Nursing students planning clinical rotations for their junior and senior years only had two sites to choose from this year. Geisinger Medical Center in Danville is no longer an option for students because of financial concerns.

The elimination of Geisinger returns the program to the original two-site structure. This should have no negative effects on education, said Raymonde Brown, professor-in-charge of undergraduate programs for nursing. The cut stems from an agreement between the School of Nursing and Geisinger Medical Center and involves money problems, she said.

Rotations give students the chance to take courses and do on-site training at medical facilities. Course and clinical offerings vary by facility and are designed to help give student nurses experience.

There are about 25 students at Geisinger who will have to be split between the two other locations: University Park and Hershey Medical Center. Geisinger has never carried the same load of students as the other sites, Brown said.

Emily Satteson (sophomore-nursing) was hoping to make Geisinger a part of her rotation schedule until she received the rotation form listing only the University Park and Hershey locations.

"I live approximately 20 minutes from Geisinger and was planning to live at home and commute to save housing costs," Satteson said.

Other sophomores making their rotation decisions won't miss what they never knew.

"I never really had an interest in [Geisinger]," Cameron Carone (sophomore-nursing) said.

But rotations are important because they give nursing students a chance to explore various fields in nursing and decide what they want to do, Carone added.

There is no plan to add classes at University Park or Hershey Medical Center, but the number of clinicals, or in-hospital experiences, will have to be increased in order to maintain the required ratio of 10 students per faculty member, Brown said.

In addition to removing Geisinger as a rotation site, the nursing program is undergoing other curriculum changes. The program is eliminating summer rotations after this year, as well as eliminating 10 credits from degree requirements, Brown said. The number of rotations a student has to make will be reduced because of the changes, she added.

Students such as Carone support the credit cut.

"I think that's probably a good idea. They need nurses out in the work force big time, and it will help students get out there sooner," he said.