Undergraduate Nursing Practicum Manual:

Section 5: Application Process

The deadline for submitting a practicum application is 6-7 weeks before the students wish to begin the practicum as shown below. The deadline for Tempo Learning students is 6 weeks from the date the student wishes to begin the practicum. Students must be sure that they understand the deadline.

Students must submit a separate application for each field site and preceptor nominee every quarter, even if the field site and preceptor nominee remain the same. Students will not be registered for practicum courses if there is not an approved application on file in Meditrek® for the correct term or start date.

Students should be aware of their program of study and anticipate when they will be ready to begin the practicum. Students are encouraged to contact their student success advisor or Tempo Learning academic coach early with any questions about their program of study. It is the students’ responsibility to know in what quarter or by what start date they will begin their practicum courses.

Walden advises students to submit their application via Meditrek® as early as possible. Students are encouraged to submit their application for practicum at least two terms prior to the practice start. Experience has shown that the applications that are completed in haste and submitted near the deadline are most frequently those that are missing items, have errors, or have other problems that can lead to denial of approval and delay academic progress.

If an application is submitted after the application deadline, there is no guarantee that application review, approval of the site and preceptor, and negotiation of Student Learning Agreement will be completed prior to the term start. Submitting an application by the application deadline is strongly advised to allow enough time for processing to ensure that an application is reviewed and potentially approved in time. There are many factors outside of Walden University’s control that significantly impact whether an application can be approved, such as the time it takes to negotiate Student Learning Agreement with the student’s preferred site, verify preceptor nominee licensure and receive the Preceptor Commitment Form. Applications are processed in the order they are submitted in Meditrek®. If an application is unable to be approved for the requested term or start date, it will be closed, and a new application must be submitted in Meditrek® for the next term or start date.

Note: Due to state board requirements and approvals and limitations imposed by certain Minnesota-based health systems on the number and types of students who may participate in field experiences at their member institutions.  Late applications will not be accepted from students who will perform their practicum in the following states:

•  Alabama
•  Alaska
• California
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee,
• Wyoming.

Late applications also will not be accepted from students applying to do their practicum outside of the United States.  

Timely submission of a practicum application does not guarantee approval or placement. Applications submitted on time may be denied for a variety of reasons, such as problems with the preceptor nominee’s qualifications, delay in receiving the completed Preceptor Commitment Form, the site’s delay negotiating an Affiliation Agreement, inability to reach a Student Learning Agreement with the site, and failure to timely or satisfactorily complete onboarding requirements.

Deadlines

Applications are due the first day of the month approximately three months before the term you plan to start your practicum course.  Applications must be submitted in Meditrek by the application deadline.  Students must submit an application for each course, term, practicum site location, and preceptor.     
 

Deadlines for Course-Based Programs: 

Term	Term Start Dates	Application Deadline Date
Summer 2023 – Weeks 1-6	May 29, 2023	April 10, 2023
Summer 2023 – Weeks 7-12	July 10, 2023	May 29, 2023
Fall 2023 – Weeks 1-6	August 28, 2023	June 1, 2023
Fall 2023 – Week 7-12	October 9, 2023	July 1, 2023
Winter 2023 – Weeks 1-6	November 27, 2023	September 1, 2023
Winter 2023 – Week 7-12	January 8, 2024	October 1, 2023
Spring 2024 – Weeks 1-6	February 26, 2024	December 1, 2023
Spring 2024 – Week 7-12	April 8, 2024	January 1, 2024
Summer 2024 – Weeks 1-6	May 27, 2024	March 1, 2024
Summer 2024 – Week 7-12	July 8, 2024	April 1, 2024
Fall 2024 – Weeks 1-6	August 26, 2024*	June 1, 2024
Fall 2023 – Week 7-12	October 7, 2024*	July 1, 2024

Deadlines for Tempo-Based Programs: 

NOTE:  Application deadlines for students starting before September 4, 2023 is 6 weeks prior to the start of the practicum course.  

