From 2016 to 2024, Penn Nursing held the number one spot as the world’s leading nursing school — a distinction the school openly celebrates — and today continues to rank among the best programs in the world. That distinction is built not only on research and reputation, but on the clinical training that defines nursing education.
Clinical rotations are an essential component of the nursing curriculum. What distinguishes nursing from many other medical-related fields is its required immersion in clinical settings, offering nursing students vital opportunities to shadow healthcare professionals, prepare medications, and, of course, practice caring for patients — all of which endow nursing students with critical skills and insights needed for future independent practice.
B.S.N. students at Penn complete seven rotations at clinical sites throughout Greater Philadelphia during their undergraduate years. While some sites are conveniently located right next to campus, such as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, other clinical placements have students traveling 10 miles over 20 minutes away, as early as 5:45 a.m. for many students, to promptly arrive for their 6:30 or 7 a.m. rotation…