Steps to Developing a Clinical Affiliation

Any hospital or clinical site that wishes to collaborate with Sumner College of Health Sciences in providing clinical training, should contact the college. That initial contact begins a step-by-step process:

1. The clinical site should review the presentation by clicking on the "presentation" button below, the MOU, and Brochure

2. If requested, the Dean/Program Director, Assistant Dean/Director or President will present the full program in person

3. A customized Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be signed by the hospital and college

4. SCHS administration will provide a full training session for the anesthesia department to prepare a teaching/learning environment appropriate to the clinical site and within the framework of the SCHS model

5. The clinical site will choose a Clinical Director that will have oversight of the clinical training

6. SCHS will set-up all hardware and software that allows the Clinical Director and students to access SCHS live or electronically

7. SCHS will assign a college liaison to work specifically with the students and clinical site

8. SCHS will provide accreditation oversight and assistance to meet the Council on Accreditation requirements for the clinical site

How long is the training?

Students will start their clinical internship on the day they return from the first on-site orientation meeting. Clinical Directors are sponsored to the on-site seminars to assist in training and orientation. The student internship will continue through the 24-months to meet a minimum of 2200 clinical hours and specific numbers and types of cases required. If a clinical site does not have all the required experiences, students will be rotated (for the time it takes to complete the cases) to a clinical site that provides that training.

What about scheduling, vacations, on-site seminars and personal time?

The clinical site is given the student's academic calendar to assist the Clinical Director in setting up each student's schedule. Call experience, cases, hours and vacations are set by the clinical site within the college framework. Due to the nature of the online courses, students will have greater flexibility in meeting the clinical demands of each site.

How can the college and clinical site work together when there is such a distance?

Sumner College of Health Sciences is designed to facilitate hospitals and anesthesia groups with technologies that bridge any distance. Each month, the Clinical Directors will join the Clinical Committee via live web. This same technology can be used by the clinical site personnel or students to communicate with the college. In addition, other technologies will be provided the students and Clinical Director for electronic submission and accessing of all information. Clinical Directors will be supported by the college to attend the onsite meetings to teach or observe. Finally, the Dean/Program Director or Assistant Dean/Director will make periodic trips to the hospital to strengthen the coordination between the college and clinical site.

What if there is a problem with a student or site?

The college will work closely with each clinical site to assure a successful experience for the student and the clinical site. The Dean/Program Director and Assistant Dean/Director are available to the Clinical Director and student if a problem arises that needs their assistance. The catalog, student handbook, and clinical handbook have detailed policies that protect the student and clinical site. These will be made available to each clinical site. Each clinical site will make available to each student their orientation materials, to include hospital policies and procedures.

What about insurance and liability?

The college and hospital will sign an MOU that iterates the responsibilities of each. The college provides the insurance coverage necessary for students, as required by accreditation and the hospital site. There are no charges to the hospital for this collaboration. It is the position of the college that the hospital is doing the college and student a service by working together to provide the next generation of anesthesia providers.

What about academic standing for those that teach for SCHS?

The college will work with full-time clinical instructors that wish to pursue academic standing. The clinical instructor is as important to the student's success (if not more so) as the didactic instructor. Our appreciation for dedicated clinical instructors will be demonstrated by our continued support.

Clinical Affiliations

Memorandum of Understanding (SAMPLE)

Clinical Presentation

Clinical Brochure