Clinical assignments are a very important part of your nursing education as they put the classroom learning into practice. CCD has strong relationships with clinical sites and excellent clinical instructors. We have strong collaborative relationships between the didactic and clinical instructors, and we work closely with the clinical sites. Clinical assignments can be challenging, demanding and can conflict with work and family matters. Clinical hours can extend into breaks and are subject to change due to factors beyond the control of CCD. All in all, we strive to provide the best possible clinical placements as possible.
|
|
|
| In order to graduate with an Practical Nurse Certificate and take the NCLEX exam for licensure a student must complete 405 hours of clinical assignments for the PN. |
In order to graduate with an Associates of Applied Science degree in nursing and take the NCLEX exam for licensure a student must complete 750 hours of clinical assignments for the RN program. |
|
Clinical requirements per course/semester
NUR 131 Fundamentals—135 hours
NUR 132 Adult Health I—90 hours
NUR 133 OB/Peds—45 hours
NUR 134 Adult Health II—135 hours
|
Clinical requirements per course/semester
NUR 109 Fundamentals—90 hours
NUR 150 OB/Peds—90 hours
NUR 106 Med. Surg. I—150 hours
NUR 206 Med. Surg. II—135 hours
NUR 211 Psy. Nursing—60 hours
NUR 216 Adv. Med. Surg.—120 hours
NUR 230 Preceptorship—105 hours
|
| Students typically have clinical assignments two days during a 7 day week. The shifts vary and can be 8, 10, or 12 hours each day. Most of our clinical rotations are 12 hour shifts. |
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Clinical Assignments:
Q: Can I choose the location, days of the week, or time of day for my clinical assignment?
A: No. Clinicals are assigned with a minimum of 48 hours of advanced notice. We contract out for placements and we can not accommodate personal schedules.
Q: Can I refuse a clinical assignment?
A: No.
Q: What if my clinical assignment conflicts with my work schedule?
A: We cannot excuse you from clinicals because of work. We have a very limited number of clinical placements. You must arrange your work schedule around your clinicals. We also recommend that you do not work while taking nursing courses eventhough we do recognize that some students may need to work.
Q: When and how will I be notified of my clinical assignments?
A: We e-mail assignments to your school assigned e-mail account and physically hand out the rosters in the didactic class.
Q: What do I do if I miss a clinical day?
A: You must call the clinical instructor or the CCD clinical cell phone. A no call/no show will result in a grade of F. Some circumstances allow for clinical makeup. Please see the Nursing Student Handbook for number of makeup hours required, registering and paying for independent study credit(s) and scheduling.
Q: What happens if I do not complete my clinical rotation before the end of the semester?
A: You will receive an “I” (incomplete) until the clinical is complete. Once the clinical is complete, the didactic instructor will enter the grade for the course.
Q: Will I have to take clinicals during the breaks?
A: Yes. We must utilize all possible days.
Q: What should I wear to my clinical assignment?
A: Scrubs and ID badge. In addition, CCD has a dress code you must comply with. If a clinical site requires you to not to wear scrubs, we will notify you.
Q: Are clinicals done during the night shift?
A: While most of our clinicals are during the day shift, we occasionally do get some evening and night shifts.
Q: Can I trade or exchange clinical days with another student?
A: Absolutely not. There are a number of reasons for this. First, most of our facilities require the names of the students 14 or more days in advance of the clinical rotation and do not accept changes after the roster has been submitted to them. Second, it causes confusion at the clinical site, among the students, and with the clinical instructor. Finally, it is not fair if we allow some students to trade or exchange rotations and not others.
Q: How are clinicals graded?
A: The clinical instructor evaluates you on your performance and each week you will fill out self evaluations. The grading for clinicals is S for satisfactory and U for unsatisfactory. If there are repeated performance issues a student will be directed to undergo remediation in the simulation lab.
Q: What if I do not like the clinical instructor?
A: Clinical Instructors take on a great responsibility in teaching the next generation of nurses. They manage as many as 8 students and 16 patients. The key with any clinical instructor is to be prepared for your clinical assignment. Always communicate with your didactic instructor, Program Director, or Clinical Coordinator about how your clinical is progressing.
Q: How are names assigned to clinical rosters?
A: We use random selection to ensure fairness.
Q: Why are clinical sites so difficult to obtain?
A: There are many reasons. The foremost reason is the competition among the nursing schools in the Denver Metro area. In addition, a high rate of turnover in the nursing profession and frequent remodeling limit placements, as well.
|