The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is allowing limited access for students to complete their missed NURS 225 in-person clinical pediatric experience from Aug. 4 to Aug. 15.
Rising Nursing seniors, who were unable to complete the clinical portion of NURS 225: Pediatric Nursing in the spring 2020 semester, are being given the option to complete the course this summer, after mandatory self-quarantining in Philadelphia.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is allowing limited access for students to complete their missed in-person clinical pediatric experience from Aug. 4 to Aug. 15, 2020, according to an email sent July 9 to rising Nursing seniors.
The email, sent by Nursing Associate Dean for Academic Programs Dr. Julie Sochalski, Nursing associate professor and co-course coordinator Dr. Sharon Irving, and co-course clinical coordinator Danielle Traynor, asked students to complete a survey by July 15, indicating whether or not they will be able to return to campus by July 21 for a mandatory quarantine period prior to restarting clinical rotations.
Any Nursing student who has had COVID-19 or related symptoms has been asked to indicate dates their quarantine finished.
Additionally, rising Nursing seniors who are able to return in early August will be given two weeks of clinical rotation for NURS 225, a course that usually requires 12 hours in the hospital for six weeks. For students who cannot return by Aug. 4, further information will be provided for how they will be able to make up their missed pediatric clinical experience.
Clinical course coordinators will follow up with more information regarding requested temporary campus housing for students, who will be responsible for finding their own food arrangements, the email read.
The email also acknowledged the “very short notice” students received, indicating the two weeks starting on Aug. 4 are currently the only in-person clinical experience dates set for students to finish the course.
NURS 225 is a required clinical course that all Nursing students partake in during junior spring semester. The 1.5-credit class emphasizes family-centered care through illness and recovery phases, and focuses on helping students attain the knowledge and skill needed to care for infants, children, adolescents, and their families.
Clinical rotations provide hands-on experience for Nursing students to enhance skills in interacting and cultivating a more inclusive environment with patients in hospitals across the Philadelphia region, including Penn Medicine facilities. In order for students to take the National Council Licensure Examination to receive their license to practice, students must fulfill a certain number of state-mandated clinical hours over their four years of study.
Clinical rotations came to an abrupt halt when all courses shifted online for the remainder of the spring semester in mid-March. Soon afterwards, rising Nursing seniors voiced concerns about balancing two clinical rotations together after School of Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel announced that rising juniors and seniors would have to make up clinical hours in the upcoming fall semester.
The Nursing School previously announced on June 29 that all fall semester Nursing lectures, seminars, and discussion groups will be conducted online. Only clinicals, simulations, and skill labs will be held in person.
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