inPractice - Summer 2018 - 11
F E AT U R E
Clinicals in Nursing
For the nursing programs, students are assigned to a clinical
instructor at a ratio of 8:1. Prior to a clinical class day, the
instructor reviews the cases for the patients currently under
care in that clinical setting and assigns patients to each student.
Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with their
patients' cases before their clinical session, including sometimes
visiting the clinical site the day before to access the patients'
electronic medical records. During a clinical day, students also
work with a primary nurse throughout their rotation. They join
their primary nurse for the shift report, tell the nurse what they
can and cannot do, and partner with their primary nurse to
provide care during their clinical rotation.
Clinicals in Health Sciences
In the past, nursing clinicals were all about checking off skills
in a little blue book and taking SOAP (subjective, objective,
assessment, plan) notes as you progressed through defined
specialties. Today, health care has evolved to focus on holistic
wellness and "clients"(who could be well or ill), taking into
account not only the patient but also their family, community
and population. Likewise, clinical education in nursing has
evolved to focus more on critical thinking and care as part of
a greater health care team. While students still have skills they
are required to master to pass each clinical course, they are also
assessed on their knowledge of the theory behind the skills.
Because each health science discipline is so unique, they each
have individual approaches to clinicals. But the overall approach
- classroom, simulation, clinicals - remains the same. Rather
than clinical instructors who travel from site to site with their
students, the health science programs use a preceptor model
for clinical instruction. Designated clinicians at each site guide
students while they are in clinical, helping them perform
procedures at an appropriate skill level. While preceptors sign off
on procedures and provide feedback, the classroom instructors
ultimately grade students on their clinical performance.
From the Student Perspective...
"I had a terminal patient, and after that day I was so upset and I just didn't know if I
could do this. But during my next clinical day, I had the sweetest patient who was so
kind. She took my hands and told me I would be a great nurse. That was all I needed
to hear!" - Madison Ploris, Nursing '19
"Everyone expects to go to the hospital. Having clinicals in other settings, like urgent
care or doctor's offices, opens your eyes to other career paths you might not have
considered." - Caitlin Heim, Radiography '19
"My clinical rotations helped me get past my stranger anxiety. I'm a pretty shy
person, and it's even worse with a patient whose family is in the room. The first
semester was tough, but two years of clinical, plus working as an aide in the
hospital, really helped build my confidence." - Alex Colon, Nursing '18
Lancaster County Office of Aging * Lancaster Health
Center * Lancaster HMA - Heart of Lancaster Regional
Medical Center * Lancaster Rehab Hospital * Lancaster
Urology * Landis Homes * Lebanon County Housing
Authority * Lehigh Valley Health Network * Lewistown
Hospital * Lifecare Hospitals of Mechanicsburg * Luther
Acres Facilities * Main Line Health * Manheim Central
School District * Manheim Township School District *
Memorial Hospital of York * Meritus Health * Millersville
University * MRI Group * Northampton Hospital
Co-Easton Hospital * Orthopedic and Spine Specialists
* Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster * Pam Craddock
Facilities * Peninsula Imaging, LLC * Peninsula Regional
Medical Center * Penn Manor School District * Penn
Medicine Lancaster General Health * Penn State - St.
Joseph Regional Health Network * Penn State Hershey
"I love how realistic our simulation area is, and how hard our instructors work to
give us authentic experiences. It really helps give you confidence going into clinical."
- Abi Brady, Surgical Technology '19
"Our instructor, Miss Alicia, always made sure we knew what we were doing and
made sure we knew how to do things the right way. She also kept us grounded, and
reminded us that tomorrow could always be a harder day, so we should never stop
working as hard as we could." - Yanzi Milka Yanzi, Nursing '19
"You might see more variety in a hospital, but outpatient facilities give you a
chance to really take your time and develop your skills. Overall, it's a great clinical
experience." - Michaela Haddock, Radiography '19
Medical Center * Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation
* Philhaven Hospital * Phoenixville Hospital Company
* Pinnacle Health * Presbyterian Senior Living *
Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community *
Reading Hospital * Retreat at Lancaster * Saint Luke's
Hospital * School District of Lancaster * Schreiber
Pediatric Center * Solanco School District * Southern
Community Services * Springwood Overlook/Stoney
Brook Garden * St. Anne's Retirement Community *
St. Francis Hospital * StoneRidge Retirement Living *
Summit Health * United Zion Retirement * University
of Maryland - St. Joseph Med Center * UPMC *
Warwick School District * Water Street Health Services
* Wellspan * Wernersville State Hospital * Willow Valley
Retirement Community * Wonderkids Daycare
11 inPractice | SUMMER 2018
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