Clinical Placement
Clinical Placement for Students
Home healthcare brings high-quality care to people in the safety and comfort of home. This approach helps patients maintain their independence and stay connected to the people and routines that give their lives meaning. At Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH), we offer students entering the healthcare field something new: the opportunity to develop their clinical expertise while partnering with patients where they are — in their health, their lives, and wherever they call home.
CVHHH’s pathways for clinical education in home health and hospice care empower students to build valuable hands-on skills beyond the walls of a hospital. Students will apply classroom concepts to patients in their homes and at care facilities across Central Vermont with support from experienced nursing staff every step of the way.
Clinical Rotations
Community Health
Explore population-based healthcare, community engagement, and chronic disease management to become equipped with practical skills that will help promote health and prevent illness in diverse populations.
Senior Practicum
Designed for the transition into professional nursing, students will develop critical thinking skills, practice applying nursing concepts to real life, hone collaborative and communication skills, and experience patient-centered care.
Family-Child Health
This rotation provides comprehensive nursing care to families and children in the home and community setting by assessing the health needs of pediatric clients and their families and promoting wellness and disease prevention through education and evidence-based practice.
Chronic Disease Management Through Home Health or Hospice
In home health, you’ll develop skills in assessing ongoing needs, educating patients and families, and supporting adherence to treatment plans for conditions like diabetes, heart failure, and COPD. Hospice care deepens this experience by focusing on symptom control, comfort measures, and holistic support for patients with advanced illness, while also addressing the emotional and psychosocial needs of their families.
Community Care Outside the Box
CVHHH clinicians provide care in our patients’ homes where we can work with them hand-in-hand to create plans and interventions that they can incorporate into their daily lives. Clinical placement at CVHHH is an opportunity to learn about this vital component of Vermont’s healthcare continuum. Students can expect to:
- Observe and interact with home health and hospice patients of all ages in homes and facilities
- Understand chronic disease and how it’s managed
- Learn about factors that contribute to an acute home health or hospice episode
- Foster a sense of professional autonomy.
Requirements
- A nursing student in good standing with their accredited college or university
- Passionate about individualized patient care
- Interested in community health, chronic disease management, and nursing assessments.
Student Experience at CVHHH
No two days are alike at CVHHH, and this is exactly what our clinicians appreciate about working in home health care. You may start your shift recording a newborn’s weight and end it in a family’s living room providing end-of-life care. Our nurses travel down dirt roads, through city centers, and into nursing facilities to help patients achieve the highest-possible quality of life.
A Day in the Life: What to Expect
- Meet your preceptor at CVHHH to discuss what the day will look like and make calls to patients to let them know when you’re coming.
- Follow the nurse to patients’ homes and observe for an observation rotation or, if completing a senior practicum, provide care.
- Observe charting or chart yourself. Plans may change at a moment’s notice due to an emergent patient need and will become comfortable pivoting and communicating with the patient’s family about the changes.
- At the end of the day, meet with your preceptor about what you learned and receive feedback.
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