When you go through your training to become a nurse, you will be required to complete a minimum number of clinical work experience hours. The purpose behind these hours is to provide you with the work experience that it takes to effectively work as a nurse by yourself once you graduate and earn your nursing license. The exact amount of hours that you have to obtain for clinical experience, as well as any other nursing licensure requirements, will be determined by the state in which you want to work as a nurse.
How To Find Out What Clinical Experiences A Nursing School Offers
There are three main ways that you can discover what clinical experiences a particular nursing school offers.
The first way includes conducting online research on the school you are interested in. Some schools will explicitly state on their websites the clinical experiences that they offer.
Another way to find out about the experiences includes contacting the school and asking to speak with the nursing program supervisor. He or she should be able to answer all questions relating to the clinical experiences that are offered through the nursing program.
Lastly, you can speak with students who are currently enrolled or have already completed a nursing program through a particular school. Such students can give you information on their first-hand experiences in regards to the clinical experiences that they were able to take part in while finishing their nursing studies.
Where Does Clinical Work Experience Take Place?
As you complete your nursing studies, your school will inform of the number of clinical work experience hours that you have to complete. Most times, the school will connect you with places in which you can complete your clinical experience. All experience must be carried out in a setting in which you are supervised by licensed doctors and/or nurses.
What Happens During Clinical Work Experience?
When you gain clinical work experience, you will take part in many of the regular duties that are carried out by licensed nurses. In some instances, however, you will simply be responsible for observing the work being carried out by other nurses. Remember to take notes during the times that you observe and actually perform nursing duties.
What Is The Purpose Behind Gaining Clinical Experience?
As a nursing student, you must learn the appropriate behaviors that are to take place in a wide variety of professional nursing settings. Your instructor, as well as others who supervise you, will be in charge of noting your areas of growth and any weaknesses that you have. During your clinical work experience, you must exhibit to your supervisors that you know how to safely administer medications, carry out the different parts of patient care and document patient changes.
What Are The Benefits Of Gaining Clinical Work Experience?
As a nursing student, you are probably already aware that many of the things you need to learn cannot be learned by reading a textbook. You need hands-on experience to learn the ins-and-outs of being a nurse; thus being one of the major reasons all nursing curricula mandate you gain clinical experience.
How Does A Nursing School Assist With Clinical Nursing Placement?
There are many ways in which your nursing program will assist you in finding a clinical nursing placement. For schools that have their own medical facilities, you may be advised to complete your clinical work experience on-campus. For those that don’t, your school will help you partner with a local medical facility, such as a hospital, to gain your clinical experience.
Before you are allowed to begin your clinical work experience, one of your nursing professors will instruct you to take part in a health assessment. Most times, this assessment has to be completed within one month after you have been admitted into a nursing program. You will not be allowed to continue with clinical experiences until you pass a health assessment, including providing proof of immunizations.
Your school will also assist you in clinical nursing placement by making sure you earn CPR certification. In most states, you will be required to renew this certification twice a year, so be prepared for lots of CPR training. Most schools will only accept CPR certification provided by the American Heart Association.
You will likely be mandated to purchase individual liability insurance as a nursing student. Most schools will allow you to choose the insurance provider through which you acquire a policy; however, your minimum amount of coverage will need to be at least one million dollars. It is your responsibility to pay for such coverage.
Before you can start your clinical work experience, your school will conduct a criminal background check on you. The actual check will be conducted by a third-party vendor, and the results will be sent to the College of Nursing. Even though your school will assist you in having the background check conducted, it is your responsibility to pay for it.
Lastly, your school will be a direct link to your clinical nursing placement because it will perform mandated drug screenings. If you refuse to take a test or you fail it, it will be automatically determined that you are not allowed to take part in clinical work experience. Remember, if you take medications that are prescribed, bring in proof of your prescriptions when taking any drug test.