Frontier Nursing University Clinical Experience

Due to COVID-19, remaining Frontier Bound orientations and Clinical Bounds during 2020 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

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 (NP 712, 713, 714, 715) Minimum number of hours/week: 32 (NP716)

5 Newborn exams
15 two weeks to 5 years well exams
15 two weeks to 5 years episodic exams
15 six to 12 years well exams
15 six to 12 years episodic exams
5 13 to 19 years well exams
5 13 to 19 years episodic exams
275 Adult episodic or wellness care
25 Geriatric episodic or wellness care
30 Women’s health visit (Speculum/bi-manual exams)
125 Client visits for chronic illness care
25 Geriatric chronic illness care
10 New antepartum
30 Return antepartum

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

MH 712 – MH 715: Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10 Maximum number of clinic/office hours per week: 40 Minimum number of hours/week: 24 hoursMH 716: Maximum number of clinic/office hours per day: 10 Maximum number of clinic/office hours per week: 40 Minimum number of hours/week: 32 hours Total maximum number of clinical sites for MH 712 – MH 716: 4 sites Examples: Community Mental Health Centers, Intensive Outpatient Treatment for mental and substance use disorders, psychiatric inpatient facilities, home health and community agencies, community based services to meet the needs of the chronically mentally ill, long-term care facilities, and private practices. Percent of clinical time across the lifespan: 50% adults, 25% children and adolescents, and 25% older persons who are culturally diverse with a range of psychiatric disorders. Minimum number of types of encounters:

10 Child or adolescent psychiatric intakes
20 Adult psychiatric intakes
10 Older person psychiatric intakes
20 Acute/Crisis Care Management
250 Medication management
50 Child/Adolescent Medication Management
50 Substance Disorder management
50 Seriously mentally Ill continuity care
15 Group therapy sessions
20 Individual patients for continuity therapy sessions
20 Supervision encounters
Specialty – Optional, no more than 20% of total clinical time may be spent in a specialty area (i.e. telepsychiatry & forensics). This time should be planned towards the end of your clinical hours.
Case Days (consultation)

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 Preceptor Clinical 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 remaining Frontier Bound orientation sessions and Clinical Bound sessions will be held virtually through the end of 2020. Students affected by this change will be updated as soon as possible. Current projections are that student events will be held on the Versailles Campus in 2021. Click here to learn more about our new campus and this exciting time at FNU.

Apply to FNU Request Information Become a Preceptor

Clinical Experience