Doing Clinicals

[eugenekim213]

Hi all,

When you do your clinicals, do you do them in hospitals nearby your nursing school or can you do them in other areas? For example, if I went to Cal State Long Beach, would I be able to do clinicals in hospitals in Los Angeles or would I have to do clinicals within the Long Beach area?

[Nurse216]

This would probably be a question to ask whatever school you apply for. Different schools have different requirements for clinicals.

[loriangel14, RN]

Generally you would do your clinicals with the facilites that your school had agreements with. Usually you can't pick your own site.

[Jenngirl34RN]

I don't know how it works for your area, but where I am, all of the schools set up the clinicals at whatever sites they can get students into. My school has several different sites for each quarter, and some are closer to the school than others, but none are too awfully far away. Students have absolutely zero say in which location or which shifts we are assigned to.

[pixiestudent2]

Well my school is inside a hospital, so I do Clinicals there. Haha.

Your school probably has clinical sites on their website, or just call and ask.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

You do clinicals where your schools assigns you.

[Brink91]

My school has a list of sites and you can tell your instructor your preference, but it's up to them in the end where you get put.

[anie10]

I think Csulb goes to the VA and LongBeach Memorial... That is my supposition.

However, I thought I would go to all the hospitals around my school and boy was I wrong - KaiserSunset, Kaiser WLA and even Lil Company in San Pedro.

Ask when you get into orientation - they will tell you.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

No, you cannot pick your own clinical placements, days, or hours independent of your program. You will be in clinical areas with others in a group supervised by an instructor; clinical placements are the results of agreements between the college and the facility.

[SarahStrings]

In my application process I found that it varies significantly. One program had 5+ hospitals you could be assigned to (one was an hour away by car). Another program had different locations for accelerated student and generic bsn. I think it is helpful to check with the program but some my not have a concrete answer because availability changes.

[mrsboots87]

This will depend on your program, but it is highly unlikely you will get to pick a location. My program uses facilities that are next door and facilities that are 30+ miles away. It just depends on which rotation it is and how many students they can get into each facility.

[brit.pz]

Agreed with what everyone else said. It all depends on the school. In my school we are given our options (hospital location, days, and times) and we chose which clinical we want during our registration. If the spot is taken you go somewhere else.