Clinical elective courses provide additional specialty knowledge for prelicensure nursing students; however, it is unknown how these courses impact nurses' clinical practice after graduation. Drs. Lisa Lewis and Michelle Hartman describe their study on the impact of these electives on new graduates' clinical practice. Half of the new graduates worked in clinical  areas that were the same, or related to, the elective they took. Graduates felt that taking the elective improved their confidence in the clinical setting and provided increased knowledge that put them at an advantage over their peers. Practice partners also reported benefits for their agency.

Learn more about these clinical elective courses in their article.