with the schools I apply for.

Much thanks and thank you nurses for all you do !! Epona ;)

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

I'd just like to say that I am lusting after an 11a-11p position. Perfect! I could put DS on the bus, and be home in time to sleep like a human (as opposed to a vampire).

I *love* 12 hour shifts--I'd never call them monsterous!

In my nursing program, we did 8 hour clinicals, but for the senior practicum (internship, whichever you like to call it) we did whatever our preceptor did. Luckily mine was 12 hour days.

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In my nursing program, we did 8 hour clinicals, but for the senior practicum (internship, whichever you like to call it) we did whatever our preceptor did. Luckily mine was 12 hour days.

This is how mine works too. But the preceptorship is only a total of 32 hours, so I'd prefer to do it in 12 hour shifts, myself.

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Specializes in OB.

our clinicals are 8 hours, but we precept in last semester a total of 120 hours, and you precept what your RN that you get works. If she works 12 hours, so do you

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My school does 12 hour clinical days in the 5th semester. I think you do a total of about five 12 hour shifts.

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Specializes in NICU.
our clinicals are 8 hours, but we precept in last semester a total of 120 hours, and you precept what your RN that you get works. If she works 12 hours, so do you

We do as well. Although our preceptorship is 300 hours. I know a few people in, for example, outpatient chemo clinics or psych clinics that work 8s or 10s, but most of us are doing 12s. Some are working nights, most of us do a weekend now and then. I guess the reasoning is that that's what most bedside nurses do, so they want us to see that side of it. Maybe you could talk to your program director? If you're going to be getting a non-12 job (bc of your medical condition) perhaps they'd assign you to a clinical of the same type.

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As a faculty member I can say that I have worked in situations where the clinical time is either 2 six hour days or 1 12 hour day. We have students that prefer one or the other so we offer both

As for clinical preceptorship or intership positions, you are required to work the same hours as your preceptor so it behooves you to determine what hours your preceptor works before accepting that particular preceptor

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