Be Practice-Ready Day 1
Feel the confidence of being ready to practice in your chosen nursing specialty the first day on the job!
Chamberlain’s Practice Ready. Specialty Focused.™ program gives third-year BSN students the opportunity to delve deeper into one of four nursing specialties through a structured, 16-week online course followed by an eight-week on-site clinical experience. There is no additional tuition for the combined 24 weeks of instruction and supervised clinical experience!
Chamberlain University Practice Ready. Specialty Focused.™ Nurse Education Model, created in conjunction with a grant from the American Nurses Foundation, offers pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students a unique opportunity to select an area of practice and receive specialty focused training and clinical experience in that field.
With Practice-Ready. Specialty Focused.™, you will get to explore a nursing specialty and sharpen your clinical judgment through real life, hands-on experience. This lets you better understand both the skills required and the working environment of your specialty.
Choose one of five nursing specialties:
- Emergency Nursing
- Home Health Nursing
- Nephrology Nursing
- Perioperative Nursing
- Oncology Nursing
Apply the knowledge you have learned in real-world settings, helping patients in one of these four specialties. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn on the job, before the job! The 24 weeks of instruction (combined coursework and clinical) will give you a head start before your first day. And there is no extra cost!
Upon completing Chamberlain’s Practice Ready. Specialty Focused.™ program, you’ll be well-trained, prepared and knowledgeable of the day-to-day demands of your nursing specialty.
Five BSN Specialty Focus Areas
Emergency Nursing
If you want to work in the challenging, fast-paced world of an ER, this is the specialty for you. We codeveloped the 16-week online curriculum with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), the country’s authority on emergency nursing.
As an ER nurse, you’ll assess, triage and provide care to patients who urgently need treatment.
Emergency nursing means working in a team-oriented environment, using your nursing knowledge and experience to make independent healthcare decisions.
Every second counts, and the abilities to think fast, communicate clearly and handle stressful situations are imperative for an ER nurse. Patient prioritization — the ability to gauge which patients may be facing life-threatening injuries or conditions — and quick judgment calls are often part of your day in the ER.
After completion of coursework, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year membership to Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).
Home Health Nursing
Home is where we feel most comfortable, and when illness, injuries or chronic conditions strike, home health nurses are the professional healthcare conduit for patients who require medical attention but prefer to rest and heal at home.
If you’re ready to make a difference in home healthcare, Chamberlain University’s partnership with BrightStar Care can help you develop the nursing skills you need to enhance patients’ quality of life.
Compassion and interpersonal skills are core strengths required of home health nurses, who are more than healthcare professionals to their patients and patients’ families.
While at your patient’s side, short-term or long-term, you’ll need to possess empathy as well as a breadth of knowledge — from infection prevention and treatment to dispensing daily medication, monitoring vitals and ensuring the home is safe — all in the name of improving patient outcomes.
Nephrology Nursing
Nephrology, from the Greek word nephros, “kidney,” and -ology, “the study of,” is a dynamic and innovative nursing specialty. Spanning pediatrics to oncology, nephrology nurses treat people suffering from or at risk for kidney disease.
Chamberlain partners with DaVita, one of the largest providers of kidney care services in the United States. If you choose the nephrology nursing specialty, you’ll gain hands-on experience and a strong foundation in nephrology: 16 weeks taking an in-depth, structured and curated online course, followed by an eight-week on-site clinical experience.
Perioperative Nursing
Are you energized by the idea of using your knowledge and skill in the operating room? Perioperative nursing might just be your calling!
As an integral part of a close team of surgeons, nurse practitioners and anesthesiologists, you’ll take care of surgical patients before, during and after their procedures. Providing care for one patient at a time can be a highly rewarding experience.
Chamberlain partners with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Created in conjunction with a grant from the American Nurses Foundation, this specialty will provide you with a unique opportunity to gain specialized knowledge and practical skills in perioperative nursing.
You’ll also receive a free, one-year student membership to AORN when you enroll in Chamberlain’s perioperative nursing specialty.
Oncology Nursing
Oncology nursing is one of the most extraordinary specialties in the healthcare profession because it demands tremendous empathy alongside in-depth medical knowledge and expert communication skills.
As part of a multidisciplinary team of nurses and doctors, oncology nurses are often there for a patient’s entire journey: diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Patients and their families look to oncology nurses for warmth, information, education and referrals for therapists and support groups.
Chamberlain partners with the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) to ensure students are educated with ONS-approved curriculum and that practicum placement and experience set students up for a career as an oncology nurse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for this program?
Pre-licensure BSN students 18+ years of age whose academic plan correlates with the program’s timing (e.g., NR341 or NR442 for the co-curricular modules and subsequent enrollment in NR446 for the clinical experience) and good academic standing. Good academic standing is defined as no academic warnings and a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Is there a cost to enroll in this program?
There is no additional cost for BSN students to take the co-curricular IEN or INN modules or to earn the badge. The 96-hour practicum is incorporated into the 96-hour, two-credit NR446 clinical experience
Do I gain academic credit from Chamberlain University for this program?
Academic credit is not granted for the co-curricular IEN or INN modules. As such, it will be included on your ACHIEVE co-curricular transcript. The program’s clinical experience is incorporated into the 96- hour, two-credit NR446 clinical experience.
What is a digital badge and how is it useful to me?
A digital badge can be presented to healthcare systems/potential employers during the hiring process as a certification of knowledge and/or skills gained above and beyond traditional coursework. It can be uploaded to sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor and added to resumes and CVs.
Will I automatically be placed in an emergency department or nephrology clinical experience if I complete the IEN or INN modules?
Placement in an emergency department or nephrology clinical experience will depend on a variety of requirements including successful completion of the IEN or INN modules, academic standing as defined by the absence of an academic warning, intact clinical compliance, a minimum GPA of 2.0, and past clinical performance.
How long does the program last?
The IEN and INN co-curricular modules are completed over two, eight-week sessions during NR341 or NR442, based on the academic plan used at your campus. If selected for the practicum, 96 clinical hours are completed within another eight-week period. Program completion with graduation will equal 24 weeks total.