One-to-one preceptorship
Each student’s experience is centered around a primary preceptor who provides individualized teaching, feedback, and guidance at the bedside, with support from other members of the unit team when needed.
About
A supported bridge from nursing school to professional practice.
ASPIRE, the Affiliate Students’ Pathway from Internship to Residency Experience, gives eligible senior nursing students the opportunity to complete a hands-on bedside clinical rotation at Cedars-Sinai. Each placement is thoughtfully coordinated around the student’s interests, goals, and readiness, together with unit capacity and preceptor availability.
Through a structured one-to-one preceptorship model and sustained immersion in an assigned unit, students gain more than clinical hours. They begin to understand the patient population, team relationships, daily workflows, communication practices, policies, and standards that shape nursing care in that environment.
What sets ASPIRE apart
Personalized placement
ASPIRE considers each student’s interests, goals, readiness, and learning needs alongside unit capacity and preceptor availability. Students who are unsure of their preferred area receive guidance as they explore where they may be positioned to grow.
Meaningful unit immersion
Students become familiar with the people and practices of their assigned unit, including its patient population, workflows, interdisciplinary team, communication norms, policies, and expectations for professional nursing practice.
Early professional enculturation
By participating as a supported member of the unit, students begin developing an understanding of Cedars-Sinai’s professional culture, standards, and approach to patient care before entering practice as a registered nurse.
Through one-to-one preceptorship and sustained unit immersion, students gain more than clinical hours.
What students build through ASPIRE
Build clinical confidence
Develop greater confidence caring for patients in a real-world clinical environment before graduation.
Strengthen bedside practice
Apply classroom learning through direct patient care while receiving individualized guidance from an experienced preceptor.
Develop a sense of belonging
Build relationships with nurses, leaders, and interdisciplinary team members while learning how to contribute within a professional care environment.
Prepare for what comes next
Build readiness for the transition into professional nursing practice and a future application to Cedars-Sinai’s New Graduate RN Residency Program. For students who are later hired, prior familiarity with the unit environment and organizational culture can support a more confident and well-supported transition into residency.
Why Cedars-Sinai offers ASPIRE
Strong academic-practice partnerships help students connect classroom learning with the realities of bedside care. ASPIRE combines personalized placement, one-to-one preceptorship, unit immersion, and Nursing Professional Development support to help students enter professional practice with greater confidence, clarity, and readiness.
Support throughout and beyond the rotation
ASPIRE students receive support from Nursing Professional Development practitioners, unit leadership, a primary preceptor, and other members of the unit team. Support may include onboarding guidance, coaching, unit rounding, progress check-ins, and help navigating what comes next. For students who are later hired into Cedars-Sinai’s New Graduate RN Residency Program, that support can continue as they transition into professional practice.