Nursing Student Experience

Nationwide Children’s Hospital partners with more than 50 nursing schools to provide educational experiences for nursing students. In the past year, more than 1,800 nursing students gained firsthand pediatric nursing experience here.

The Professional Development Department offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate nursing student placements.

Undergraduate Placements

Instructor-Led Clinical Groups

Instructor-Led Clinical Groups 

This traditional learning experience involves an instructor bringing a group of students, 8 or fewer, to a clinical unit in the hospital. Requests for this type of learning must be submitted by the School of Nursing using the form below.

We will begin accepting applications for 2021-2022 Jan. 1 - Feb. 28, 2021.

To make changes to your current schedule, to submit a late request or cancel a scheduled group, please send an email.

Additional Resources:

Conference Rooms:

While Teaching Conference Rooms are available on most units, each unit maintains ownership of them and may need to utilize them periodically. Teaching Conference Rooms must also be shared between Day and Evening clinical groups. Nursing instructors can schedule classrooms or conference rooms for pre-conference, post-conference, orientation, and other educational sessions directly via email at rmSched@NationwideChildrens.org. 

Be sure to include:

  • Dates
  • Times
  • Size of class
  • Any audiovisual needs

Required Documents:

Forms can be dropped off at 431 S. 18th St. OR placed in the Schools of Nursing Inbox in the Teaching Conference Room on H10. Please do not send documents via Interoffice Mail. Requests for late submissions or changes may be emailed.

All student documentation must be received before students can provide any patient care.

Observational Experience

Observational Experience

Observational experiences are suspended until further notice due to COVID-19.

Observations allow students who are already participating in a clinical group at Nationwide Children’s to have an alternate experience in a different area of the hospital. These experiences are strictly observational – no direct patient care is allowed. The nursing instructor must be present at Nationwide Children's Hospital during the entire Observational Experience. These are pre-scheduled by the Professional Development department, and assignments for the semester are provided to qualifying schools.

Students are expected to:

  • Arrive in uniform and on time
  • Have clear learning objectives identified prior to arriving

Request an Observational Experience

To request Observational Experiences, please send specific dates and the number of experiences needed for each date to Observation Requests (NCHSchoolsofNursing@NationwideChildrens.org). Please send four weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. Assigned Observational Experiences will be emailed to one school representative who will in turn distribute to that school’s clinical instructors.

Additional Resources:

Preceptorships

Preceptorships 1:1 Nursing Student Experience

Preceptorships are suspended until further notice due to COVID-19.

This is a one-on-one learning experience with a registered nurse offered to BSN students. There are a limited number of precepted learning experiences available and are arranged exclusively by the Professional Development Department. Undergraduate students and clinical instructors cannot negotiate preceptor placements with Nationwide Children's staff members.

Requests and assignments for 1:1 preceptor placements will follow the schedule below:

  • Fall Term:  Requests from April 1 to May 31  -  Assignments by mid-July
  • Spring Term:  Requests from August 1 to September 30  -  Assignments by mid-November
  • Summer Term:  Requests from January 1 to February 28  -  Assignments by mid-April

Faculty are responsible for accompanying the precepted nursing student(s) to the IS Depot for fingerprinting and electronic medical record (EMR) training.

Each school must submit requests using the Nursing Student Placement Form for Precepted Students.

If the student has not had a clinical rotation at Nationwide Children's Hospital within two years, instructors must submit:

Be sure to include instructor data on each of these forms.

Graduate Placements

Graduate Placements

Necessary Requirements

A Clinical Contract MUST exist between the graduate nursing student's School of Nursing and Nationwide Children's Hospital. All graduate students must be managed through the Professional Development department.

Graduate students are allowed One (1) preceptor per term. This will increase the availability of preceptors and allow for increased student placements. With the assistance of the assigned preceptor, supplemental experiences can be arranged with other Advance Practice Nurses.