Term	Term Start Dates	Application Deadline Date
September 2023	September 4, 2023	June 1, 2023
October 2023	October 2, 2023	July 1, 2023
November 2023	November 6, 2023	August 1, 2023
December 2023	December 4, 2023	September 1, 2023
January 2024	January 1, 2024	October 1, 2023
February 2024	February 5, 2024	November 1, 2023
March 2024	March 4, 2024	December 1, 2023
April 2024	April 1, 2024	January 1, 2024
May 2024	May 6, 2024	February 1, 2024
June 2024	June 3, 2024	March 1, 2024
July 2024	July 1, 2024	April 1, 2024
August 2024	August 5, 2024	May 1, 2024
September 2024	September 2, 2024	June 1, 2024
October 2024	October 7, 2024	July 1, 2024

 

*Dates marked above with * are tentative dates. Dates are subjected to change based on the Walden University Academic Calendar.

Students need to be sure to submit an application in Meditrek® by the application deadline to allow enough time for application processing and course registration.

Each practicum course requires a separate application. This is necessary because each practicum course has distinct requirements. Students must also submit a new and separate application each time they wish to change preceptors and/or practice settings. If a student is using multiple preceptors for one course, separate applications must be submitted for each preceptor. If students are using multiple field sites to complete practice hours, separate applications must be submitted for each field site.

Instructions on how to submit your practicum application Meditrek® are outlined in the Application Tutorial and FAQ.

Meditrek®

Meditrek® is the online clinical rotation management system used to track, monitor, and manage the practicum.  Students must submit their practicum application via Meditrek® by the application deadline. Application instructions for Meditrek® can be found on the Office of Field Experience website. There are webinars, tutorials, and FAQs to guide students on submitting an application in Meditrek®.

For Meditrek® technical support, please contact the Customer Care Team.

• Students can access Meditrek® online. Use the same username and password you use to log into the myWalden portal.
• Students will receive one username and password to utilize Meditrek® for submitting practicum applications and completing practice logs and practicum evaluations directly from Meditrek®.
  • If students change from course-based to competency-based learning (Tempo Learning) program or vice-versa, they will have separate accounts in Meditrek® for the different programs. Students should contact the Office of Field Experience when changing programs to update the Meditrek® account.
• Students should receive this information prior to their first practicum course, approximately 3 months prior to practice start.
  • Tempo Learning students will receive this information approximately in the second month of entering the program. If students have not received their password 1 month before their application is due, they should complete a Meditrek Credentials Request Form online.
• Students can utilize Meditrek® to monitor the status and progress of their applications each term. Application instructions can be found on the Office of Field Experience website.

Starting an Application

The practicum application consists of multiple parts that students must submit via Meditrek®.

1. Students must log in to their Meditrek® account to open a new application.
2. Students must select the application type to start a new application. The application types are as follows:
   • Primary Application: The application is the primary application for approval of the preceptor nominee and field site for the quarter and course.
   • Supplemental Application: The application is for approval of an additional preceptor nominee and/or field site, which is needed to supplement the primary application for the quarter and course. Supplemental applications are often needed to complete course requirements or to log the required hours.
   • Replacement Application: The application is replacing a previously submitted application for approval of a different preceptor nominee and/or field site for the quarter and course. Replacement applications are often needed if a previously nominated preceptor is no longer able to preceptor or does not meet the requirements.
   • Remedial Application: The application will be used to complete course requirements after the term has been completed for the prior term (e.g., for students who received an Incomplete (“I”) grade in the course during the prior term and need to complete course requirements during the next term). Students must contact the Office of Field Experience to open a remedial application after an Incomplete (“I”) grade is issued.
3. Students must select the correct course number and correct term or start date when opening a new application. Applications will not be reviewed if the incorrect term is selected. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure they are selecting the correct term for the application submission. The term of the application cannot be changed.

License: Student and Preceptor

Students and preceptors must maintain an active, unencumbered license or the equivalent thereof in the state/country where students plan to complete their practicum. License verification will be reviewed as part of the application and preceptor approval process. Practicum applications will not be approved until this review has been completed.

