Department of Nursing – BYU

Nursing Department

Programs

Resources and Forms

RN to BSN Program

Clinical Requirements

Of the six BSN courses, four require either clinical hours or hours with a preceptor as an essential component of the course. Making these arrangements takes time and attention to procedural details.

Please follow the instruction below to help you make these arrangements:

Which BSN courses require clinical hours or a preceptor?
When do I start to make clinical arrangements?
How do I arrange those hours?
What documentation do I need to fill out?
What are the clinical requirements and number of hours required for each clinical?

For further instructions and listing of facilities where an established Affiliation Agreement is in place, go to the Clinical Agreements page.

Which BSN courses require clinical hours or a preceptor?

The following four BSN course require a clinical or preceptor component:

Advance Physical Assessment: N 327
Adv. Med/Surg: N 330
Community Nursing: N 449
Nursing Leadership: N 450

Each course links to the course description. Once you have registered for a course, you can access the course syllabus through I-Learn to learn more specifics about clinical requirements.

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When do I start to make clinical arrangments?

In order to successfully secure clinical in a timely manner please:

Start to arrange clinical rotations early.
Finalize arrangements at least two weeks before the semester starts.
Realize some hospitals prefer two months notice.

Past students have failed their courses because they waited until the semester started to make these arrange clinical.

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How do I arrange those hours?

To begin the process of arranging clinical hours, please follow these steps:

Identify the area (unit) and number of hours needed. (Please refer to the course syllabus for specific hour requirements.)
Identify the hospital at which you wish to complete the hours.
Determine which coordinator to contact first: the BYU-Idaho coordinator or the Hospital coordinator.
Email the clinical request to the appropriate coordinator.
Fill out and submit all necessary documentation.

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What documentation do I need to fill out?

The documentation you need to fill out depends on the course and hospital requirements. Generally speaking, before a student can start a clinical rotation, the following documents must be in place:

An Affiliation Agreement or an RN to BSN Preceptorship Agreement
A hospital specific packet

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What are the clinical requirements and number of hours required for each clinical?

Class Requiring Clinical	Clinical Requirements	Number of hours
NURS 327	All clinical must be completed with a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or a physician. The student can do 3-6 hours of clinical per week. This is to allow sufficient time for study and preparation for clinical. Physical assessment of many patients will be completed, but the documentation of two patients for each system is required to be submitted in journal entries.	Credit hours: 4 3 hours theory/week Total theory hours are calculated on a 1 credit hour: 1 theory hour ratio and are based on a 16 week semester compressed into 14 weeks. 1x3 = 3 hours/week x 16 = 48 hours/semester. Total clinical/lab hours per semester are calculated on a 1 credit hour: 3 clinical hours ratio and are based on a 16 week semester compressed into 14 weeks. Faculty may choose to plan individual experiences to equal the total number of hours as needed related to optimal experiences, testing, holidays, etc.
NURS 330	Clinical hours are completed in the intensive care area of local hospitals. All clinical experiences are to be approved by faculty. Thirty-six (36) hours are deducted from the 96, giving credit for 1) orientation time at the individual health care facilities; 2) organization time fulfilling preceptor agreements; 3) previous learning. At least 50% or 30 hours is required in an adult ICU. The other 50% may be in ER, NICU, or ICU areas. If the student holds CCRN certification up to 50% of the clinical may be waived. The student will work closely with the instructor to choose an area of clinical experience to be arranged through a preceptor.	Credit hours: 5 Theory: 3 hours allotted for theory Clinical: 2 hours allotted for clinical 2 credits x 3 (ratio number approved) = 6 hours of clinical per week x 16 weeks in the semester = 96 hours/semester required for clinical. Total Clinical/lab hours per semester are calculated on a 1 credit hour: 3 clinical hours ratio and are based on a 16 week semester. Faculty may choose to plan individual experiences to equal the total number of hours as needed related to optimal experiences, testing, holidays, etc. Thirty-six (36) hours are deducted from the 96, giving credit for 1) orientation time at the individual health care facilities; 2) organization time fulfilling preceptor agreements; 3) previous learning.
NURS 449	Clinical occurs in the family and community setting. The clinical time is to be used completing the community projects: community assessment, family assessment and health promotion projects. In addition, each student is required to visit and participate in three community health clinics. Students also have the option of completing part of the course and/or clinical at a trans-cultural site if one is available.	Credit hours: 5 Two (2) hours theory per week. Total theory hours are calculated on a 1 credit hour: 1 theory hour ratio and are based on a 16 week semester compressed into 14 weeks. 3 x 3 = 9 hours/week x 16 = 144 hours Total clinical/lab hours per semester are calculated on a 1 credit hour: 3 clinical hours ratio and are based on a 16 week semester compressed into 14 weeks. Faculty may choose to plan individual experiences to equal the total number of hours as needed related to optimal experiences, testing, holidays, etc
NURS 450	During this course the student will work with Preceptors / Mentors who have leadership responsibilities at their place of employment. Each clinical day the Learner will document in their journal.	Credit hours: 5 3 credits x 3 x 16 semester weeks = 144 clinical hours / semester compressed into 14 weeks.