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!
We get assigned day, time, and site. Assignments are usually posted the week before. Sometimes you don't find out when you are supposed to report until the night before. We're not allowed to switch for any reason. That part sucks because 2 of us wanted to switch he got stuck commuting to the clinical site by me and I went out to the clinical site near him. Do I dislike it? hell yes. Would I love a change? absolutely! Would I consider dropping out of my program or posting on facebook about it? Um... no? Not being able to pick is fairly standard. I don't want to rush to judgement about it but it seems like they are being very immature about it. How will they handle assignments they dislike as a nurse? Those do happen.
We are assigned and given a precise schedule to follow every semester except the last one. On our 5th semester we get to voice our preferences for our senior specialty. Depending on how well we are doing in school places us in line to see if we get 1st choice, etc.
When we register all we can see is which instructor we're choosing. Other than that it's kind of just what you get. However, once we reach junior year (when we do all the specialty clinicals) they are all done at the same local teaching hospital, so the only surprise is whether you get day or evening. Typically we know the time and location we're going to end up with by which instructor we choose from talking to people in the class above us (instructors typically do the same place and time year after year), but that's not consistently reliable. For preceptorship we pick our top three choices and they do their best, if more than one person wants a particular place or floor whoever has the higher GPA gets it.
Had no say during my LPN schooling nor during my RN program. Then again, my RN program is affiliated with the hospital right next door. That being said, while we only had clinicals in one hospital, we were not allowed to chose our floor/department either.
No choice for the first 2 semesters (Med Surg I and II and Maternity). For Peds and Psych, they let you give preferences from a list of options but, ultimately, you were placed where you were placed. For preceptorship, you submitted a proposal which included your choice of specialties and sub-specialties. I got exactly what I wanted but just as many people got something that was not close at all to their choice and everyone had to deal.
Thank you for all your feedback! It sounds like the general consensus is no choice- which is what I expected. I don't think any of them will ACTUALLY drop out either, especially after everyone worked hard to get in. I was just a little surprised at their reactions, particularly because some of the most vocal are older, seemingly no nonsense folk. It's interesting some of you got more say in preceptorship- I've haven't even begun to imagine that heavenly semester yet!!
While we could ask for a specific placement, one thing we had to disclose was whether or not we were an employee of a specific clinical site. Some sites didn't have a way to deal with having someone that was both an employee and a nursing student. With all that in mind, and your previous experiences, the instructors placed you at specific facilities and floors. You really had no say in that unless you had a legitimate beef with that site/placement.
That generally includes the final preceptorship/practicum placement. We do ours at the clinical site/facility that we were placed in for our final semester. We can request a particular unit or floor, but ultimately it's up to the instructor and the hospital's clinical education department where we're placed.
What is somewhat nice is that all our "normal" clinical sites are relatively close by and if you can get to school relatively easily, you can also get to the clinical sites fairly easily as well. There are some sites that might require some travel, but fortunately we haven't had to use those sites in a long time... several years, actually.
We were allowed to select a preference, but there was no guarantee. In fact, almost no one got to choose. We could switch groups if another student was willing to switch with you. I remember them telling us that it was a tremendous process to try to get all of us placed. A lot of very hard work goes into getting placement for students in clinicals. Wherever one ends up, it is a PRIVILEGE to be there. Hospitals and other clinical sites don't have to allow students to attend there.
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.
I agree. This sounds like very immature behavior. Actually, my school wouldn't have allowed such behavior. They would have said, "there is someone else who would gladly take your seat in the program."
Ugh, I wish. That would be amazing! I'd also like to choose my clinical group, instructor, and if I could start at noon that'd be great...thanks! Only in my dreams.
Nolli
236 Posts
We get assigned day, time, and site. Assignments are usually posted the week before. Sometimes you don't find out when you are supposed to report until the night before. We're not allowed to switch for any reason. That part sucks because 2 of us wanted to switch he got stuck commuting to the clinical site by me and I went out to the clinical site near him. Do I dislike it? hell yes. Would I love a change? absolutely! Would I consider dropping out of my program or posting on facebook about it? Um... no? Not being able to pick is fairly standard. I don't want to rush to judgement about it but it seems like they are being very immature about it. How will they handle assignments they dislike as a nurse? Those do happen.