See Licensure Review of Students and Preceptors 

Preceptor Commitment Form

The Preceptor Commitment Form is an agreement with the preceptor to participate in the preceptorship with the Walden University nursing student. The Preceptor Commitment Form is an official form and requires the preceptor to complete the form in its entirety. Students are not to complete this form on behalf of the preceptor. The form is student, course, and term specific. Thus, a form is required to be completed for each student for each class every quarter.

The Preceptor Commitment Form is emailed directly to the preceptor at the time students enter preceptor nominee’s information on the Meditrek® application in the “Preceptor and Field Site Information” section. The preceptor nominee should review the form, complete it in its entirety, and sign the form. Students must obtain this form directly from the preceptor nominee to upload it in the Meditrek® application. Preceptor Commitment Forms can also be found online.

If the preceptor nominee completes the form electronically, the preceptor is agreeing to the Walden University Policy on Electronic Signatures. If the preceptor nominee does not complete the form electronically, they must print legibly and provide a signature at the bottom of the form.

After the preceptor nominee completes and signs the form, they should send it directly to the student. The student will then upload this form as part of their application in Meditrek®. It is the responsibility of students to upload the Preceptor Commitment Form in Meditrek® and link it to their application.

Upon final approval of the students’ application, the preceptor will receive a confirmation email with a Preceptor Orientation.

More information for preceptors can be found online; click on “Course Information” to review course objectives and clinical checklists.

If preceptors have any questions, they may contact the Office of Field Experience at nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu.

Agreement With Practicum Settings

Once a field site and preceptor has been identified, students must complete and obtain approval in Meditrek® utilizing the Service Learning Agreement. Students must complete the first half of the agreement and then obtain a signature from the field site administrator or another individual at the site with legal authority to sign the agreement on behalf of the organization. Once the agreement has been finalized, students must upload the agreement to the Meditrek® application before the application will be approved.

The Service Learning Agreement is a legal contract between Walden University and a practicum setting. The Service Learning Agreement is different from the Preceptor Commitment Form. Accreditation standards and university policy require that Service Learning Agreements be in place before students start their practicum.

If a nominated field site requests to establish an Affiliation Agreement instead of signing the Service Learning Agreement, please contact the Office of Field Experience at nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu for further direction.

Coming to a mutual agreement about the terms of the Service Learning or Affiliation Agreement can take time, sometimes several weeks or months. In most cases, Walden is able to reach a mutual agreement with students’ practice settings. There are times, however, when a field site and Walden are not able to enter into an agreement or cannot reach an understanding on the terms of the agreement due to a variety of factors that may be out of either organization’s control. When there is reason to believe that the agreement between Walden and a site will not be completed, Walden will make every effort to notify students in a timely fashion. If there is enough time, Walden works with students as they try to find a new preceptor nominee and site, even if the Office of Field Experience is continuing to work with the first site. Students are strongly encouraged to identify alternative practicum settings and preceptor nominees as back-up options and submit application prior to application deadline.

Walden requires that agreements be finalized for every field site where practicums will occur. If students plan to complete practicum hours at multiple sites, an application must be submitted and approved for each and every field site and preceptor nominee. If students plan to complete practicum hours with a contract agency and will be logging hours at multiple sites, an application must be submitted and approved for each physical field site.

In some cases, an agreement with a planned practicum setting may not be completed and it may be too late for students to find a new site prior to the start of the term. If this happens, students are delayed while they search for a new site and preceptor nominee. In this instance, students are allowed a limited exception to apply for the next term so that they can prepare a new application. Walden is not able to predict or control delays, but they are avoided if possible. It is highly recommended for students to arrange for alternative back-up field sites and preceptor nominees and submit application prior to application deadline.

Students need to submit their complete practicum application via Meditrek® by the application deadline (see Table 2). The following information and documents are required to submit a complete application in Meditrek®.

