B.S. in Nursing

Cooperative Experiences

Cooperative education (co-op) is work-based learning in which students alternate periods of classroom study with planned, career-related work experiences. While on co-op, students are generally supervised and evaluated by the hospital’s practical nurse (co-op I) or registered nurse (co-op II).  Students’ overall performance is overseen by LAU faculty. 

The nursing curriculum at LAU includes two required cooperative learning experiences that support your professional and personal growth in all three domains of learning: cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

You will complete the co-ops during the summer terms. Although your co-op experiences will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis, you do not earn credits for the co-ops. The learning that takes place will complement, not replace or duplicate, the learning that occurs in your clinical coursework.

Differences between clinical nursing courses and co-op experiences:

Co-op Experiences Clinical Courses
Students are expected to master a list of competency skills. They are evaluated on weekly basis by the practical nurse (co-op I) or registered nurse (co-op II) at the hospital. Students are expected to submit weekly clinical assignments. They are evaluated on a weekly basis by the LAU faculty.
Student is supervised by the hospital’s nursing staff. Student is supervised by the nursing faculty or the hospital’s nursing staff in consultation with the nursing faculty.
Student earns a Pass/No Pass grade for a co-op experience. Student earns a letter grade for a nursing course.

During co-op I and II rotation, students learn how to implement the course objectives by working with healthcare professionals as a team. The cooperating Department of Nursing, in consultation with the School of Nursing, determines the co-op course objectives and outcome that is aligned with the guidelines of the ARCSON, Lebanese Order of Nurses’ regulations and the hospital’s institutional policies. 

Co-op students must work under the supervision of a practical nurse (co-op I) or registered nurse (co-op II) when providing nursing care. Nursing responsibilities are delegated to co-op students by the supervising RN and may vary according to institutional policy, clinical unit routine, as well as the academic level, experience and qualifications of the student.