Editing Herzing Issues: Clinical Placement (section)

=== HU-049: Clinical placement distances systematically excessive; documented cases include 2+ hour one-way drives; no reasonable distance standard appears to be applied ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:12em" | Severity
| High
! style="width:12em" | Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Systemic Distance / Accommodation Gap
! Date added
| 2026-05-04
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Clinical Placement / Program Chair / ADA Coordinator
|}
'''Finding.''' Clinical placement distances are systematically excessive, with documented cases including a Fort Myers to St. Pete assignment (over two hours one way), an HCA Osceola assignment (a three-hour drive), and other Florida students placed two to four hours from home. No reasonable distance standard appears to be applied.

'''Evidence.''' Herzing MSNDE 2026 GroupMe. Student B (Fort Myers, Florida) reported placement at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Pete, over two hours one way, and knew classmates from Naples (placed in St. Pete) and Ocala (commuting to Tampa). A student named Kristin reported potentially being placed at HCA Osceola, a three-hour drive.

'''Reported statement.''' Student B, a student pseudonym, paraphrased that Student B drives two hours one way for clinicals, calling it inconvenient though manageable, and attributed the pattern to the campuses being concentrated in Tampa and Orlando, where existing agreements already exist rather than local sites for students elsewhere.

'''Standards.''' Handbook page 26 requires clinical placements be within a reasonable distance from the campus or the student's address on file. A one-way two to four hour drive does not constitute reasonable distance. ADA and Section 504 concerns arise for students with documented disabilities (see {{HU|HU-024}}). ACEN Standard 5.1 is also implicated.

'''Impact.''' Students required to drive two to four hours each way for twelve-hour clinical shifts face extreme fatigue, increased accident risk, and significant financial costs. Students with disabilities or health conditions are disproportionately harmed.

'''Notes.''' Student B's observation that clinical partnerships are concentrated near Tampa and Orlando campuses regardless of student home location suggests the online program uses campus-based placement infrastructure without developing online-student-centered relationships. See also {{HU|HU-024}}, {{HU|HU-007}}, {{HU|HU-035}}.

<span id="HU-058"></span>