Precepting on the right unit!

[KrysF]

I am a nursing student who graduates in December. This summer I have the option to take an elective preceptorship class on a unit of my choice. I want to know which unit(s) are the best to gain experience that I can use to pursue a career as a Nurse Practitioner.

Thanks!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

dear, you have years and years before you can do np school. you don't even know how to be a nurse yet (and trust me when i say you will be getting a glimmer of it in the first few years of practice, but not much more than a teeny part of that will occur in your student elective preceptorship). make the decision to kick back into being a nurse first.

in answer to the question you asked, it doesn't matter. really. any staff nurse position will give you the opportunity to learn to be a nurse, which is what the np program will be looking for and what you will certainly need as background for your advanced nursing practice. nursing practice first, then advanced nursing practice.

[KrysF]

Although some people are comfortable with "kicking back" in life, I'm always looking forward in search for good learning opportunities. I appreciate your constructive criticism, but found it to be pointless. I will only accept useful suggestions that will help me gather positive experiences on my path through nursing.

[SC APRN, DNP, APRN, NP]

My goal is to get my MSN in women's health/oncology. So I'm requesting my preceptorship rotation to be on the gyn/onc ward. I also look ahead, I think its great to have a plan. Good luck on your journey!!

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

GrnTea isn't really correct. There are NP programs that you can join right after getting your BSN, and it's good that you are planning for the future. If you aren't going to have RN experience before going to NP school then it's best to have a preceptorship in an area that will get you a lot of experience.

You want the preceptorship that will give you the best general and most diverse experience. I'd recommend a general medical/surgical unit. This will give you a wide variety of patients, diagnoses and surgeries. You'll likely have 4-6 patients at a time, perform a lot of skills, give a lot of different medications, and learn how to prioritize and time manage. All are important skills for a nurse.

ICU would give you experience with critically ill patients and technology such as ventilators, but you won't get to perform as many skills and won't get as good of a time management/all around experience. You also aren't likely to work in the ICU as an NP.

Unless you plan on specializing in a certain area as an NP, such as women's health, stick with the areas that will give you the most well-rounded experience.