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51���� (51����) Department Chair of Nursing, Allison Baker, participated as a panelist during a webinar hosted Oct. 15, 2020, by the and the  (NCSBN). 

Baker, joining panelists, Madelyn Bodin, a Nursing student from ; Michelle Buck, a Senior Policy Advisor at NCSBN; and Carrie McDermott, from , had the opportunity to share how 51����’s Nursing department has taken advantage of a recent shift in fulfillment of clinical hours for students.

“Clinical hours are critical in nursing programs and allow students to apply the theory they learn in class and apply it to real-world situations,” said Baker. “Our students are required to complete 400 clinical hours in order to graduate.”

This past spring, due to COVID-19, many of 51����’s Nursing students were removed from clinical opportunities. To offset this, the offered an option for students to fulfill clinical hours working as a Nurse Apprentice or with a New Graduate Temporary License.

“As missing clinical hours is detrimental to meeting program and course outcomes, this was a great alternative for our students to fulfill the clinical hours required to successfully complete the program and graduate this past spring,” added Baker.

The webinar, “Practice/Academic Partnerships in the Age of COVID: You Can Do This!”, was viewed by nearly 1,000 educators and individuals from private practices from across the United States.