Hands-on patient care in clinical settings is a requisite component of any nursing degree. During your clinical rotations, under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse (preceptor), you will practice what you learned in the online classroom on real patients. Registered nurses with experience are preceptors for our ABSN students. Board certified nurse practitioners, physicians, or physician assistants are preceptors for our FNP and AGPCNP programs.

You will work with a dedicated UIndy placement coordinator who will assist you through the process and be your primary point of contact. Based on your goals, the course objectives, competencies, and where you live, your placement coordinator will work with you as you identify an appropriate clinical site within a reasonable driving distance. The placement coordinator will then work with you and your clinical site to ensure an appropriate preceptor has been identified and finalize facility-based requirements.

You will be working with your placement coordinator prior to each clinical start date. Once the placement has been confirmed and you have completed any onboarding requirements for the facility, then you are ready to begin working directly with your preceptor to establish a schedule.

Clinicals are very similar to an internship or being an apprentice; you provide care for real patients while benefiting from the supervision and guidance of your preceptor along with indirect supervision and support from UIndy faculty. All clinical nursing experiences are slightly different because students work in a variety of health care facility environments. You will begin your clinical rotations after the required background checks and other clearance requirements have been successfully completed. You will be given specific instructions to follow while keeping clinical practice guidelines in mind.