Forms to Complete in Meditrek®

• Field Site Information:
  • Field site contact information.
  • Student employment status at field site.
• Student Information: 
  • Student’s name
  • Gender, DOB, last 4 digits of SSN
  • Address
  • Phone numbers
  • Walden ID number
  • Walden email address
  • Emergency contact information
• Student RN License:
  • Date RN license earned/renewed
  • Date RN License expires
  • RN License number
  • State of RN License
  • Acknowledgement if license is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact with multi-state privileges

Note: Students do not need to upload or send a copy of their RN license. The Office of Field Experience will conduct an online verification of all licenses.

• Preceptor Information: Students will complete information about the preceptor nominee and field site in the application to provide information about the qualifications and appropriateness of the site. It is important for students to include as much information as possible about the preceptor nominee and field site to assist the Office of Field Experience staff to determine if the preceptor nominee and field site will meet the requirements of the practicum course. The required information is as follows:
  • Preceptor Contact Information to include name, title, phone number, and email address
  • Preceptor Credentials
  • Preceptor Information to include education degree, licensure, certification, license number, state of license and expiration date.
  • Field Site Location: Field site name and address.
  • Field Site Description.

Note: Once this section is complete, students can submit their preceptor nominee information and an email will be sent to the preceptor with the Preceptor Commitment Form.

• Preceptor License/Certification:
  • Type of License/Certification
  • Date license/certification earned/renewed
  • Date license/certification expires
  • License number
  • State of license/certification
  • Acknowledgement if license is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact with multi-state privileges

Note: Students do not need to upload or send a copy of their preceptor’s license. The Office of Field Experience will conduct an online verification of all licenses.

• Student Authorizations and Acknowledgements:
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) Release: Students will complete a FERPA release when completing and submitting an application in Meditrek®. The FERPA release authorizes Walden University to release all information, without limitation, regarding enrollment and academic records for the purpose of arranging for, participating in, and being evaluated on the field experience.
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Requirements Acknowledgement: Students in Walden University's nursing programs are required to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), as well as all field experience site-specific policies and procedures related to privacy and security of health-related information.
  • Nursing Practicum Manual Acknowledgement.

Documents to Upload in Meditrek®

Students are responsible for uploading all documents in Meditrek® to complete their application. For the most up-to-date information regarding applications and Meditrek®, including webinars, tutorials, and FAQs, refer to the Office of Field Experience website.

Note: See section on “Practicum Requirements” for more details on these requirements.

• Preceptor Commitment Form:
  • This form is sent directly to the preceptor nominee via email when students submit the preceptor information section in Meditrek®.
  • Preceptor nominee must complete the form in its entirety and sign the commitment form
  • Preceptor nominee should submit the form directly to the student for the student to upload in the application in Meditrek®.
  • Note: Preceptor Commitment Forms must be completed by the preceptor nominee. Students should not complete the Preceptor Commitment Form on behalf of the preceptor. Students should not utilize their own computer to complete the Preceptor Commitment Form with the preceptor. If it is believed the student completed it on behalf of the preceptor, a case will be reviewed by the academic integrity analyst. Concerns about who completed the Preceptor Commitment Form may result in a Code of Conduct inquiry are subject to disciplinary action, including course failure and permanent dismissal from the university. Students found to have completed the Preceptor Commitment Form are subject to discipline. For more information about the Code of Conduct, please refer to Walden University Student Handbook: Code of Conduct..

• Service Learning Agreement Section: Students need to list field site information for their practicum site to include field site name and contact information. Once a field site and preceptor have been identified, students must complete and obtain approval utilizing the Service Learning Agreement. Students must complete the first half of the agreement and then obtain a signature from the field site administrator or another individual at the site with legal authority to sign on behalf of the organization. Once the agreement has been finalized, students must upload the agreement to the Meditrek® application before the application may be approved.

Additional Application Requirements—Onboarding

Field sites may require students to complete additional onboarding requirements and require Walden to verify that the additional requirements have been satisfactorily completed. If this is the case, students will need to contact the Office of Field Experience for information about onboarding.

