Clinicals in online MSN/NP programs?

llg, PhD, RN · May 1, 2011

I don't know anything about your particular school ... but in general ...

You need to talk with the school and get an answer to your question BEFORE you spend any time or money on their program. Some schools do NOTHING to help their students arrange clinical opportunities. They expect the student to find local clinical facilities and preceptors, approach them independently, and ask them to supply the clinical experiences for FREE!

Clinical facilities and qualified preceptors sometimes get several requests to provide free education like this each year. At first, when schools started doing that, professionals were flattered and felt it was their professional obligation to help out current students. However, the number of schools and students seeking free education from practicing professionals has grown dramatically over the past few years and a lot of people are getting tired of the situation. The school collects the money, but the practicing clinicians are actually the ones providing the education for no compensation. The student is caught in the middle, needing to find preceptors for themselves with nothing to offer the preceptor in return -- while they send money to the school to pay for their course credit.

Find out if the school with help you find suitable clinicals. If not, you better start talking to possible preceptors in your area to see if they are willing to take you on as a student before you get halfway through the program only to find that you can't graduate because you can't find a preceptor for yourself.

I wish you the best of luck.

UVA Grad Nursing · May 1, 2011

llg gives excellent advice (yet again!).

Ask the school how students arrange their practica. For most online programs, it it is up to the student to locate (and negotiate) their own clinical experiences. I am also aware of circumstances where preceptors have asked to be paid by the student for the teaching they are doing.

For example, in my state there is a relatively new D.O school. They have used FNPs and MDs for some of the clinical practica for the osteopath students. The DO and MD schools also pays these preceptors. While many NPs would rather precept other NP students, that $25/hour that they receive from the DO school is appealing -- so they have asked the FNP student to pay a similar hourly fee.

Different nursing programs this issue differently. Some schools (including my own) only accept enough students each year for which there are established and negotiated clinical preceptors on contract (15 FNP students/year). Our faculty negotiate the contracts for the students; they feel it is not proper to force students to be solely responsible to locate and negotiate their own clinical contracts.

Pedinurse40 · May 7, 2011

Hi, I've applied to TTUHSC MSN/FNP program, which is mostly online. However, I'm curious how the clinicals work? I don't live in the same town, so how will I be assigned to complete the to 700+ hours of clinicals? Thanks!

just curious if you started at ttuhsc. I got my bsn there almost 10 yrs ago thinking about going back for MSN/FNP. I live 2 hrs away now. Don't want to spend a lot of time driving there for clinical I do have to keep my full time job.

GoodNP · May 10, 2011

No, I've just submitted my application. Hope to find out soon.

GoodNP · May 10, 2011

Very special thanks to llg and UVA Grad Nursing for your responses!