The last semester of the Basic BSN program contains the Capstone Practicum, a precepted final clinical course that assists students in synthesizing basic concepts of professional nursing. Students gain confidence, practice clinical reasoning and leadership skills, communicate effectively with the interprofessional team, apply ethical decision-making skills and develop evidence-based practice. Check out these students' experiences below:
At my clinical site, seeing firsthand the conditions learned in class has helped further my understanding of the disease processes and their labs. Having a great preceptor to discuss the cases also progressed my critical thinking. As a visual person learning this information solely online and from a textbook can be challenging, so being in the hospital has allowed me to grow exponentially. Thanks to the relationship between the ICU and ED I have also been able to hop into the ED to give IVs and see anything interesting coming in. I could not have asked for a better group of people to help me grow in my skills and confidence as a future nurse. [Click on Marlo's name above for her full story.]
Being at a critical access hospital has provided me with the opportunity of helping a wide array of patients while in a rural setting. Due to the size of the hospital, the census is constantly changing and we float to whatever floor needs help the most. This has provided for some very interesting days that involve changing floors on the fly and having to change mindsets as well. It has been challenging, but also very rewarding—truly an experience I will never forget. [Click on Matt's name above for his full story.]
My clinical placement has turned out to be amazing! Since the facility is a critical access hospital, both of my preceptors are cross trained in every department. This means I have gotten experience in the ICU, Med/Sug, Labor and Delivery/OB, as well as ER. Whether it be starting an IV, accessing a port, performing a newborn assessment, monitoring telemetry strips, or inserting foley catheters, I have grown a tremendous amount from the beginning of the semester when I was too nervous to even take a set of vital signs. [Click on Charly's name above for her full story.]
My clinical placement has me working primarily in the Emergency Room and floating to the Medical/Surgical area. I have learned so much in such a short time: how to perform skills in real life situations and realizing that no matter how well you know a skill or subject, each patient is different and will make you adjust and adapt... Since I am in a smaller, rural hospital, I am always surprised at what each nurse is responsible for. These nurses do not just work in a specialized area, but rather float around and deliver a baby one day and turn around and work in the ER the next. It has been a great learning experience as I get to see a variety of patients. [Click on Kelli's name above for her full story.]
My capstone experience is in the Emergency Department (ED) at a Wyoming hospital, and it has been nothing short of eventful and exciting. On day one in the ED I found myself in the middle of a code blue performing CPR for the very first time. That day truly set the tone for the rest of my time in the ED, as I have since experienced 5 codes, several STEMIs, strokes, cardioversions, gruesome open fractures, MIS-C, and more. Every day is an adventure in the Emergency Department, providing me the opportunity to see patients of all ages with varying acuity levels. In just two short months since beginning my capstone experience, my confidence has grown exponentially. [Click on Sierra's name above for her full story.]