NICU Nursing / Neonatal - BSN preceptor by XelaRN

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Hi there! I will be entering my final semester at nursing school soon and we are given the opportunity to find a preceptor for our last two clinical rotations. Unfortunately, I don't know very many nurses and am unsure as to where I can find a BSN prepared RN to be my preceptor. I would love to find a NICU, pediatric or L&D preceptor, but would also be happy to complete more hours on a medsurg unit to sharpen my assessment skills. What sort of resources are there for finding a preceptor, NICU or otherwise? Am I able to simply go to a hospital near me and talk to the clinical educator about this? Any input would be appreciated!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I'm confused. Why must you find your own preceptor? Doesn't your school carry responsibility for your clinical experiences?

And why must the preceptor be a BSN?

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Maybe that's a requirement for her school? Or maybe she's just very ignorant of actual nursing practice in the real world. Benefit of the doubt says the former.

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Sorry, I should have clarified! My school defaults to setting us up with a preceptor, however, we are also given the chance to find our own preceptor as the school does not guarantee that they will be able to place us on the unit of our choice. Finding my own preceptor gives me a higher chance of being placed on a unit that I am seriously considering pursuing after graduation (primarily NICU but also pediatrics). A few of the students from previous cohorts were even placed in extended care facilities when their top choices were L&D, ICU, or mental health. Finding a preceptor just gives me a better shot at learning more about nicu nursing to discover if this is where I truly want to be after I graduate.

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Sorry VANurse 2010, there are a great many things regarding "actual nursing practice in the real world" that I am still ignorant about, much to my chagrin. However, I'm trying to figure it out and thought that a forum post would shed more light on the topic.

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We routinely do this for the BSN nursing school here - it's usually a 6-week practicum. Maybe contact the unit manager directly and see what they can help set up? Usually your instructor will also help grease the wheels with them as well.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

You can call units and ask, but I know we have a contract with 2 schools to take their students first. And we only take 2 at a time.

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unless you know someone that work in that area your best bet is to contact the education dept.

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