Student Placement
Nursing and PA Student Clinical Placement
Welcome to VCU Health! Student Placement via Education and Professional Development coordinates all undergraduate and graduate requests for clinical and non-clinical placement of nursing students at VCU Health. The VCU School of Nursing receives first priority for placement of undergraduate and graduate students at the hospital and ambulatory settings. VCU Health also prioritizes placement of employees who are attending non-VCU nursing programs.
VCU Health is delighted to work with academic partners such as James Madison University, University of Virginia, Longwood University, Liberty University, the University of Lynchburg and Reynolds Community College whose students receive priority placement after VCU employees. Accredited nursing programs not affiliated with VCU, VCU Health or partner schools may request placement on a space available basis.
Due to the large volume of requests, VCU Health does not guarantee clinical placement, even for VCU Health employees or other students from schools with a current affiliation agreement.
Student Placement for Physician Assistant Students
VCU Health supports the clinical placement of physician assistant students from the following schools: Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Duke University, Shenandoah University and the University of Mary Baldwin. Student Placement works closely with the programs’ placement coordinators to arrange precepted experiences. In order to avoid scheduling conflicts, individual students and student placement coordinators should not independently contact potential preceptors.
Placement Process
VCU Health must have a current affiliation agreement with the student’s school prior to placement. The agreement must be current and remain current beyond the dates of the proposed student rotation. VCU Health prefers to use their template for the agreements and does not use specific agreements for individual students. VCU Health does not charge for clinical learning experiences.
VCU Health has agreements with most local and state universities and initiates new contracts/agreements on a case-by-case basis depending on the program. If a current affiliation agreement is not on record, contact EPD.applications@vcuhealth.org.
Please note, agreements are coordinated by the Student Placement Coordinator and may take up to 6 months to complete.
Requests for Clinical Placements
Undergraduate Nursing Clinical Rotations
Student Placement initiates the scheduling process one semester ahead of the desired semester for placement of clinical nursing groups. The schedule is closely planned with the school’s program director and VCU Health’s nursing leadership and educators. Priority placement is given to clinical groups from VCU School of Nursing. Smaller groups from academic partners are placed on a space available basis via the Student Placement Coordinator at EPD.applications@vcuhealth.org.
Preceptorships
Individual graduate and undergraduate preceptorships must be submitted in writing via the Student Placement Interest form. Submission of the Placement Request Form does not imply acceptance for placement. Individual requests for placement occur after VCU students have been scheduled. Scheduling is on a space available basis. Priority placement is given to employees of VCU Health after VCU. The time frame for accepting scheduling requests for non-VCU students is:
Spring: December 1 - February 15
Summer: April 15 - May 30
Fall: July 15 - August
Placements are made one semester at a time for one preceptor.
Requirements
Student Placement requires the following documents and activities:
- Completed application process and clearance from Human Resource
- Current affiliation agreement with current certificates of insurance
- Signed Attestation Statement for immunizations and background checks
- Confirmation of placement from clinical sites and/or preceptor
- Completion of the New Team Member Orientation via Workday
- Clinical faculty must complete the same requirements
Placement can take up to 6 weeks or longer. Waiting lists are maintained for placement at a later date. For more information about the Student Placement process, please contact the Student Placement Coordinator at EPD.Application@VCUHealth.org.