Clinical Rotations

We strongly recommend that you begin planning for your clinical experience as soon as you are admitted to the program. You should anticipate spending 10 to 20 hours per week in a healthcare setting. Most clinical sites offer learning and supervision opportunities during standard business hours (typically 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and evening or weekend placements are limited. 

Recognizing that each student balances various responsibilities — such as coursework, employment, family, and self-care — it is essential to prepare in advance to ensure you have the time and capacity to succeed in your clinical learning. This may involve seeking additional support, making schedule adjustments, and securing necessary permissions — all of which can take time to coordinate.

Your clinical coordination team and placement specialist are available to help you identify an appropriate clinical site. However, this process is grounded in real-world constraints. If you have full-time employment, family obligations, specific scheduling limitations, or unique preferences, or accommodation needs, it is your responsibility to communicate, advocate for, and plan around these needs in a proactive and realistic manner.

Placement Specialist: Individual conducting outreach on your behalf and finalizing the paperwork to ensure a smooth start.

Student Success Team: The Student Success Team communicates placement expectations and policies during the onboarding process. Once you begin your coursework, you can reach out to the Student Success Team to prepare for your clinical experience and ensure you are set up for success. 

Clearance Coordinator: Team that notifies you of the required clearances and assists in ensuring all clearances are completed correctly.

Clinical Faculty Advisor (CFA): Once you begin your rotation, your CFA will monitor your progress and act as role models, mentors and advisors. They are responsible for collecting student, preceptor and site evaluations.

Preceptor: Preceptors at clinical sites have the following responsibilities: 

A designated preceptor must supervise you at all times. The preceptor has the ultimate responsibility for all patient care decisions. 

Clinical Faculty Director (CFD): The CFD oversees all the CFAs and clinical rotations.

You will have a team of Placement Specialists conducting outreach in your preferred placement area. You will begin by watching the Placement Webinar which will tell you all about the placement procedures and policies. 

What Happens Next:

Placement timelines can vary depending on your location and time of year. Once a qualified site expresses interest and confirms their availability to host you, the placement team will collect pertinent information via a Checklist. The team will then prepare this placement for Faculty Review. All sites are subject to faculty approval.

Schedule* for September 2025 and beyond enrolls:

While in the clinical/practicum course sequence, you should expect to spend several full days per week in the clinical environment. If you maintain employment during the clinical sequence, flexibility with scheduling is necessary to fulfill clinical and academic requirements. Most clinical sites operate between the hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some providers having a more limited schedule. 

The placement team will search for placements that are ideally within a 100-mile radius to your preferred placement address. However, in some instances, you may be required to travel significant distances or temporarily relocate to successfully complete your clinical or practicum experiences, depending on your specific specialty. Students who travel greater than the 100-mile radius or who have to relocate due to clinical placement are eligible for the Saver Fund to help assist students with the additional cost of travel. 

Clinical rotations are identified based on your rotation requirements, qualifications of preceptors and a site’s capacity to host you. If you have a personal connection and would like to suggest a site/preceptor and make a referral, please speak with your Student Success Specialist about submitting the referral form.