Onboarding requirements may include, but not be limited to, background screenings, drug screening, health requirements, required training and professional liability insurance, and any additional onboarding requirements that may be required by the field site. Requirements must be submitted for approval online through Walden University’s designated provider, CastleBranch. CastleBranch provides a secure platform to complete onboarding requirements for practicum. Onboarding requirements are managed, reviewed, stored, and tracked in CastleBranch.

If required by the site, all onboarding requirements must be completed satisfactorily before the practicum application may be approved. Students will have the option to mark their CastleBranch status on their application in Meditrek®. However, the practicum application will not be fully approved until the CastleBranch screening package is completed. It is highly recommended that students complete requirements in CastleBranch as soon as possible to ensure timely approval of their practicum application and avoid practice delays.

The Office of Field Experience staff will confirm submission of all requirements in CastleBranch in order to approve practicum applications. Please be aware that students are responsible for all expenses incurred for onboarding requirements. If a field site requires Walden to verify that onboarding has been met, students will not be permitted to start their field experience until onboarding requirements are satisfactorily completed.

Field Site Assigns Preceptor After Affiliation Agreement or Field Site Requires Walden to Submit Placement Request Prior to Approval

In some cases, there may be field sites that will not assign a preceptor until after an Affiliation Agreement has been completed or requires Walden to submit a placement/rotation request prior to assignment of a preceptor. Students must still submit an application in Meditrek® by the application deadline following the process outlined in this section. In order to submit an application while waiting for the field site to assign a preceptor, students should use placeholder information and documents to fill in areas of their application, which are otherwise incomplete. For instance, students can enter “TBD” into the text field requesting preceptor information. For the Preceptor Commitment Form, students must upload a Word document to their application that briefly explains the circumstances and reason for using a placeholder document. Students should ensure that the document is uploaded and linked in the application. After all fields related to the preceptor have been completed with TBD and the placeholder Word document is linked, students are able to submit and finalize their application in Meditrek®. This allows the Office of Field Experience staff to begin working on the Affiliation Agreement and/or placement/rotation request. Once the preceptor is assigned, students must edit their application and enter the correct information for the preceptor in the application and submit the Commitment Form completed and signed by the preceptor. Students may have to contact nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to request that field experience coordinators return the application in Meditrek® in order for students to edit the application.

Applications must be completed in their entirety and submitted in Meditrek®. Applications in incomplete or incomplete-started status will not be reviewed by the Office of Field Experience staff. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure an application is finalized and submitted in Meditrek® by the application deadline.

Generally, field experience coordinators will begin reviewing applications after the application deadline. Applications are reviewed in the order they are submitted in Meditrek®. Approval of the application must occur prior to the student starting the practicum course. (Note: Students may not begin their practicum experience until after the course begins and after the start date.)

Students are able to monitor the progress of their application review by logging in to their Meditrek® account and accessing the application checklist and clicking on the course number. The application checklist will list the review status of each section of the application. When a section of the application is approved, that will be listed next to the section with the date approved.

Application Approval

• The complete application must be submitted in Meditrek®. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed or approved.
• Nursing field experience coordinators will process the students’ practicum applications and notify students if applications are returned or if changes are needed; however, it remains the students’ responsibility to know the status of their practicum application and to submit a complete application. Instructions on how to review the status of your application is outlined in the Application Status and Definition guide.
• The field experience coordinators will review the students’ application materials. If an application is denied, students will be notified, and, in most cases, they will be given an opportunity to revise their application within a short amount of time.
• If an application is approved, an email will be sent by Meditrek® to the preceptor and to the student.

Application Steps

1. When students successfully submit their application, they will receive an automatic email from Meditrek® stating it was submitted and finalized. Applications will not be reviewed until a complete application is officially submitted in Meditrek®.
2. The application has different sections, and each section is reviewed simultaneously by different field experience coordinators. Students should monitor their email account for emails from the Office of Field Experience staff requesting updates to their application. Students are encouraged to check the status of their applications often.
3. Students will receive an email via their Walden email address when their application changes status. Students should monitor their email closely for additional information regarding their application. Students are encouraged to monitor their spam/junk email folder for important emails from the Office of Field Experience regarding information about their application.
4. Students can log in to Meditrek® at any time to see the status of their application by clicking on the course on their list of applications. (The application statuses are listed below). Instructions on how to review the status of your application is outlined in the Application Status and Definition guide.

