As of December 2017, I have received my BSN. The school I went to offer an online RN-to-BSN program that enabled me to participate in their program from four states away. The school and the faculty were terrific. A large institution and I didn’t feel like I was just a number. One semester I almost did not take a class, knowing that I would have to wait a year to retake the course. A nursing program head personally called me, not emailed me, but called me to ask if I forgot to register or if there were some other issues, financial or other. She guided me and gave me the motivation to complete the program in the one-year projected span. I love this about the program, the few things I learned and wish I knew prior was the clinical aspects. Two classes held a clinical component, considering the hours were over the span of the semester it was not too time-consuming, my issues stood with the red tape and agreements between the school and facility.
#1 Know where your school already has a contract.
The middle of the first semester an email was sent out advising us students to find the clinical facilities and begin the process. I did not. I was working at a hospital that prides themselves on continuing education, and I thought there would not be any issues. Wrong. The second semester held the first class with clinical, Public health. Well, a hospital is not considered public health. I had to find a clinic that would allow me to shadow a nurse for 16 hours. I began to do broad Internet searches for health clinics in the area. I tried to establish contact with several of them and either never heard from them, or the clinics did not have programs for students or didn’t have an agreement with the school. The school had a list of clinics and hospital throughout the nation with already established contracts. My search indeed began here. I looked at the corporate clinics and found one that had several sites in my area. The established agreement already existed it came down to the individual placement.
#2 Reach out to faculty when you need help.
The clinics had their agreement, an agreement between the student and the facility. The paperwork complete and I was in their system, the next step was finding a site. I called every location in Austin, TX. They transferred me to people who weren’t in the office or were not in the right position to help me. Responses came back grim, there was no time or place for me. At this point in the semester, my time was dwindling. I needed to find some fast solutions and get my time in as soon as possible. The entire time of making contacts, at the first sign of obstacles I had reached out to a faculty member. I would send weekly email updates to document on who I called, emailed, who responded, and my diligence in finding the clinical site. When the time was becoming an issue, and I wasn’t getting anywhere, she stepped in and contacted the corporate office and found a place. I was able to complete the 16 hours in 3 days, and barely made the cut off date, but made it nonetheless.
#3 Establish the agreement early, there is a lot of red-tape.
The third and final semester included a 40-hour clinical rotation. This one could be completed in hospitals. After the debacle with establishing the first clinical site, I sought out and began the second rotation two months before the start of the semester. I received an email from the hospital that everything was ready, my school had signed the hospital’s agreement, I found a preceptor. This semester seemed like it was going to be a much smoother experience than the prior semester. I had dates and hours scheduled with my preceptor. I had already completed more than half of the necessary time when an email from the school stated that I did not have a site with an agreement. The funny thing with a clinic agreement, they go both ways. The hospital or clinical site needs to sign a contract with the school, and the school needs to sign an agreement with the hospital.
#4 Stay on top of it.
Again, I take responsibility. I did not stay on top of the different agreement. I received the email from the hospital that I was able to do the clinical rotation there, but my school didn’t have their contract, so the time put in was not going to be justified. I once again emailed the paperwork from my school to the hospital. Oh man, do they take their time. I would email my program once a week to hear if they heard anything. I was so excited when with two weeks left to the semester and graduation when I was finally able to submit all my clinical hours and evaluations.
#5 Alternatives.
Both semesters completed, but the added stress was piled on worrying about the clinical portion, keep in mind when dealing with this I was also finishing the school work portion, and working full time at nights. The school was terrific, the staff, and faculty were great, I wish I inquired a little more regarding the clinical portion. I would have done my research before to investigate clinical sites that already held an agreement with my program. When establishing a contact, a crucial significant title is Educational Clinical Coordinator, if they are not titled this, it won’t be too different. Other RN-to-BSN programs in my research will set up the student with the preceptor, count your working hours as the clinical hours, or may not have a clinical portion at all. When finding the right RN-to-BSN program, please research the clinical content and ask questions about what is involved in the clinical rotation. This experience added so much unnecessary stress to the last two semesters of my BSN; I hope someone learns from my own mistake and does not experience this as well.