A faculty member or the student must complete an online request form for graduate student placement. You can access the form through the following link: Graduate Nursing Education Precepted Experience Request Form  

Please Note: Family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner placements are very limited.

Requesting Schedule

Requests and assignments for graduate nursing placements will follow the schedule below:

  • Fall term:  Requests from April 1 to May 31  -  Assignments by mid-July
  • Spring term:  Requests from August 1 to September 30  -  Assignments by mid-November
  • Summer term:  Requests from January 1 to February 28  -  Assignments by mid-April

Required Student Documentation

The following information must be provided to the Department of Professional Development a minimum of two weeks before beginning a precepted experience.  No contact with patients is permitted without the following:

If the graduate student is currently employed by Nationwide Children's the Liability Insurance is the only document required.

Students and Clinical Placement Coordinators will be notified by email of student placement and when all required documentation has been processed. Epic user IDs and student access badges will be provided once all required documentation is on file.

Faculty Resources

For Faculty

Faculty Orientation

The following orientations and trainings are required prior to independently supervising students at Nationwide Children’s:

  1. New Faculty Orientation: This is a required four hour class for both employees and non-employees. This is a one-time training.

To view class dates and times, as well as to register for a class, please use the Instructor Orientation Registration Form.

  1. Inpatient EPIC and Medication Barcoding Training: EPIC is the EMR used throughout Nationwide Children’s. One 4-hour class is required. This is a one-time training. Nationwide Children’s nursing employees who previously received this training are exempt.

To view course dates and times, as well as to register for a class, please use the Epic Class Request Form for instructors.

  1. Unit Orientation: Required one time per unit, from 2-16 hours depending on experience. Unit contact information will be given to instructors after New Faculty Orientation registration.

Faculty Updates

Use the links below to access current and archived Clinical Instructor Updates and Important Dates for the year.

Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice projects are suspended until further notice due to COVID-19.

For undergraduate students, all groups are asked to collaborate on EBP initiatives with their assigned units. Each School of Nursing is responsible for assuring their faculty members are trained in, and competent of, teaching EBP in the clinical setting. 

For EBP resources, go to: ANCHOR → Education & Training → Professional Development → Evidence-Based Practice.

Nationwide Children's Hospital requires:

  1. The information gathered during EBP is shared with the assigned unit
  2.  EBP initiatives will be tracked by Professional Development

Please complete the EBP Log below at the end of each term and email it to NCHSchoolsofNursing@NationwideChildrens.org.

Download a School of Nursing Evidence Based Practice Log.

Student Accounts and Fingerprinting Appointments

Nursing instructors now have the option of guiding students through self-enrollment of their fingerprints. Self-enrollment instructions are available to download below. Nursing students can continue to be fingerprinted at the IS Depot at 1015 Ross Hall. The IS Depot doors are open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, but it is staffed around the clock. If the doors are closed, please knock for assistance.

Please ensure students have their account login IDs before arriving to the IS Depot for fingerprinting. Nursing students should always be accompanied by a faculty member from their school during fingerprinting.

The student account request process remains the same. To request student accounts and fingerprinting appointments download the document below. Please be sure to re-download the form before submitting information for each term. Step-by-step instructions have been developed to assist you in filling out this request form. Download them below.

A couple of things to remember:

  • Submit one clinical group per form
  • Make sure the “instructor email address” entered is the person you want to receive the student account IDs
  • Note the email address used to submit the form is different than the one used in the past
  • Be sure to supply students with their account login ID before going to the IS Depot for fingerprinting.
    • Fingerprinting is not required unless students will be administering medications. 

Related Resources:

Additional Resources

Additional Student Resources

Flu Vaccines

The 2020 - 2021 Flu Vaccine Deadline is Nov. 30, 2020.

Flu vaccination documentation must be turned in by the deadline in order to participate in clinical experiences.    

Current students:

  • When the deadline occurs: a list of the flu vaccine information is all that is required.
  •  Gone by the deadline:  documentation is not required. 

