New Nursing Student seeking info about clinicals

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2012

mine are (usually) 645-315 twice a week. its usually a pretty fixed schedule for each semester, ie. this semester i am 645-315 mondays and wednesdays.

last semester we had 10 hour clinical once a week (630-530) on either a monday or a wednesday-- if we had clinical monday we had lecture on wednesday and vice versa.

unfortunately they are not flexible with clinical days at all. attendance is mandatory and you must be on time, or you will have to make it up another day, as well as pay $100 for the day you missed (unless you have a really good reason as to why you missed, like a medical reason for which you would need a drs note) in this case, you still need to make it up, but the fee is waived. if you miss more than 2 clinical days in a semester, you fail the course.

that being said, your school might be totally different. more than likely they will have some sort of policy about attendance though, and it will probably not be self schedule or anything like that. why dont you call the school and ask them for information about the schedule so you can arrange child care farther in advance?

abiklags · Jan 9, 2012

each semester was dif. first was 8-12:30 once a week, second was 8-1 twice a week. same for third. second level fall was 8-4, twice a week, this semester is 8-3:30 twice a week. first level we could choose Monday and Tuesday clinical or Wednesday Thursday (first was Monday or Thursday and 1 day of lab that you chose). second level is Tues-wed across the year until capstone/pathways. my program is very strict about clinicals. if weekdays didn't work out, we had ppl go to evenings or weekend program (ATOP-alternate two day option program-Thurs eve, Friday sat.) so we had some flexibility in choosing clinical days but not in the times. some CI's tolerated a 5 min lateness once in a while but some gave you a nasty look if you walked in. the ID CI for complex MS wont let you in passed 8.

I wish you all the scheduling and e/t works out in your favor. good luck!

mitral · Jan 10, 2012

We had a 6 hour day starting at 8am, then at semester 3 they doubled. Occasionally they will let you go home an hour or 2 early but it has to be pretty slow. Depends on the instructor also, some are more flexible. In our class they do allow you to switch days and times with other students.

zoey88 · Jan 10, 2012

My Clinical rotation is once a week from 7am-4pm but they want you to arrive on the unit by 6:45am. & we switch rotations 1/2 way through the semester to go to a different unit.

tippeny · Jan 10, 2012

Thanks for the input! My orientation can't get here soon enough so that I can at least try to get some info.

Abkilags- I would love it if my program had hours like yours! I am just hoping that I don't have to be somewhere by 6:30. No daycare under the sun opens before 6:00 a.m. and I'm 30 minutes from school.

♑ Capricorn ♑ · Jan 11, 2012

Ha! Yes, we can dream. As far as I know, my first semester will be one clinical day a week, plus Lab and lectures. Second semester will be 2 clinical days a week, but no Lab, plus lectures. After that, I can't say. I hear it gets more challenging clinically as we progress through the program.