Clinicals with the VA?

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Sep 30, 2014

If you know an NP who works at the VA, you could ask if you could be a preceptee. I did Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care clinicals at a VA Hospital as a student of a classroom-based program. The system is well-organized to accept students in terms of getting one access to parking via a VA issued student badge and password to EMR documentation. However, I was a student of a health sciences university campus affiliated with the local VA Hospital so I'm not sure how an online program would arrange it.

BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Oct 1, 2014

I tried to do clinicals through the VA and couldn't get the process completed in time,...I was told to expect it to take up to a year for the red tape,......had to go somewhere else

Sha-Sha RN · Oct 2, 2014

I did one of my last clinicals with the VA in NYC and I had a classmate who did clinicals in Long Island. In both our cases we knew our preceptors prior to doing clinicals. So if you know a MD or NP at the clinics you want to do you clinicals in then go thru them to find out who the nurse educator is. The nurse educator is the one who arranges the clinical rotations. If you don't know anyone at the clinics then just call and ask the same question who the nurse educator is who places the students for clinicals. Yes there is a lot of paperwork, fingerprinting and background check that must be done and a orientation you have to do beforehand to learn the EMR, but it's all doable. I did mine in less that 1 month. It took me longer to reach the nurse educator to set everything up. I started reaching out to her before my first clinical rotation after getting her number from my potential preceptor, but I could never get her on the phone and she never returned any of my messages. So I waited a whole year before I tried again after meeting another student who said she and everyone else she knew had a hard time reaching this woman to the point people just showed up at her office unannounced. So I finally got her on the phone one day and told her my preceptor has been waiting for me for over a year and is expecting me for my final rotation. Once she found this out and that I knew him personally, the wheels started to turn and I was in.

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2014

I recently was able to facilitate an agreement with the North FL/S. GA VA for my school. (my school finds our clinical sites, but if we want something specific we are allowed to look ourselves) Here is what I did:

1. Called this regions VA nurse educator (can't locate then start with any nurse case manager they are fantastic resources) and ask who does the affiliation agreements.

2. When you talk to that representative, be specific and let them know what you are wanting (agreement to perform clinicals there, your school, where the school is located, they wanted confirmation my school was CCNE accredited, and a contact person to the school)

3. I then emailed my school and the affiliation representative CC'd with each others information, thanked her for her help

4. A week later I received an email that this VA region is actually not only willing to precept me, but to also place ANY student from my school by signing an affiliation agreement.

5. Follow up with your school frequently so that you know they are getting the correct paperwork submitted.

***I did NOT have a specific person in mind to precept me, I was actually asking for an affiliation agreement so that I can be placed when it's time, there is a different procedure for when you identify ONE person individually to precept***

For active duty MTF's it is MUCH more tricky. You must FIRST identify and speak with the NP you wish to have precept you, then that NP (or MD if you are allowed) must submit what's called an MOU to the nursing education office (at least that's where they do it here at the MTF on the Navy base) to be cleared. MTF's do NOT do a school affiliation agreement due to the military having their own PA programs/rotations/nursing clinicals, therefore you have to do an individual agreement with a specific person. this can be hard with precepting as some may deploy or leave for training, leaving you missing hours needed for your clinical rotation so keep that in mind, unless you identify a civilian NP/MD who can do it that works on base (but that's even hard as they are employed by DoD and not an active duty service member).

Good luck with finding your preceptor. I can't imagine how difficult that is! It was one of the reasons I chose a school the did that work for me, because that was way too much stress for me!

Tasha

kayakchic · Oct 3, 2014

Did you find a preceptor? I live here in Fayetteville too and know of one in Rockingham. I can give the VA info for students too.