Clinical Experience Information
As a BSN student you’ll be out in the community, learning the nursing profession in real-world settings.
You will be part of clinical groups in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health agencies and schools, working alongside experienced nurses under the guidance of clinical instructors.
As you develop nursing competencies, you’ll also develop skills in teamwork and hone your interpersonal skills.
All BSN students are placed in six different clinical environments throughout their clinical practice, giving students diverse learning experiences.
NURS 315 – This course introduces students to professional nursing practice with adult clients. Students learn the professional values of caring and holism – treating the whole person rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease – and apply critical-thinking skills during health assessments and technical skills performed in beginning nursing practice. Students will begin developing their roles as providers, designers, and managers of care and as members of the nursing profession.
NURS 325 – This clinical practicum course provides opportunities to apply the concepts of nursing care for adult patients experiencing acute and chronic illness. The hospital setting will include in-patient adult units as well as out-patient experiences. Students’ theory courses will be integrated into the provision of care to adult patients.
NURS 415 – This clinical practicum provides opportunities to apply concepts of nursing care to children and families. A variety of clinical experiences will give students experience with these populations, and students will explore the community as a context for family-focused care by discussions with other students in the NURS 412 course.
NURS 417 – This course will focus on bedside care of the pregnant and laboring family; the postpartum family; the healthy neonate and the neonate in the NICU.
NURS 425 – Clinical application of nursing process with clients experiencing acute and chronic psychiatric illness and mental health problems is explored in a variety of settings. The practice of psychiatric nursing is examined through observation and participation in multidisciplinary teams.
NURS 427 – In collaboration with Community Health Nursing (CHN) Theory (NURS 426), NURS 427 uses a variety of directed clinical opportunities to guide students’ learning and integration of concepts. Large- and small-group discussions, simulation exercises, and reflective journaling are employed during the clinical day and the post-clinical conference. Students provide peer feedback on written assignments, share community resources, review published research, and develop partnerships with key providers of community health services. There are focused interviews with key informants for population health topics as well as a community assessment of a specific geographic area. This is a hands-on course where students will have the opportunity to explore the autonomy and collaboration necessary for a beginning community health nurse in a variety of clinical settings.
NURS 430 – Practicum is a place to apply the nursing knowledge and skills they have learned in real-life situations. They have 120 hours to complete with a mentor that will help them integrate theory with clinical practice. It is a place to learn help them learn how to prioritization skills, documentation, and work on their time management skills.
