What are nursing clinicals? They are your time to gain real-world nursing experience under the guidance of an instructor. You’ll interact with real patients and complete tasks such as taking a patient’s medical and surgical history, performing a head-to-toe assessment, inserting IVs and catheters, completing administrative tasks, and more.
What are nursing clinicals, and why are they important? Clinicals are a critical part of your nursing education. They provide real-world experiences, so you can hone your skills and learn what it’s like to work as a nurse. As a nursing student, you will need hands-on, practical experiences to help prepare you for the complex clinical scenarios you’ll face as a nurse.
At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, our students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program complete clinicals at leading healthcare facilities throughout New York City. They will learn from and work alongside the esteemed healthcare professionals as they strive to earn their Bachelor of Science (BS) in nursing in as few as 16 months.
Nursing school will challenge you, but understanding what to expect will help you meet these challenges. Learn why clinicals are important and what you can expect as a nursing student.
What are Clinicals in Nursing School?
Clinicals in nursing school are a curriculum component where students work nursing shifts and provide basic patient care under the supervision of clinical instructors and healthcare staff. They are commonly referred to as clinical placements or clinical rotations.
Clinical placements allow students to get an idea of a typical day as a nurse. This is when you’ll dip your toe into various nursing specialty areas and practice the skills you’ve gained from coursework and labs.
Your nursing program will organize your clinical placements. They will determine what day, time, facility, and department you will work in. As a nursing student, you will be able to work in a variety of units so that you can explore nursing specialties in your training.
Why are Nursing School Clinicals Important?
Nursing school clinicals are important because they provide practical, hands-on training for nursing students. During clinicals, you will be exposed to various patients, conditions, and nursing tasks, allowing you to develop your clinical judgment and skill set.
You’ll also become familiar with how the healthcare facility runs its daily operations. Clinical placements are your time to develop core nursing skills further, familiarize yourself with patient care, and find the nursing areas you are the most interested in.
Under the guidance of experienced instructors, you’ll learn how to interact with patients from all walks of life, become familiar with the medical equipment needed to provide patient care, and learn best practices for treatment.
You will also have the chance to develop professional connections with the facility’s healthcare staff and your cohort. These connections can help support you through nursing school and even help you find future employment after graduation and later in your career.
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Are Nursing School Clinicals Hard?
Like nursing school in general, clinicals will challenge you. It’s normal to feel intimidated or nervous as you enter this new environment and stage in your nursing education. Remember that nursing school prepares you for this moment. By the time you enter clinicals, you will have experience performing many basic patient care tasks from your work in skills and nursing simulation labs.
You will also have the support and guidance from your instructors who want to see you succeed. Ask questions when unsure and follow their instructions.
How Long are Nursing Clinicals?
Your nursing school will coordinate with the healthcare facility to establish the length of each clinical shift. While the length of time varies, you can expect clinicals to resemble a typical nursing shift, ranging from eight to 12 hours, depending on the facility and nursing specialty.
How Do Clinicals in Nursing School Work?
What are nursing clinicals like? Clinical placements typically start with a tour of the building and the wing or area you’ll work in for the semester. You’ll meet the facility’s staff members and learn to identify points of contact for anything you might need.
It’s a great idea to identify emergency exits, lounges, kitchens, fire extinguishers, supply and storage closets, bathrooms, procedure rooms, and patient rooms on your first day. Remember to be courteous, helpful and professional, and you’re sure to make a great impression.
Just as a nursing job varies for licensed registered nurses based on location and staff, your clinical rotation experience will also vary depending on where you are and who you’re working with.
For instance, some clinical teachers might immediately assign you several patients, while others will introduce you to them gradually. Your clinical instructor may assign you to a nurse caring for a specific number of patients, have you work with just one patient, or pair you with another student or cohort companion.
Clinicals are a learning environment, but you should still have a sense of urgency. You’ll be involved in taking vitals, reading charts, and other routine tasks, but you might also encounter emergencies that require you to think on your feet and act quickly under your instructor’s guidance.
Some other common tasks you might experience include:
- Assisting in patient hygiene
- Completing administrative tasks
- Inserting/removing IVs and catheters
- Maintaining sanitation standards
- Performing head-to-toe assessments
- Recording patients’ medical and surgical histories
- Taking vitals
How does an accelerated nursing program work? We’ve got the answer here.
What are Nursing Clinicals Like at Mount Saint Vincent?
At Mount Saint Vincent, clinical rotations build off what you’ve learned in your nursing coursework and lab experiences, so you feel prepared for what’s to come. As an ABSN student, you will complete the state-board required number of clinical hours with our esteemed clinical partners throughout New York City, including:
- New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
- NYU Langone Health
- Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Mount Sinai Hospital
You will have the chance to explore many nursing areas to find which specialty you want to pursue after graduation. You will complete clinical placements in the following nursing specialties:
- Acute and long-term care
- Adult health
- Intensive care
- Mental and behavioral health
- Obstetrics and pediatrics
Start Your Nursing Journey Today
If you’re ready to embark on your nursing education and feel excited about experiencing your clinical rotations with our healthcare partners, then you owe it to yourself to learn more about the ABSN program at the University of Mount Saint Vincent.
Our clinical placements allow students to leverage all they’ve learned from the nursing coursework and lab experiences to grow as aspiring nurses. Contact our admission team today to learn how you can earn a BS in nursing in as few as 16 months with the Mount’s ABSN program.