clinical placements

Published

Hey everyone. I am starting nursing school in September, and I was wondering if you get to choose your own placements for clinicals? I know answers will most likely vary according to location but do you get any say at all in where you are placed?

Thanks!

(I live in Calgary Ab. Canada)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

doubtful. We require the schools have an affiliation agreement with our facility (to verify and other issues). I need a list of the students who are coming here, when they will be here, name of instructor---all sorts of things. It has to be organized so you are safe when you are in clinical. Schools and facilities have to meet state standards in order to meet what is required for you to graduate. It is more complex than you think but the overall objective is to give you the best possible learning experience. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you get any say in the hours? I am hoping to teach part time in the mornings only, (currently a teacher), are you able to request weekends and evenings?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

I can't say in your area, but picking clinicals was different for us every semester, depending on a lot of things.

First sememster, everybody did Med/Surg for the same amount of hours, so they scheduled them at different times, days, locations that instructors could do, and we had a lottery (pretty much) and you picked what was easy for you depending on what was open when you got there.

On the other hand, in third semester, we had several rotations to do, so we were assigned a group that did the same rotation, and if you had a conflict with one of the rotations, you could attempt to switch, or attempt to switch groups complete. Just depended.

Know it's not too helpful - I think the best advice is, you just have to wait and see what its like at your school!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

It probably varies by program. In my program we are able to choose from 8 clinical sites (There are 8 sites with 8 students each per clinical course.) They are all at the same time though.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Phlebotomist, nursing student.

In my program you take what you are assigned. They try to get students into all the clinical sites, and never repeat a clinical instructor. It's always the same student who want to rearrange the placements and schedules, and expect other to take the less-desirable placements.

The program I'm in is a full-time program. We need to be available at any time from 7 am to 6 pm during the week for classes and labs; we don't pick our class times. They are the same for the whole group (though lab is split, it is by your clinical group, which means no input). Clinicals could be any time from 6:30 am to 11 pm. If you want to have your mornings free, you may need to find an evening-only part time program.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Varies by program and that may depend on the number of instructors available. For instance, many of my nurses can serve as preceptors, but I don't allow that unless the student is a senior. Lower level students must have an instructor in house. It will depend on the facilities allowing students and number of instructors versus OTHER schools needing same facility. I have to juggle between four local nursing schools. Sometimes I just get the instructors in a room and let them decide what days they can handle as they know their needs better than I do and I only have so much space to offer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yeah i know this teaching while being in nursing scool willnot work out probaby after my first year. So far its looking like my course times could work out, and (i need to find out more still) clinical is in my second term of my first year already along with 4 other courses so it would probably just be one full day a week or something like that. I really hope it works out,

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

We didn't. We were told what, where, when. The only choice we were offered was our very last semester when we got to request a general area (adults, peds, women's health, etc) to do our preceptorship in. Even then there were no promises though. Most of the time we didn't even find out exactly what our schedules were until the week school started, maybe the week before.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, LTC.
Do you get any say in the hours? I am hoping to teach part time in the mornings only, (currently a teacher), are you able to request weekends and evenings?

generally clinicals are scheduled according to the facilities schedule and availability, not yours.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatric nursing.

At my school, we were allowed to choose our placement from a list of sites available. We were organized into groups of eight with one clinical instructor per group. We had 6 hours shift two days a week but, there was one group that had 12 hours shift one day a week.

It actually depends on the availabilty of clinical sites to your school. Some schools just assign you a particular hospital or nursing home. From what I have observed I can say that you learn more at hospitals than nursing homes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have a few days to pick from. Mostly daytime but they try to offer an evening clinical too. We can request a day/time but no guarantees. You take what you get and we often don't find out what we're assigned until a day or two before it starts.

Clinicals are 4 hours a week first quarter, 7 hours a week second quarter, 10 hours a week third-sixth quarter, and 16 hours a week seventh quarter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion