Enhancing Nursing Education Through Immersive Clinical Relations

Lawrence Technological University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program was established in 2017 and has experienced much success since its inauguration. The rigorous program prepares nurses for patient-centered care through the completion of 810 clinical hours, surpassing the national average of 650. During the spring semester of senior year, students complete their immersive clinical rotation, a six-credit hour course requiring 270 hours of one-on-one clinical experience with an Ascension Hospital nurse preceptor, in a specialty of the student’s choosing.

To prepare for the immersive clinical rotation, students actively participate in simulation labs to learn and practice skills and go through checkoffs to ensure their competency. Students are always welcome to use the nursing lab after checkoffs to stay current on their acquired skills and practice them with the program’s full-time simulation lab coordinator. They also receive thorough instruction on anatomy, physiology, disease processes, pharmacology, nursing care, and courses on different nursing specialties to prepare for the nursing profession and their licensing exam. LTU’s nursing program also teaches a conceptual framework called Relationship-Based Care that was also adopted by Ascension, the program’s clinical partner. From the start of the program, nursing faculty encourage students to advocate for their patients and to develop relationships with both patients and their families.

Haley Bommarito is a senior who chose the intensive care unit (ICU) for her immersive clinical rotation and hopes to pursue neonatal nursing upon graduation. Her routine during the immersive clinical rotation consists of reporting to her preceptor and discussing the tasks and expectations for the day, conducting a head-to-toe assessment of one to two ICU patients, documenting her patient care, reviewing the purpose and side effects of medications, and frequently monitoring critically ill patients and notifying doctors of significant changes in patient condition. “My immersive preceptor has allowed me to be very independent in my nursing practice,” Bommarito explains, “The immersion experience has enhanced my nursing knowledge by providing me with the opportunity to care for patients experiencing conditions, such as respiratory failure, strokes, heart failure, and major surgeries that often require the patients to be on life support from ventilators and strong vasoactive medications.”

Bommarito is also the president of LTU’s Student Nurses Association (SNA), and is responsible for fundraising and providing support to young nursing students. In this role, Bommarito has developed strong leadership skills that will benefit her in her career. “Being the SNA president has encouraged me to speak up for other LTU nursing students and also in clinicals. I feel more confident using my voice to speak up and advocate for my patients.” To Bommarito, the most rewarding part of being a nurse is contributing to the recovery and healing process of a patient: “When you hear patients tell you, ‘Thank you so much for taking care of me today, you did amazing. You're going to be a great nurse.’ Those moments are rewarding for me.” Bommarito is thankful to LTU’s nursing faculty for always making themselves available and guiding them both inside and outside of the classroom. “The LTU nursing program’s small class sizes have allowed me to build great relationships with my professors and I am extremely grateful to them for their continuous support throughout my time in nursing school.”

Nick Olsen was inspired to go into nursing after shadowing in the ICU during his junior year of high school. His experience with the team of nurses in the ICU was a turning point in his decision to be a nurse, “I was inspired seeing the entire ICU care team work together for the benefit of the patients and their families. I also like the critical thinking aspect of ICU nursing and having to think on my feet when things change in an instant. A career in nursing will provide me an opportunity to impact the lives of patients and families each day,” Olsen explains. Olsen selected the intensive care unit at Ascension St. John in Detroit for his immersion clinical rotation and has been a nurse intern in Ascension Southfield’s ICU for the past ten months. His extensive ICU experience in both the student and intern roles has enabled him to become confident in making patient-care decisions, assessing patients, educating families, and speaking with doctors.

Olsen’s routine during his immersive clinical rotation begins with meeting his preceptor, reviewing his patient assignment, receiving a report from the night nurse, and discussing the day’s plan. Depending on the amount of care required, he is assigned either one or two patients. “Because of my clinical rotations and ICU nurse intern experience, I feel very well-prepared to begin my nursing career. My greatest learning experience is understanding how essential it is to communicate well with patients and their families in ways that are easy for them to understand, especially in an environment that can be scary and stressful as they are surrounded by unfamiliar machines and medications.” Olsen also emphasized LTU’s nursing faculty’s strong encouragement of students pursuing higher education and joining professional organizations and committees. Olsen believes “the best nurses are lifelong learners,” and aspires to pursue his doctorate degree in the future.

The immersive clinical rotation allows LTU nursing students to try a specialty of their interest and challenge themselves with specialties they may not have been exposed to. The immersive rotations are designed to create skilled nurses who deliver patient-centered, high-quality care.

by Nurzahan Rahman