Due to COVID-19, Frontier Bound orientations and Clinical Bounds are being conducted virtually.
FNU’s clinical experience will:
- Provide an opportunity for you to evaluate and improve the practice/system.
- Help you continue to develop expertise in an area of practice.
- Allow you to seek experiences to improve your skills to practice autonomously.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The clinical experience follows completion of your didactic coursework and a campus visit for Clinical Bound.
- MSN students will complete a minimum 675 clinical hours and a minimum 16 weeks of clinical experience during the MSN curriculum.
- For Post-Graduate students, the minimum is 540 clinical hours with a successful challenge of three clinical credits and 14 weeks of clinical experience.
- Students will complete an additional 360 clinical hours prior to finishing the DNP.
- Click here to view the catalog for clinical hour requirements.
Students are encouraged to plan two to three 11-week terms in clinical and may work with multiple preceptors to achieve these hours. Required clinical experiences assist you in developing necessary clinical skills, and you may choose, or be required, to use more than one clinical site in order to receive a variety of clinical experiences.
Specialty Requirements
NURSE-MIDWIFE
Maximum number of clinical sites: 4 (typically this is 2 clinics and 2 hospital)
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10
Maximum number of clinic/office/call hours per week: 40 (dependent upon call schedule)
Minimum number of hours/week: 24 hours (NM 712, 713, 714, 715)
Minimum number of hours/week: 32 (NM716)
- 10 preconception care visits
- 30 new antepartum visits
- 140 return antepartum visits
- 40 labor management experiences
- 40 births (including 4 observations, at least 5 continuity clients, at least 5 without epidurals)
- 40 newborn assessments
- 20 breastfeeding support visits
- 40 postpartum visits (2 hours to 14 days)
- 30 postpartum visits (2 to 8 weeks)
- 40 common health problems
- 30 family planning visits
- 35 non-postpartum gynecologic visits
- 15 perimenopausal/postmenopausal visits
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
Minimum number of clinic hours per week:
- 16/week i n NP712-716 for students who attended CB prior to Winter term 2019
- 20/week i n NP712-715 and 30/week i n NP716 for students who attended CB Winter term 2019 or after
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per week: 40
Please meet with your RCF to discuss any proposed exceptions.
- 10 Newborn exams
- 20 One month to 5 years well exams
- 20 One month to 5 years episodic exams
- 20 6 to 12 years well exams
- 20 6 to 12 years episodic exams
- 20 13 to 19 years well exams
- 20 13 to 19 years episodic exams
- 150 Adult episodic or wellness care
- 100 Chronic illness care (age <65)
- 50 Geriatric episodic or wellness care (age >65)
- 70 Geriatric chronic illness care (age >65)
- 20 Gynecologic visits to include wellness or episodic care (Must include 10 Speculum/bi-manual exams)
- 20 Antepartum visits (new or returning)
- 20 Mental health visits
- 10 Men’s health visits
WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
Maximum number of clinical sites: 4
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per week: 40
Minimum number of hours/week: 24 hours (WH 712, 713, 714, 715)
Minimum number of hours/week: 32 (WH716)
- 30 new antepartum visits
- 120 return antepartum visits
- 25 postpartum visits (< 8 wks)
- 300 gynecologic care visits
- 25 post/perimenopausal visits
- 100 primary care visits>
PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
Minimum number of clinic hours per week:
- 16/week in MH712-716 for students who attended CB prior to Winter term 2019
- 20/week in MH712-715 and 30/week in MH716 for students who attended CB Winter term 2019 or after
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10
Maximum number of clinic/office hours per week: 40
Please meet with your RCF to discuss any proposed exceptions.
- 50 Child or adolescent visits
- 50 Adult visits
- 20 Geriatric visits
- 20 Acute/Crisis Care Management
- 300 Medication Management
- 50 Substance Use Disorder Management
- 20 Psychotherapy sessions
CLINICAL BOUND
Clinical Bound is a skills-intensive experience at FNU’s campus in Kentucky. This is an exciting time for you as a student because you have completed your didactic coursework and are validated as having acquired the skills necessary to begin a community-based clinical practicum. There is also time for informal communication between faculty and other students so that you can ask questions and prepare for your clinical experience. There are 4 Clinical Bound sessions per term offered for family nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students. Clinical Bound sessions are offered 4 times per year for psychiatric-mental health and women’s health care nurse practitioner students. Students are assigned to a Clinical Bound session by their regional clinical faculty according to their individual plan of study.
“I feel like I’m learning the hands-on portion. I’ve learned all the didactic work, and now I’m gaining the confidence to transition into the role of being a student nurse-midwife.” – Chantee Redding Nurse-Midwife Student
Clinical Practicum
After attending Clinical Bound, students begin their clinical experience. You will provide nurse practitioner or nurse-midwifery services in your home community for four to 10 months under the guidance of a master clinician preceptor. FNU students have a long tradition of identifying their own clinical sites.
Regional Clinical Faculty
During your clinical practicum, you will work closely with a Regional Clinical Faculty (RCF) member who will provide guidance and support during this time to you and your preceptor. RCFs are responsible for evaluating both the clinical site and preceptor to ensure it will meet your programmatic needs before you begin the clinical experience. RCFs also participate in discussions with you and your preceptor, help resolve any issues regarding clinical sites, organize regional gatherings and share clinical wisdom and experience. FNU students benefit greatly from having these advanced practice nurses as role models during the clinical experience.
Identifying A PreceptorClinical Site Selection
FNU Campus Update
FNU’s Kentucky campus will be moving from Hyden, Ky., to Versailles, Ky., in late 2020. Due to COVID-19, we have experienced delays in our transition of student events to the Versailles campus. All Frontier Bound orientation sessions and Clinical Bound sessions will be held virtually. Students affected by this change will be updated as soon as possible. Current projections are that student events may be held on the Versailles Campus in late spring/early summer 2021. Click here to learn more about our new campus and this exciting time at FNU.
