Practicum

Some students feel that choosing a practicum site is difficult due to misconceptions about what it entails. If you are having trouble deciding what to request, you are not alone. Here are some tips to consider as you prepare to make a request.

• You will be sent a detailed survey by the clinical coordinator that will ask you to rank your preferred hospital and unit choices for practicum, along with some personal information.

• We recommend that you request a medical-surgical nursing unit experience to achieve the best background in organization and prioritization as well as nursing skills. Since specialty units have a focused patient population and advanced skills, which may not allow you to reach the independence you seek, we encourage those with a low GPA or who are struggling with basic skills to choose a med/surg setting rather than a specialty location. 

• If location is an issue due to commuting, please consider this factor and indicate your special needs when completing the request form. Just as with clinical placements, we expect you to have transportation to facilities outside of Portland. Please be aware that you will need to be able to travel to any clinical site that we use and arrange your own transportation.

• You haven't a clue? Think about what is important to you. Is it a geographical area? Size of hospital? Type of care model? Patient population? Readiness to take the NCLEX exam? Ask your advisor, clinical instructor, and nurses who know you best to help you brainstorm. Then, craft what you feel would be your best, second-best, and third-best options for you.

• We will not place you in a unit in which you are currently or recently employed. You must include information about employment on your request form.

• We will do everything possible to place you in your first choice. Realize, though, that there is no guarantee that your requests will be accommodated because:

  • We are dependent on the availability of clinical slots in various hospitals/agencies, and we do not have control over an agency's decision to accept a Practicum student. We compete with other nursing schools in Maine for these placements. 

  • The availability of slots is dependent on what is happening on the requested unit. The unit may have newly hired nurses, activities planned, or no availability of seasoned preceptors, and cannot accommodate a student at this time.

  • Nursing Directors or Head Nurses have the final say. They know the capabilities of the unit to offer a successful learning experience. It would be unfair to place a student with an inexperienced preceptor or on a unit in the midst of change; alternatively, they may request to interview the student first.

• Student progression through the program, especially in adult health clinical, is also a consideration. If you want a placement in a specialty area and have struggled clinically in the program, it may be a disservice to you and the unit to place you where expectations require a clinically strong student from the start of the experience. As a result, the faculty has the final say regarding placement.

• If any extra fees are associated with your clinical site (e.g., the cost of fit testing or additional drug testing), the student will be expected to cover these costs. 

• Most importantly, the goal of the practicum is to provide you with the experience you need to graduate and to help build your skills so that you can pass your NCLEX. Even if you're placed in a hospital and unit you're not excited about, this is only 7 weeks of your life! No matter where you are placed, you'll get the experience you need and can learn a lot (as long as you keep an open mind).