Student placement
Nursing and PA student clinical placement
Nursing Education and Professional Development coordinates all undergraduate and graduate requests for clinical and non-clinical placement of nursing and physician assistant students at VCU Health.
Placement process
Affiliation Agreement
VCUHS must have a current affiliation agreement with the student's school prior to placement. The agreement must remain current beyond the dates of the proposed student rotation. VCUHS requires the use of their template for the agreements. VCUHS does not use specific agreements for individual students. There is no charge for clinical learning experiences at VCUHS.
VCUHS has agreements with local and state universities and can initiate new contracts/agreements on a case-by-case basis depending on the program. If a current affiliation agreement is not on record, please contact VCUHS’s HR Department at schoolcontracts@vcuhealth.org.
Please note, affiliation agreements may take up to 6 months to complete.
Student Request
Students initiate placement by submitting a student placement request form no more than 6 months prior to the start of the requested clinical rotation. Clinical group scheduling is completed one semester before the desired placement term. The schedule is coordinated closely with the school’s program director and VCU Health nursing leadership and educators.
VCUHS places students using the following priority:
- VCU School of Nursing
- VCUHS employees attending non-VCU programs
- Non-VCU/Non-VCUHS affiliated students
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.
| Semester | Applications Open | Applications Close |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Jan-May) | August 1 | October 15 |
| Summer (May-Aug) | December 1 | March 15 |
| Fall (Aug-Dec) | February 1 | May 15 |
For students following a non‑traditional school schedule, placement requests must be submitted at least one month in advance.
Preceptorships
Individual graduate and undergraduate preceptors must be submitted in writing via the Student Placement Interest form.
NP/PA Students
- Should not independently arrange for preceptors (employees included).
MSN (non-clinical) Students
- Must secure your own preceptor before applying
DNP Students
- Must secure your own preceptor before applying
Undergraduate Students
- Should not independently arrange for preceptors (employees included).
Undergraduate student & faculty placement/Preceptor Request
Graduate (Non-SP) student & faculty placement/Preceptor Request
Advanced practice provider student & faculty placement/Preceptor Request