Future students:

  • After the deadline: include the flu vaccination information on the Health & Safety form.

Flu vaccination information can be emailed to us.

Influenza Vaccine Policies:

Annual influenza vaccine is mandated for all employees of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Inc., and its related and affiliated corporations, and independent contractors who will be on site.

Exceptions to mandatory vaccination will require approval. Please email us with any concerns.

Student Access Badges

Security measures have been put into place for the safety of our patients, requiring all faculty and students to obtain student access badges in order to be on any inpatient unit at Nationwide Children’s. The Student Access Badge is to be worn above the waist with the students’ college photo ID.

Each school has received nursing student access badges that they will re-distribute to students for each clinical at a cost of $10. If a badge is lost please notify Security immediately with the badge number to deactivate it. This badge must be returned to your instructor by the end of the clinical rotation. 

If a replacement badge or an increased number of badges are needed please email us and provide the number of badges your school will need.

Dress Code

When coming to Nationwide Children's Hospital students must wear a student uniform/lab coat and school identification. College photo IDs are now required as part of the nursing instructors' and nursing students' uniforms. The photo identification is worn above the waist. The dress code policy also states there are to be no open-toed shoes, no visible tattoos, and visible piercings should be in the ears only.

Patient Confidentiality

During the orientation you will be signing an OSHA and a Confidentiality and Technology Use form and a Nursing Student HIPAA Compliance Agreement. Students are not permitted to remove any type of Protected Health Information from Nationwide Children's Hospital, including information that is written, printed, or recorded electronically. Speak with your instructor or use the HIPAA Tip Sheet to learn how to de-identify patient information for your assignments. 

An electronic medical record (Epic) is utilized in most departments. Your instructor/preceptor will provide you with the education needed for the electronic medical record. You will be given a unique user ID and password for Epic documentation. Never share your password and never document using someone else's user ID.

Appropriate Behavior

Remember, Nationwide Children's Hospital is a pediatric facility and as such all conversations and language should be pediatric friendly.

Never post anything to social media about your experiences at Nationwide Children's Hospital while here as a student, and never represent yourself as a spokesperson or representative for Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Health

Do not come to Nationwide Children's Hospital if you are ill. Speak with your clinical instructor for alternate arrangements. To promote good health and maintain a healthy environment, Nationwide Children’s Hospital is smoke-free. Designated areas will no longer be available for use, and families and visitors will be asked not to smoke in their vehicles while on Nationwide Children's Hospital campus.

Parking

Student parking is located at 430 Mound Street, using the Purple shuttle. Overflow parking is at 494 Rich Street using the Yellow Shuttle. See shuttle schedules provided below.

View a detailed student parking map.

View additional parking lot and shuttle information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Security officers will take you to your vehicle if you wish. Go to any of the main doors and call (614) 722-2128. A security officer will meet you at the door. Security is also happy to escort you from the parking lots into the hospital. If you have a cell phone, call (614) 722-2128. If not, drive to the Emergency Department area and ask Security to meet you in one of the parking lots.

Vehicle Security

Always make sure your vehicle is locked. Do not leave cash or valuable items in view in your vehicle. These items should be locked in the trunk before your arrival, removed from the vehicle, or hidden. At night, select the most well-lit and most visible parking spaces.

Escorting Patients

Student nurses are not permitted to remove patients from their assigned units for walks, special activities in the lobby, or any other social events. A student nurse may accompany his/her assigned patient to medical/surgical procedures if transportation personnel or staff member of the unit also accompanies the patient.

Evaluations

All students should complete the evaluation now available on Nationwide Children's Intranet site. ANCHOR. This evaluation must be completed by every student on their last day of clinical at the hospital.

Instructions to the site can be found here: Student Experience Evaluation.

 
Affiliated Nursing Schools and Programs

List of approved schools for clinical placement at Nationwide Children's Hospital: