A handbook for student nurses to guide clinical experiences in the school setting

For more than 30 years, nursing students have had the opportunity to have clinical experiences related to their course requirements in the Dallas Public Schools. The Dallas Independent School District School Health Services Department staff provide an orientation to student nurses before their first day in the school clinic. To enhance their learning experience and clarify the regulations and expectations for student nurses, a handbook was prepared for the use of school nurses and the students. The Basic Health Care for the School-age Child: A Handbook for Student Nurses outlines the use of the school as a clinical experience setting. Another purpose for the handbook is to reduce the stress of this clinical rotation for the student nurse and for the staff nurse who serves as the student nurse's preceptor. This article describes the development of the expectations for the clinical experience and the information included in the handbook. An outline of the material included in each section is presented to provide ideas for school nurses who provide or are considering providing a rotation for student nurses in their schools.