Doing Ohio University clinicals where you already work

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ohio Preceptor placement team

Many Ohio University nursing students work in a clinic or hospital that looks like a ready-made clinical site. Ohio University publishes a clear rule on this only for the RN-to-BSN; for graduate tracks the public pages are silent, so the answer comes from your faculty and the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook. Here is what is published, what makes a workplace site succeed, and what to do if yours falls through.

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Numbered steps. Questions to put to faculty first: 1 Can my clinical hours take place at my employer?; 2 May I train on my own unit, or should it be a different one?; 3 May a colleague, or someone in my reporting line, precept me?; 4 How should student hours be documented apart from work hours?. — Questions to put to faculty first: 1 Can my clinical hours take place at my employer?; 2 May I train on my own unit, or should it be a different one?; 3 May a colleague, or someone in my reporting line, precept me?; 4 How should student hours be documented apart from work hours?.

What Ohio University publishes

The only explicit workplace rule sits on the RN-to-BSN course pages. For the capstone, NRSE 4595, and the old-curriculum NRSE 4600, "Any site where nurses are employed will meet the requirements," and students "may use the same site where they are employed as long as the project can be implemented into direct clinical practice with patients/clients."

Those pages add two related points. Students must check with the site whether it assigns preceptors and, if not, "whether the preceptor must be employed by the site." And the NRSE 4600 page says the preceptor need not work at the project site, because "this is not a shadowing experience." The RN-to-BSN guide covers the rest of that program.

For the MSN, certificates and DNP, no public Ohio University page says whether you may train at your employer, on your own unit or under a colleague. Treat each as a question for faculty, and look for the answer in the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and your program's clinical overview sheets.

Why an employer can be the easiest door

Several health systems favor their own staff on their student pages, a real advantage if you already work there. These are each system's policies, not Ohio University's:

Holzer gives priority for advanced practice provider student rotations to its employees, starting with those on Holzer tuition assistance.
Premier Health states that current employees receive priority for placement.
Kettering Health, on an archived 2025 page, accepted advanced practice applications only from its own employees and Kettering College PA students.
Ohio University's RN-to-BSN capstone page notes for OhioHealth: "ONLY Employees can use site."

Staff status rarely removes the system's own application. Holzer, for instance, still requires its Rotation Request Application inside the posted window; our hospital system applications guide lists the Ohio dates. Tuition ties are separate again: the College of Health Sciences and Professions partnership pages with OhioHealth, Sutter Health and Cleveland Clinic describe discounts for employees, not clinical placements.

What makes a workplace site work

Practical factors to settle first

Role separation: student hours are distinct from paid shifts, on your timesheet and in your clinical record. Agree how that will be shown before day one.
A different unit or practice where you can: a nurse practitioner practicum asks you to assess, diagnose and manage, and a fresh setting helps colleagues see you in the student role.
Preceptor apart from manager: your preceptor teaches you while your manager rates your job. Ohio University publishes no graduate rule here, yet keeping those roles apart protects both relationships.
Course fit: the site still has to match the course setting, such as primary care for FNP or acute care units for AG-ACNP.
The facility's student process: an employee can still need the student application, onboarding or an affiliation agreement.
Insurance: Ohio University's DNP pages require nurse practitioner malpractice insurance for APRN-track students and state that "Insurance provided by the employer is not acceptable." See malpractice insurance.

The common mistake is assuming staff status replaces student paperwork. Your employer's student application, Ohio University's faculty approval and your own nurse practitioner malpractice cover all still apply.

Questions to put to faculty first

Send these to your course faculty or to the School of Nursing at graduatenursing@ohio.edu before you ask your employer, and request the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook if it has not reached you.

Can my clinical hours take place at my employer?Ask in writing from your student email and keep the reply with your placement notes.
May I train on my own unit, or should it be a different one?The answer often decides which colleague could precept you.
May a colleague, or someone in my reporting line, precept me?Graduate rules on this are not public, so the faculty answer is the one that counts.
How should student hours be documented apart from work hours?Settle the method before the term, so your log and your timesheet never overlap.

If the answers are yes, ask one more thing: whether your packet should describe the arrangement, such as the unit you will train on and how your preceptor relates to your job. Putting that into the first submission spares faculty a second round of questions close to the deadline.

If your workplace does not work out

A no from faculty, a system rule that closes the door or a manager who cannot spare a preceptor all send you back to the search, often late in the calendar. Start a parallel search the moment any of those looks possible, rather than after the answer arrives.

This is where our placement desk moves fast. Your placement advisor searches beyond your employer for a preceptor and site near home that fit your NRSE course, confirms days and patient mix, and prepares the file Ohio University faculty review, complete before your packet deadline. If your workplace does come through, we can still prepare the approval materials so it goes in cleanly. Share your program and area in the form below, or read can't find a preceptor if time is already short.

Questions Ohio University students ask

Can I do my Ohio University NP clinicals at the hospital where I work?

Ohio University's public graduate pages do not say, so the answer comes from faculty and the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook. If faculty agree, the hospital's own student process usually still applies, and some systems, such as Holzer and Premier Health, give employees priority within it.

Can my manager be my Ohio University preceptor?

No public graduate page addresses it; the RN-to-BSN rules exclude only close relatives. Ask faculty before you ask your manager. Even where it is allowed, a preceptor outside your reporting line keeps your job performance and your student evaluation apart.

Does my employer's malpractice insurance cover my clinicals?

Ohio University's DNP pages say APRN-track students need nurse practitioner malpractice insurance and that insurance provided by the employer is not acceptable. The MSN and certificate pages list malpractice insurance without that sentence, so confirm the rule for your track in the handbook.

Does an OhioHealth or Cleveland Clinic tuition discount include a clinical placement?

The College of Health Sciences and Professions partnership pages describe tuition discounts for employees and say nothing about precepting or placements. Rotations at those systems run through their own student applications, and OhioHealth's student FAQ says it is not initiating new affiliation agreements.

Can RN-to-BSN students complete NRSE 4595 at their own job?

Yes, within Ohio University's published limit: students may use the site where they are employed as long as the project can be implemented into direct clinical practice with patients or clients. Check whether the site assigns preceptors and whether the preceptor must be on its staff.

DeadlinesHospital system applicationsCleveland Clinic, Holzer, Mount Carmel and OhioHealth deadlines for Ohio University practicums, what each system's own page says, and why fees may apply.InsuranceMalpractice insuranceOhio University requires malpractice insurance before clinicals. NP-track students need NP coverage, employer policies don't count, and timing matters.RequirementsPreceptor requirementsWho can precept each Ohio University nursing track: the published AG-ACNP and RN-to-BSN rules, state licensing notes, and what sits in the preceptor packet.RN-to-BSNRN-to-BSN clinicalsOhio University's online RN-to-BSN: 31.5 clinical hours in NRSE 4585 and NRSE 4595, securing your own preceptor, and the Preceptor Agreement Form deadlines.AgreementsAffiliation agreementsOhio University doesn't require affiliation agreements, but facilities may. Colorado's rule, OhioHealth's stance, what hospitals ask and how long to allow.StuckCan't find a preceptorNo preceptor yet for your Ohio University practicum? Use both of Ohio University's routes, widen your settings, find your real deadline and bring in help early.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against Ohio University's own catalog, program pages and Nursing Knowledge Center. Your syllabus, the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and your faculty have the final word.

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