The Impact of Limited Clinical Sites on Prelicensure Nursing Education Programs: Current Issues and Recommendations for the Future

Nursing is an ever-changing field. Issues exist. Healthcare is at a crossroads and nursing is at the forefront of influencing change. Many obstacles challenge prelicensure nursing programs today. One prominent issue is the lack of inpatient clinical sites to prepare students for nursing practice. Many factors contribute to this worsening problem including, but not limited to, a looming nursing shortage, faculty shortage, lack of collaboration between nurses in academic and practice settings and with other healthcare professionals, cost, and safety and liability issues. This paper examines the impact of limited clinical sites on the preparation of nurses for professional practice and proposes recommendations that emphasize service-learning and community-based practice learning experiences, which are viable options for many nursing programs.