Clinical Hours

WashYaHands · Mar 3, 2003

I'm not a student, but my undergraduate program had 1500 total clinical hours. I cant remember exactly how it broke down, but we had about 25 hours per week for 10-12 weeks in each course(Fundamentals, Med-Surg, Advanced Med-Surg, Peds, OB, Community Health)

Linda

nursbee04 · Mar 3, 2003

I'm in medsurg right now, and we have our clinicals on Saturdays, from 6:45am to 6:00pm, then we do post conference. This goes all semester. I'm pretty sure its the same amount for peds and psych, too.

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 3, 2003

I am in an LVN to RN bridge program and we have:

5 weeks of psych clinicals...12 hrs./week

18 weeks of med/surg....12 hrs./week

4 weeks of ambulatory care...12 hrs./week

4 weeks of preceptorship...total of 96 hours

My LVN program was definitely much more clinically intense and I think that is why the bridge program is not as heavy clinically.

I think that is why it's really critical to find a good orientation program at your first job.

emily_mom · Mar 3, 2003

Let me see, I have had:

12 wks LTC

6 wks OB (more to come)

18 wks Med/Surg

6 wks Med/Tele/Onc (also work in that dept as SNI)

6 wks Psych

plus:

Clinic days

Hospice hours

Home health nurse days

Assisted Living

School Nurse

Surgi-Center

Operating Room

Nurse Center

Women's Shelter......

can't remember what else!

essarge · Mar 3, 2003

We have 72 hours per clinical rotation.....and some go longer with pre and post conference.

maire, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2003

I agree it doesn't seem like enough time. I'm going on week 7 in a geriatric LTC facility, with a 1-week Spring Break followed by 8 weeks of med/surg. It's only one day a week with about 5 hours daily of hands-on patient care. This is only my first semester, however; maybe we get more clinical time the further along we get.

memphispanda, RN · Mar 3, 2003

Let's see...

Ok...I edited this to go along with the hours as listed in our handbook.

First Semester (fundamentals) 120 clinical hours

Second semester (Med/surg I) 180 clinical hours

Third semester (Med/Surg II, Psych) 180 clinical hours, 90 each section

Fourth semester (OB/Peds) 240 clinical hours, 120 each section

Fifth semester (Management) 360 clinical hours

Katnip, RN · Mar 3, 2003

224 Adult health

112 OB

112 Peds

112 Psych

112 Community health

135 clilnical emphasis (specialty of our choice)

Total 807 hours of clinical. Not nearly enough, especially in adult

kimtab · Mar 4, 2003

Nor sure, what our course catalog says and what we actually spend are two different things. Last semester we had four 16 hour weeks. This semester we have Twelve 16 hour weeks.

New CCU RN · Mar 4, 2003

My BSN program had close to 2000 clinical hrs with about half of that being adult m/s. I agree... you aren't getting enough!!!!! Be sure to get a position perhaps as a tech to expose urself more while in school or at the very least get a job with a long orientation. Good luck

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2003

My school does not get NO where near the amount I think they should. We get :

3 weeks of Long term care=45 hours

3 weeks of OB=45 hours

3 weeks of peds=45 hours

4 weeks of med-surg=60 hours

4 weeks of psych=60 hours

4 weeks of ICU=60 hours

2 weeks of school screenings=30 hours

6 weeks of acute care clinicals on various floors like ortho/surgical=90 hours

21 weeks of community spreaded out over 2 years for a total of 185 hours total.

4 weeks of a management clinical where we follow a nurse manager=64 hours

Senior capstone in an area of our choice for 6 weeks which will be 180 hours in the six weeks.

All together we will have 864 hours that is NOT even including our 2 hour weekly clinical conferences.

Now, I am upset by the fact that we are spending way too much time in community and school health screenings. AS well as following the nurse manager around too often.

My cousin's wife graduated from that school 10 years ago and she told me that they have cut out 2 weeks of OB and 2 weeks of peds because they use to both be 5 weeks, they have cut out 2 weeks of ICU because that use to be 6 weeks. They have cut out 2 weeks of our med-surg time just so they can add all this community clinical time and the management clinical.

Community is nice to have but it is a lot of education. We don't hardly do any patient care and that is what we NEED. More than Half my class don't know how to start IV's, how to insert urine caths, how to insert NG tubes and it is because of all this community.

My cousin's wife told me she did not realize the school changed the curriculum until I told her about it and she said had she known that she would have told me to pick a different school.

I am very disappointed with my schools clinical set up and I feel cheated.

I never thought to ask the school when I was looking at nursing schools how much community clinical do you go through. I highly recommend to those of you who have not started school yet to ask your school how long EACH clinical rotation last and see if that sastisfy you. IMO Med-surg and acute care type clinicals so be a WHOLE lot longer than community clinicals.