Understanding Geofencing: A Smarter Way to Track Clinical Attendance
By Megan McDowell • January 6, 2026 • 4 min read
Tracking clinical attendance has long been a challenge in nursing and healthcare education—often relying on manual processes that are time-consuming, fragmented, and prone to error.
Traditional methods such as paper sign-in sheets, manual time logs, emails, or spreadsheets frequently depend on self-reporting and require faculty to verify attendance after the fact. These workflows introduce inconsistencies, delays, and unnecessary administrative burden.
Track My Clinical modernizes this process by using geofencing to provide a more accurate, efficient, and reliable way to document clinical participation—without continuous location tracking.
What Is Geofencing?
Geofencing creates a virtual boundary around an approved clinical site. Imagine placing a pin at the center of a hospital on a map and drawing a radius around it.
Using GPS data from the student’s phone, Track My Clinical confirms whether the student is within that approved area at the time of check-in or check-out.
Rather than tracking exact movements, geofencing verifies presence within a designated clinical site—adding an appropriate layer of accountability while minimizing unnecessary location detail.
Traditional Tracking vs. Geofencing
With traditional clinical tracking:
- Students manually log hours or sign paper forms
- Faculty verify attendance after the fact
- Documentation is fragmented across multiple systems
- Some tools rely on IP addresses or raw GPS coordinates
- Errors, delays, and privacy concerns may arise
With geofencing through Track My Clinical:
- Check-in and check-out are tied to approved clinical locations
- Exact GPS coordinates and continuous tracking are not required
- Clinical hours are recorded in real time
- All data is centralized in one secure platform
- Administrative workload is reduced for faculty and coordinators
Students can check in and out using geofencing once they are approved for a clinical site and have met required clinical compliance.
Geofencing can be enabled or disabled at the program level, giving educators flexibility and control based on institutional policies and clinical requirements.
Safety and Privacy Considerations
Geofencing in Track My Clinical is designed with student safety and privacy in mind. The platform does not track students beyond approved clinical boundaries or monitor continuous movement.
Location-based confirmation occurs only at the start and end of a clinical experience—balancing accountability with respect for personal privacy.
This approach aligns with FERPA considerations, institutional expectations, and best practices in educational technology.
By replacing traditional attendance tracking with a secure, site-based approach, Track My Clinical helps programs manage clinical education more efficiently, accurately, and responsibly.
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