Did you get to choose your Clinicals site/schedule?

[Stacilator]

Hi all!

My question is about your clinicals: do you get to choose your sites/schedule? Or, at the very least, voice your top choices?

The reason I ask is this: In the first and second semesters of my program we were allowed to sign up for the location we preferred. They made it very clear that they may have to switch it around, but we were allowed to voice our preference, and to my knowledge only had to switch 1 or 2 people around. Now they have announced that for our third semester (which is a summer semester) we are no longer allowed to choose, and that allowing us to choose was a "pilot" program and it failed, and no, they cannot explain why we failed at selecting our own clinical sites/schedules.

Personally, though it was NICE to be able to choose, I didn't expect to be able to choose from the get go and it was just a pleasant surprise. However, we now have some students who are OUTRAGED. Threatening to drop, whining all over our facebook, attacking(verbally) another student who had the guts to speak up and say, hey, we chose this, it sucks, but we can make it.

So I am just wondering what your program procedures are for clinicals. Thank you!

[AmyRN303, BSN, RN]

We were able to choose ours. I went to an ADN school where most all of us had a job or children and were non-traditional students. I chose mine based on the schedule with my kids and ex-husband. I wouldn't have been able to do a traditional program, but from my understanding most 4 year BSN programs in state do not allow clinical choice.

[Everline]

No. We go were they place us at the time and on the days they decide. Additionally they wait until the last minute to tell us. We can try to switch with someone but other than that if the schedule doesn't work for someone...oh well. I hear we get some input into where we do our preceptorship. I hope that's the case.

[saseipler528]

I'm getting ready to graduate from an ADN program.. and we did not have the opportunity to chose our placements at any point, short up rating our interests for our preceptorship at the end. But ultimately that decision was made by faculty and where they thought the individual students would perform best at.

I don't think having the ability to chose would have enhanced my program. Honestly, I think it would have created more competition and hardship among my classmates.

[ReOxyS]

It won't be an option for us. We ALL will be doing a very early-morning shift, one day a week. I don't think we get the option of which hospital we go to, either.

[smf0903]

We do bundle rankings. Each bundle has the class(es) for that semester with a particular lecture, particular clinical, and particular lab for each class. We rank from our favorite pick to least favorite (for example, we have patho this semester and had 18 bundle choices). I have never not gotten my first choice (knocking on wood...) The students who are full time, on schedule get to choose first, then out-of-sequence students, and finally re-admits to the program.

[mrsboots87]

We get no say until preceptorship. TO be fair, the school does not take anyones driving distance into account or any preferences. We get told our clinical site and what day and time to be there. There is no switching, even if another student is willing. And for preceptorship, we will get to note our top 3 choices of facility for med surge, but to be considered for any of the specialties (ICU, ER, Peds and such) we have to have an 85% test average in the fourth block, and have excellent clinical marks throughout the third and fourth blocks, or we get placed in the general med surg areas.

[Jenngirl34RN]

We have absolutely no say in clinical placements, and were told before we even started the program that making sure we are available for whichever clinical rotation we are assigned is our responsibility. We are given our clinical information about a month before the quarter starts, and we don't have clinical for the first 5 weeks of the quarter, so we get 9 or 10 weeks to work out our schedules. We do get to have a say in our preceptor placements for our final quarter.

[msygrnbw]

We had no say in our clinical placement/schedule until our last semester, which was kind of silly. I liked not having a choice, but I was a full time student and chose my work schedule around school, so that didn't mess anything up for me. Some people were happy to be able to choose. We never got to choose placement, just schedule (Which ended up dictating placement, but we didn't know placement ahead of time).

[tiredRNstudent]

We don't get to choose. There are 5 different hospitals between 15 minutes and 60 minutes away from the school where we can be assigned. When we register online, there is a list of all clinicals available but the hospital is not listed. We usually don't find out which hospital until a week or so before the rotation starts.

[RunBabyRN]

We were assigned, for the most part. For a couple of rotations, we've had SOME input, but ultimately, we've been placed where we've been placed. Days and times were set, with the exception of the final semester, because of community health and preceptorship. Those have been significantly more flexible (though you are basically on when your nurse is on, so it's inflexible that way), but again, while we had SOME input, placement was ultimately out of our hands.

Frankly, sounds like you have some princesses (men and women alike) in your class. We all have our stuff to complain about, but threatening to drop out of the program over this? Geez.

[ReOxyS]

Frankly, sounds like you have some princesses (men and women alike) in your class. We all have our stuff to complain about, but threatening to drop out of the program over this? Geez.

Yeah, especially considering how hard they probably worked to get into the program! No way I'd throw it all away.