Clinical experience is one of the most important aspects of nursing training. It helps students to gain an understanding in how to actually do the things they have learned in their nursing studies as well as having thorough knowledge of academic subjects. Students gain the ability to think critically and they also learn different methods of problem solving when they are exposed to educational clinical practice.
Ways To Find Helpful Information About Clinical Experiences
Finding a great clinical practice program is crucial to a students overall nursing education experience. Here are some good ways to find information that can help with making an informed decision about the best nursing education.
Find Information In The School Catalog – The catalog of the nursing school being considered will usually include sections describing the clinical experiences offered. These can include experiences in areas like oncology, emergency room procedures, intensive care, burn units, transplant units, HIV/AIDS clinics, public health or in women’s health clinics. Online catalogs will also address issues like how many clinical hours are offered within the program and how much high quality patient contact a student can expect to have.
Online Message Boards – School programs and clinical experiences are often discussed freely on open message boards online. Prospective students can receive valuable insight and opinions of current and former students enrolled in these programs. The opinions shared through these formats are often honest and many times they are based on personal experience.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) – Helpful information can often be found in the reviews of various nursing programs that have been done by impartial reviewers, found through organizations like the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Many times reviews are helpful when comparing programs to find the best options for a student’s personal needs.
National Institutes of Health website studies – The NIH can be a valuable source of information, which can be found by reading through studies they have done comparing various clinical nursing experiences offered by schools.
State departments of nursing – States often have separate departments of nursing that offer valuable help in deciding which nursing program is best for a student’s needs. Information is available on the web on a state-by-state basis.
Knowing What to Look For in Nursing School Clinical Programs
For help in finding the specific attributes that are most important when choosing a nursing school clinical program, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing has published white papers describing what students should look for in high quality nursing school clinical experience programs.
Having full knowledge of clinical nursing experience programs offered at each nursing school under consideration can help prospective students avoid later disappointment in their educational investment. Some of the best money spent is for a high quality education. Going into a nursing program with good knowledge of all facets of every program is the best way to approach nursing school education.