Application Status

Students can monitor the progress of their application review and approval in their checklist in Meditrek®. The statuses are as follows:

• Closed: The application is closed due to inability to approve the application. Students are emailed with specific details for the closed application.
• Incomplete—Started: Students have started the application but have not submitted the complete application in Meditrek®. The application will not be reviewed until it is completed and submitted in Meditrek®.
• Incomplete: Students have started the application and submitted the practicum setting information but have not submitted the application in Meditrek®. The application will not be reviewed until it is completed and submitted in Meditrek®.
• Submitted: The application has been submitted in Meditrek. This application is either queued up for review or is under review by the Office of Field Experience. The Office of Field Experience begins application reviews after the application deadline. Applications will remain in this status while the application is being reviewed.
• Returned: The application has issues or corrections that need to be resolved by the student and resubmitted for review. Students should review the email notification for further details, next steps, and instructions for resolving the issue with the application. This application will not be reviewed until the issue is resolved and the application is resubmitted in Meditrek®.
• Pending: The application is under review by the Office of Field Experience but is awaiting additional review (e.g., expiring license review, license action review).
• Registration Restriction: The application was approved but course registration was unable to be processed. The approval is rescinded until the registration restriction is resolved. Students must resolve the registration restriction and notify nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to be approved and registered.
• Preapproved: The application is preapproved. Everything is approvable, including the Affiliation Agreement. Walden must receive approval from student’s state board of nursing. Once approval is received from the state board of nursing, the application will be finally approved, and the student will be registered for the practicum course.
• Approved: The application and practicum experience have been approved by the Office of Field Experience.
• Approved and Registered (Course-Based Students Only): The application has been approved by the Office of Field Experience and the student is registered for the course.

Registration for practicum courses is subject to review, based on whether students meet course prerequisites and have an approved practicum application on file.

Approval of a practicum application does not guarantee the ability of students to be registered for practicum courses. Course availability is determined based upon when the practicum application is approved. Walden University abides by the rules and regulations required by various state boards of nursing. Walden is committed to adhering to the academic standards and compliance requirements as determined by these various state nursing boards. For this reason, Walden’s College of Nursing is not able to offer an unlimited number of practicum course sections.

Once a student is registered, students are unable to change course sections. This is to ensure the correct faculty-to-student ratios in each course section for accreditation purposes, and to ensure balancing course loads, optimizations, and cohorting of sections to meet various state boards of nursing faculty licensure requirements.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure all holds are removed from their account. If students have been withdrawn, on a Leave of Absence, or have not been continuously enrolled at Walden, they must contact Student Success Advising to return and be reinstated at Walden. The Office of Field Experience staff will not be able to process a course registration if students have a hold on their account, are not actively enrolled or have not been reinstated.

Students who do not meet the application requirements and deadlines found in this manual will be dropped from the practicum course until all appropriate documents are on file and approved and all course prerequisites are met. If students believe they have met all the requirements for starting the practicum and do not see the course registration on their myWalden page, they should contact the nursing field experience coordinators at nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu.

Note: Tempo Learning students should contact their academic coach regarding the registration process for practicum.

Registration Timeline

Students in the course-based program will be registered upon full approval of their application. The Office of Field Experience staff will process course registrations after the practicum application is approved. Students will not be registered for a practicum course until their practicum application is fully approved in Meditrek®.

Timeline of Course Registration

• If the practicum application is approved 4 weeks or more prior to term start, the Office of Field Experience staff will process the registration approximately 4 weeks prior to term start.

• If the practicum application is approved less than 4 weeks prior to term start, the Office of Field Experience staff will process the registration approximately 2 business days after application is approved.

Note: It takes between 24 and 48 hours for students to see their course information in their student portal.