South Lake Tahoe

Student Nurse Kaetlyn Alvarez works at the Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe over the winter session as part of her nursing preceptorship in the Rural California Nursing Preceptorship program. Nursing students receive 150 hours of hands-on clinical experience over three weeks. (Jessica Bartlett/University Photographer)

Little Town Lifelines

The only program of its kind in the nation, Chico State's Rural California Nursing Preceptorships program gives nursing students 150 hours of valuable hands-on learning in a clinical setting, while providing rural hospitals with extra staffing they so greatly need.