Nursing Field Experience:

4210/4211

At the end of the BSN program, students will be able to:

1. Utilize technology and information systems to communicate, and support decision making for safe practice.  
2. Use evidence, based on the sciences, humanities, and research, to guide nursing practice across a diverse health-illness continuum in a variety of healthcare communities.  
3. Evaluate the implications of policy on healthcare disparities including issues of access, equity, affordability, social justice, and social needs in healthcare delivery.  
4. Demonstrate effective cooperation, coordination, and collaboration with interprofessional partnerships in delivering diverse and inclusive quality care to patients, families, and communities.  
5. Implement collaboration across the healthcare system to provide population health nursing care to improve access to quality healthcare and equitable health outcomes.  
6. Demonstrate leadership and accountability by expanding the contributions of nursing and committing to professional development, social change, and personal wellbeing.  
7. Apply person-centered assessment skills across the lifespan based on social determinants of health, development, and culture to provide quality evidence-based nursing care. 

At the undergraduate level, the College of Nursing uses the following guidelines and standards to inform the curriculum and professional behavior:

• The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN)
• Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretative Statements (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015)
• Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2015)
• Guide to Nursing’s Social Policy Statement (ANA, 2015)

Students must satisfactorily complete all the requirements of their practicum course(s) in accordance with the information provided in the course syllabus. Students complete the classroom portion of the program online and complete practicum hours with the preceptor. They must receive a passing grade for the practicum components in the courses that have integrated theory and practice components to successfully pass the course.

The following activities count toward required practicum hours for NURS 4300/4301:

• Collection and or review of data
• Library research 
• Preceptor collaboration 
• Interdisciplinary/shareholder collaboration 
• Faculty collaboration 
• Review of articles 
• Writing and/or refinement of project/paper/presentation 
• Planning of project 
• Presentation practice 
• Project presentation 
• Other 

The following activities count toward required practicum hours for NURS 4210/4211 & 4220/4221:

• Activities that are directly related to the completion of practicum goals and objectives
• Meetings about the potential project with professionals, in the community and work, or other practicum settings
• Attendance at meetings related to the project in the community or other practicum settings
• Meetings with preceptor to discuss project during course
• Presentation of project to preceptor and other professionals during the practicum 
• Preparation of all materials directly related to completion of the practicum
• Participating in course practicum Discussions with Faculty

Practicum hours are course and term-specific. Practicum hours do not carry over to a different term or practicum course if a student withdraws, drops a course, or fails a course.

Practicum Courses for Students with a Catalog Year Beginning Summer 2024

NURS 4300/4301 BSN Capstone

• Didactic: 4 credit
• Practicum: 1 credit

RN students collaborate with an approved preceptor to work on their approved project.  Students have the option to select one of the following focuses for their project:

• Population Health Project: Students collaborate with an approved preceptor and other interdisciplinary care team members to develop an evidence-based, population centered nursing project.
• Quality & Safety Project: Students collaborate with an approved preceptor and other interdisciplinary care team members to develop an evidence-based, quality and safety centered nursing project.

Practicum Courses for Students with a Catalog Year Before Summer 2024

NURS 4210/4211 Role of the Nurse Leader in Population Health

• Didactic: 4 credit
• Practicum: 1 credit

RN students collaborate with an approved preceptor and other various professionals in the community to define and refine a population-based health problem. An evidence-based primary prevention intervention is developed for the community or system level of care and presented to a preceptor.

NURS 4220/4221 Leadership Competencies in Nursing and Healthcare

• Didactic: 4 credit
• Practicum: 1 credit
• Note: NURS 4210/4211: Role of the Nurse Leader in Population Health must be successfully completed prior to NURS 4220/4221.

RN students collaborate with an approved preceptor and other various professionals in a healthcare facility to develop a quality improvement project.

“Identifying” a practicum site and a preceptor means that the student has received confirmation from a site and preceptor that the site is willing to host the practicum and the preceptor is willing to advise the student in the practicum during a specific term. 

The role of the preceptor is to provide interaction, guidance, and professional role modeling for students, as well as assisting the student in exploring either a health issue in the community or a quality/safety issue at the site. The preceptor does not track your hours or grade this experience. A preceptor is a trusted advisor and coach. A preceptor is a professional with experience and knowledge who will help guide a student in exploring ideas and identify resources to help the student develop a project during the practicum courses. 

Students must identify a potential preceptor for each practicum course and determine if the individual is interested in working with them. If so, students must find out whether this individual meets the qualifications to serve as a preceptor. Tips on how to identify a preceptor are provided below under the “Preceptor Requirements” heading. 

Students should contact the nursing field experience coordinators as soon as they identify a possible preceptor, and no later than the start of their second term, to nominate the individual to serve as their preceptor. Students should evaluate potential preceptors early by emailing nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to obtain feedback about whether the nominee is an acceptable preceptor candidate. 

Preceptor Requirements

• Preceptor must hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a field related to the role.
• RN preceptors must hold an active, unencumbered license to practice professional nursing in the state where the practicum will occur.
• Preceptor must have a minimum of one year of experience and a current job role that is relevant to the project.
• The one year of experience is based upon the original date of licensure for licensed practitioners.
• Preceptor is able and willing to commit to the preceptor role for the duration of the practicum.
• Preceptor is employed at the practicum site where the practicum takes place.
• Preceptor cannot be the student’s relative, family member, fiancé, roommate, significant other, personal friend, or primary care provider, and does not have any other relationship that would create an actual or perceived conflict of interest. 
• The preceptor is not the student's direct or immediate supervisor and does not report directly to the student.
• Preceptor cannot be another BSN student.

Important Note: If it is found that a student’s preceptor is a relative, family member, fiancé, roommate, significant, personal friend, or primary care provider of the student, the practicum hours will be rejected and not counted toward the practicum hour requirement. If a student utilizes a preceptor inappropriately as noted above, this may lead to an academic integrity violation that could result in a sanction up to and including dismissal from the university. Students are responsible for nominating preceptors that fully meet all requirements for preceptors.

Note: Please refer to the “Course Specific Requirements” section for more course-specific requirements for preceptors.

The practicum is project-based, which involves a Faculty supervised experience with a preceptor outside of the classroom setting. Students must identify a preceptor and a site for the practicum course.

“Identifying” a practicum setting and a preceptor means that the student has received confirmation from a site and preceptor that the site is willing to host the practicum and the preceptor is willing to advise the student in the practicum during a specific term.

Students should follow the appropriate procedure at the practicum site to secure a practicum and to understand the practicum site requirements prior to beginning the practicum.

Students who wish to conduct their practicum at their place of employment should be aware that the loss of employment during their practicum may interfere with their ability to complete their required practicum hours and experiences.