Cooperative Education in Nursing offers an opportunity to provide health services and nursing care in a variety of settings in the community. The student works with an assigned RN at the clinical setting. The student is visited by the faculty supervisor approximately two or three times during the term of experience. In addition, the student will participate with the faculty supervisor in a mid-term and/or final term individual conference.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Cooperative Education ("co-op")?
Co-op Ed is an elective course. It is a hands-on experience where you work with an assigned RN in a clinical area of your choice.
What are the requirements to be eligible for the Co-op Ed experience?
- Completion of two quarters of the nursing program.
- A GPA of 2.8 or better in nursing courses. This includes Intro to Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing and any Basic Nursing and Advanced Nursing courses.
- A statement from your current clinical instructor indicating that you are meeting the objectives of the current clinical course.
What are my choices for this experience?
You can work in most health facilities as long as you are working with a RN. Some areas such as ICU and NICU usually do not take first year students. Changes in staffing can affect availability of unit and shift participation in co-op, so while a unit may decide not to offer co-op opportunities one term this may not indicate availability in other terms.
Do I find my own placement?
No. Do not contact any areas regarding Co-op placement until you meet with the Co-op nursing coordinator and have a contract in hand.
What is the first thing I need to do?
If you know what you where and want to do and you meet the requirements, then make an appointment with the Co-op nursing coordinator. Bring to this meeting:
- three objectives (in writing) you wish to accomplish
- a resume of past experiences.
If you don't know where you would like to do your Co-op experience but are interested, then make an appointment with the Co-op coordinator to discuss possibilities. Bring a resume of past experiences to this meeting.
How many days are involved?
Nursing cooperative education is a minimum of three credit hours. Each credit represents 36 hours of clinical work. If you are doing co-op in the hospital, this means you need to complete 14 shifts of co-op clinical plus attend 2 required seminars.
Who arranges my work schedule?
The days are arranged by you with the facility and must be completed by Friday of finals week. Most students usually work one or two days a week. You may work any shift that you prefer.
When do I have to decide?
It is usually best to get started with the process the last two weeks of the quarter before you want to start, simply because it does take time to find placements for all students. However if you decide the first of the quarter that you would like to do a Co-op it is usually not too late.
Cooperative Education Coordinator for Nursing
Tricia Tully tullyt@lanecc.edu Please include your L Number and phone number in your Email, let us know whether you are a 1st or 2nd year student and which term you are interested in co-op.