The Penn State Nursing student clinical experience:
- Students experience a broad range of clinical environments and specialties (inpatient, doctor’s offices, community settings, prisons, schools, etc.)
- All students complete one full academic year at Hershey Medical Center (HMC) in Hershey, PA, less than a 2-hour drive from University Park. Students live in apartments on the HMC campus with other PSU nursing students.
- HMC is a Level One Trauma Center and offers students clinical opportunities they may not otherwise experience. Our local facilities transport their most severe medical patients to HMC, who have the equipment and expertise to properly treat extreme medical cases.
- Schreyer Honor Scholars, ROTC, and NCAA Scholarship Athletes may or may not be able to experience Hershey, as program demands permit.
- Clinicals take place within a 50-mile radius of University Park (or Hershey, for students completing their assigned Hershey Medical Center rotation)
- Clinical practice begins in students’ second year; one year earlier than many other nursing programs.
- Upon graduation, our students have accumulated nearly 900 hours of simulated and community-clinical experience.
- We practice sustainability to preserve our planet for future generations: Supplies used in simulation labs are donated as expired from local hospitals and doctor’s office or purchased new, and we recycle as much as possible. Our goal is zero waste.
- Questions? Visit our website nursing.psu.edu or email the Student Success Center at nursing@psu.edu
