What are clinicals in nursing school? Clinical rotations, often called clinicals, are placements in area healthcare facilities as part of nursing education. Here, you’ll provide direct patient care under close supervision. You’ll complete nursing clinicals in specialty areas, such as pediatrics and adult health.
Clinical rotations are a critical part of your nursing education. The University of St. Thomas Houston Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program has partnerships with respected healthcare facilities. We place our ABSN students with top healthcare facilities in the area, so they learn first-hand what it takes to become a nurse in Texas.
If you’ve considered a nursing career, you’ve undoubtedly heard about clinicals. What is a clinical’s purpose? Let’s take a closer look at nursing clinicals, what to expect, and the answers to commonly asked questions about the clinicals portion of our 12-month ABSN program in Houston.
What Are Clinicals?
A nursing education includes multiple learning components. You’ll work through coursework online; then, you’ll have in-person nursing skills labs and simulation labs to supplement what you learn in lectures. The coursework teaches nursing theory and concepts, while the skills and simulation labs allow you to develop critical nursing skills and clinical decision-making. In short, you’ll learn how to care for patients.
Nonetheless, practicing your skills in a hospital setting is the best way to prepare to care for real patients. That’s where clinicals come into play. Clinical rotations are designed to give you actual clinical experience working with real patients alongside seasoned nurses. Clinicals are the aspect of your accelerated nursing education where you’ll experience what it means to provide holistic care to diverse patient populations in real-world settings.
What Are Clinicals in Nursing School?
During clinicals in nursing school, you’ll be placed in nearby healthcare facilities. Here, you will see actual patients and work with professional nurses and other healthcare providers to provide treatment under the guidance of experienced clinical instructors. Clinicals are a way to take what you’ve been taught in coursework and labs and apply it in actual patient care scenarios. Clinicals also allow the opportunity to develop a professional bearing and work on your bedside manner.
How Do Nursing Clinicals Work?
During your clinical placements, you’ll work with cohort members and a clinical instructor who will support you and provide feedback. You’ll also work under the guidance of working healthcare professionals.
Since your clinicals are organized by the University of St. Thomas, you can think of your clinical instructor as your liaison between UST and the healthcare facility while you learn from the nurses employed by the hospital. You’ll gain meaningful nursing experiences during clinical placements at top healthcare facilities in the greater Houston area and start to see everything you’re learning come together.
Your clinicals are designed to follow your curriculum, so you don’t perform tasks you aren’t yet ready for. For instance, you’ll administer oral and injected medications before working on IVs.
Clinicals also allow you to work on communicating with patients, especially in challenging situations. For example, when a patient is in alcohol withdrawal, you have to learn how to ask them, “How often do you drink? What do you drink? Do you think you have a drinking problem?” Controversial topics like that are not always easy to discuss. Having that experience can inform other complicated patient-nurse interactions in the future.
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What Nursing Specialties Are Involved?
Another great thing about clinicals is that you’ll gain exposure to various nursing specialties. Your clinical experience can span a variety of specialties, including:
- Adult health
- Community health
- Mental health
- Obstetrics
- Pediatrics
This allows you to see which areas interest you the most and where you might like to specialize as a registered nurse (RN).
Where Do Clinicals Take Place?
UST’s ABSN clinical placements take place at a variety of high-quality healthcare facilities in Texas. One location is the Texas Medical Center (TMC), which is the world’s largest children’s hospital and the world’s largest cancer hospital. The TMC provides an innovative and dynamic environment for our students to learn and grow in numerous medical situations.
UST clinical rotations balance simulation experiences with actual hands-on experiences required by the Board of Nursing. At UST, students can go anywhere, from the Texas Medical Center to St. Luke’s or other outlying facilities in the area.
When Do Clinicals Start?
Clinical practice hours start during your first semester of the ABSN curriculum. Keep in mind that the specific locations and scheduling of your clinical rotations may vary. It’s important that you never miss a scheduled shift and arrive on time every time. Plan on arriving early for each shift in case of traffic or other unexpected delays.
How Long Do Nursing Clinicals Last?
Clinicals are a significant part of the University of St. Thomas curriculum. You’ll continue to work through clinicals in each of the four semesters, so by the time you graduate, you should feel more confident walking into a nursing shift. By this point, you should also have a firmer idea of which nursing specialties interest you the most and which you prefer not to work in.
What Are the Benefits of Clinicals?
ABSN clinical rotations lay the groundwork for a successful nursing career. Clinicals set you up to become a confident and skilled nurse by providing practical nursing experience, networking opportunities, and access to training with cutting-edge healthcare equipment.
In addition, clinical rotations play a crucial role in helping you find your place in nursing after graduation. Exposure to a variety of clinical settings empowers you to figure out what fits you best. Clinicals with the nation’s largest medical center also offer you valuable networking opportunities in the healthcare arena, which can be an asset as you begin your job search.
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Are Nursing Clinicals Hard? Try These Tips for Success
Like other components of your nursing education, it’s important to enter clinicals with the right mindset. Be prepared to learn, be receptive to feedback, and exhibit a professional demeanor.
Be Professional
One’s mindset and attitude are critically important in nursing. Be enthusiastic about the opportunities to learn and practice the skills you’ll need in your career. Always exhibit professionalism when interacting with patients and other professionals. Follow these tips:
- Arrive a little early for each shift. Never be late or miss a shift.
- Dress appropriately, with long hair pulled back.
- Maintain a positive attitude throughout each shift. Avoid complaining about tasks; instead, be the first to volunteer for a task.
- Always adhere strictly to professional ethics. Respect patients’ HIPAA rights.
- Avoid gossiping during downtime.
- After completing a clinical rotation, send a handwritten thank you card to the unit.
Be Prepared
You should arrive prepared to get the most out of each clinical shift. Heading into a new rotation, review your relevant notes and coursework material. If possible, spend extra time in the skills lab to improve any skills you aren’t confident with yet.
Bring a notepad and pen to each shift and carry them everywhere. Write down notes, but don’t let your note-taking impair your ability to actively listen to your instructor, preceptor, or patient. In addition, remember to bring any needed supplies as directed by your clinical instructor. After each shift, review your notes and reflect on what you’ve learned.
Ask Questions
Often, nursing students make the mistake of thinking that clinicals are a chance to prove how much they know. It’s better to enter each shift with an appreciation of how much you have left to learn. Indeed, nursing clinicals are designed as a learning experience, and one great way to learn is to ask questions.
It might not always be appropriate to ask a question in front of a patient. However, you can jot down the question in your notepad and ask it later.
Embrace Feedback
Your clinical instructors, nursing preceptor, and other healthcare professionals on the unit will provide plenty of feedback. It’s important to keep an open mind; remember, you’re there to learn. Embracing constructive criticism is an important part of the learning process. You could even go a step further and actively solicit feedback when appropriate. Ask for tips on improving your patient care techniques and bedside manner.
Skills You’ll Strengthen in Clinicals
Clinicals in nursing are an opportunity to refine both hard and soft skills. You’ll need these skills as you move forward toward a nursing career. Some examples of skills you’ll work on developing include:
- Communication skills
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Critical thinking and analytical reasoning
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Patient assessments
- Medication administration
- IV line placement
- Wound dressing
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Make a Bold Call for Your Future
If you’re ready to start your journey toward becoming a nurse, the University of St. Thomas Houston is here to help. Our ABSN program offers a convenient hybrid learning format and plenty of clinical hours to prepare you to pursue your first nursing career confidently. Plus, you could graduate with your nursing degree in as few as 12 months.
Our admissions advisors are here to help you navigate the admissions process step by step. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you start your nursing journey.