• Seton Hall University
• College of Nursing

Purpose

The Honors Immersion Clinical Experience is a highly selective clinical experience open only to the senior level traditional BSN students during the last semester in which students enroll in Synthesis Practicum in the College of Nursing Undergraduate Program. The purpose of this clinical immersion is to provide the selected student with personalized clinical experience with a practicing nurse clinician to increase student readiness for transition to professional nursing practice.

Program Goals

The goals of the program include the following:

• Provide a realistic clinical experience for the student.
• Link the senior BSN student with a nurse expert on an inpatient/outpatient clinical specialty unit (e.g., Pediatrics/PICU, Oncology, Emergency Department).
• Help students refine clinical judgment skills with full immersion in the health care facility’s environment.
• Allow students to more actively participate in safe and competent patient care with exposure to the health care facility’s structure of leadership, payment, and quality measurement through individualized mentorship.

Student Experience

The student who is chosen for the Synthesis Honors Immersion Experience will work one-on-one with a clinical preceptor. This preceptor is employed at the healthcare clinical facility. The student is assigned to the preceptor and follows the preceptor’s scheduled workdays (usually 8-12 hrs./week depending on the specialty).

The following are the competencies that the student will achieve through the Honors Immersion Experience.

The student will be able to:

• Implement and manage nursing care of multiple individuals.
• Make clinical decisions, set priorities, and evaluate patient outcomes.  
• Delegate nursing care activities to ancillary personnel while providing appropriate supervision and feedback. 
• Collaborate effectively within the interdisciplinary team. 
• Demonstrate leadership and management skills and principles in the delivery of nursing services.

In addition, the student may complete appropriate training and clinical certifications (e.g., IV and telemetry certifications, EMR documentation) as permitted by the health care facility.

Faculty Requirements

A Seton Hall faculty member is assigned to each Honors Immersion student. The Seton Hall University faculty will: orient students to the Honors Immersion Clinical Experience, meet with students and preceptors at least, one time per semester and evaluate the student with the clinical preceptor’s input. The Seton Hall University faculty member is available at all times by phone to the student and the clinical preceptor.

Each student in the Honors Immersion Experience in Synthesis Practicum is paired with a nurse preceptor on the assigned unit. This preceptor should have a minimum of an MSN whenever possible. The student will follow the schedule of the preceptor and work with the preceptor to complete a minimum of 126 clinical hours.

Honors Immersion Student Application and Selection

The Undergraduate Department at the College solicits interested students in the semester prior to the Honors Immersion Clinical Experience in Synthesis Practicum (NUTC 4020). Several highly qualified senior students are chosen for each clinical area at the participating clinical facilities. Students must have a GPA of 3.25, B+ in their previous clinical nursing courses, and must be highly recommended by two clinical instructors in the specialty for which they are applying. Students must also articulate their interest in the specialty practice area and write their goals and objectives for the experience to be considered (see attached Application and Student Selection Criteria).

Upon being selected by the college, candidates will be interviewed by the hosting hospitals’ nursing administration and unit staff. The final decision is made by the hosting hospital. Selected candidates will be notified by the faculty program coordinator or the chairperson of the undergraduate department.

Submit Your Application

Student Expectations for the Honors Immersion Clinical Experience:

1. Selected students will complete the required NUTC 4020: Synthesis Practicum clinical hours in the specialty area for which they were individually selected.
2. Each student is required to meet with their preceptor to determine their clinical schedule for the semester.
3. The student must complete all other requirements associated with NUTC 4020/4021 with his/her classmates.
4. Completion of at least the minimum 126 hours of the Practicum clinical experience must be documented in the Clinical Hours Log.
5. Each student must complete their evaluation with their preceptor and CON faculty member.