Practicum Course Requirements
All approved preceptors (e.g., primary, replacement and supplemental preceptors) must complete all responsibilities of preceptors to include calls with faculty, signing of time logs in Meditrek, and completion of practicum evaluations in Meditrek. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their approved preceptor has access to Meditrek®, signs time logs in Meditrek®, and completes practicum evaluations in Meditrek®.
Logs in Meditrek®
Using Meditrek®, students in NURS 4300/4301 BSN Capstone course must keep a daily time log of the time they spend on practicum activities. Time logs are signed off by preceptors and instructors at the end of the course after the completion of logs. Students are not permitted to sign off on time logs on behalf of the preceptor.
Timeline for Preceptors and Field Sites Programmed in Meditrek®
- Week 1: Preceptors and practicum sites are programmed in Meditrek® for drop-down options in time logs at the end of Week 1 for approved applications.
- Each Friday: If an application is approved after the course starts, the preceptor and practicum site will be populated weekly on Fridays.
- Week 3: Preceptors are emailed their Meditrek® credentials by Monday of Week 3 of the course. Preceptors use their Meditrek® credentials to sign off on time logs and complete evaluations. For preceptors who have not received their Meditrek® credentials or need them earlier, they are encouraged to check their spam/junk email folders or submit a request for credentials to be resent by completing the Meditrek Credentials Request Form.
Note: If students are unable to find their preceptor or practicum site in the drop-down box after Week 1 and their application has been approved more than 1 week, they should email nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu.
Time Log
Using Meditrek®, students in NURS 4300/4301 BSN Capstone course are required to keep a truthful and accurate log of the time they actually spend in practicum activities.
Students must enter their hours in Meditrek® within 1 week of completing the hours.
Preceptors sign off on the time logs at the end of the course after the completion of hours. The preceptor must be approved in Meditrek® for the correct term and course to sign off on student time logs. Students are responsible to ensure the preceptor signs off on the time logs in Meditrek®. Students are NOT permitted to sign off on time logs on behalf of preceptors.
The time log must include the following:
- Faculty name(s)
- Preceptor name(s)
- Dates
- Hours
Activities/comments:
- 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
Brief description of what students did or observed during each time interval
All time log entries must be entered in Meditrek® by the end of course.
For course-based students, if students are approved to log practicum hours after Week 6 of the term, with the Faculty Instructor’s approval, the time log entries must be entered in Meditrek® by the end of the last Sunday before the next term begins. Students will not be able to enter or edit time log entries after midnight on the Sunday before the first day of the next term. If students receive a grade of Incomplete (I) for the course and need to log practicum hours after the next term begins, they must submit a remedial practicum application. Students must submit their request for a remedial application in Meditrek®.
For Tempo-based students, practicum approval is valid for 13 weeks from the start date of the term for the approved practicum application. Time log entries must be entered in Meditrek® by midnight on the last day of the 13-week period. Students will not be able to enter or edit time log entries after the 13-week period. If students need to complete practicum hours after 13 weeks of the term start, they must submit a remedial practicum application. Students must submit their request for a remedial application in Meditrek®.
Note: Students are responsible to ensure time logs are entered correctly and accurately. Students must ensure logs are accurate and correct by selecting the correct course, quarter, faculty, and preceptor. Students are only able to enter logs on or after the date the preceptor was approved in Meditrek®. Students may make changes and edits to logs until either the preceptor and/or Faculty signs the logs in Meditrek®. Once the time logs are signed by either the preceptor or Faculty, they cannot be changed or edited by students. If students mistakenly enter logs incorrectly and the logs are signed, students must contact the Office of Field Experience to invalidate the logs, and then the student will need to reenter the time logs. The Office of Field Experience is unable to backdate logs after the term ends. Students will lose practicum hours if they are not logged by the end of the term in Meditrek®.
Also Note: Concerns regarding truthfulness or accuracy of Meditrek® logs or preceptor approval of Meditrek® logs will result in a Code of Conduct inquiry that could result in a sanction up to and including dismissal from the university. Student found to have falsified their Meditrek® logs or preceptor approval of Meditrek® logs will be subject to disciplinary action, including but not limited to course failure and permanent dismissal from the university. For more information about the Code of Conduct, please refer to the Walden University Student Handbook: Code of Conduct.
Beginning Practicum Hours After Course Begins
Students may NOT begin any practicum hours before (a) the start of the course, (b) they receive practicum application approval in Meditrek from the Office of Field Experience, (c) they are registered for the practicum course, and (d) they receive approval from the practicum course instructor once the course begins. Students are only to complete practicum hours with preceptors and at practicum site locations that have been approved by the Office of Field Experience in Meditrek®. If students log hours with an unapproved preceptor, these hours will not count toward the practicum hour requirement of the course and program.
Practicum hours completed under a preceptor other than the preceptor who was identified in a practicum application submitted by the student will be rejected and students will be required to repeat the hours. Students completing practicum hours under an unapproved preceptor will be subject to Code of Conduct inquiry and may result in disciplinary action, including course failure and permanent dismissal from the university. For more information about the Code of Conduct, please refer to the Walden University Student Handbook, Code of Conduct.
Change of Preceptorship After the Practicum Course Begins
Students who need to change preceptors and/or practicum sites for any reason after their course begins must:
- Contact the Office of Field Experience immediately. The Office of Field Experience staff will review possible options for the student for a possible replacement application depending on the time of term and if the student has a replacement application. There are no guarantees a replacement application will be granted or approved. If a replacement application is granted through the waitlist, students must meet all preceptor requirements and the application must be approved before the student can begin completing hours with the new preceptor. If the new preceptorship requires relocation to a new practicum site, then it is likely the practicum experience will be delayed if an affiliation agreement is not on file or if the site requires onboarding. Practicum hours completed prior to the replacement application being approved will not be allowed to count toward the practicum course requirements.
- Contact the assigned Faculty Member immediately to discuss the impact of completing course requirements and the option of receiving an Incomplete (I) grade to gain additional time to log hours with a new preceptor depending on the time of the term and eligibility of an grade of Incomplete.
Timeline for Preceptors and Field Sites Programmed in Meditrek®
- Week 1: Preceptors and practicum sites are programmed in Meditrek® for drop-down options in time logs at the end of Week 1 for approved applications.
- Each Friday: If an application is approved after the course starts, the preceptor and practicum site will be populated weekly on Fridays.
- Preceptors are emailed their Meditrek® credentials as follows:
Course-Based Terms: Preceptors are emailed their Meditrek® credentials on Monday of Week 3 of the course. Preceptors use their Meditrek® credentials to sign off on time logs and complete evaluations. Preceptors who have not received their Meditrek® credentials are encouraged to check their spam/junk email folders or submit a request for credentials to be re-sent by completing the Meditrek Credentials Request Form.
Tempo-Based Terms: Preceptors are emailed their Meditrek® credentials by the end of the first week of the term. Preceptors use their Meditrek® credentials to sign off on time logs and complete evaluations. Preceptors who have not received their Meditrek® credentials are encouraged to check their spam/junk email folders or submit a request for credentials to be re-sent by completing the Meditrek Credentials Request Form.
Note: If students are unable to find their preceptor or practicum site in the drop-down box more than a week after application approval, please email nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu.
Midterm and Final Evaluation
Preceptors communicate formal feedback on a student’s overall progress to the Instructor twice during the practicum—at midterm and at the end of the course by completing an evaluation. By midterm of the course preceptors will receive an email from Meditrek® with directions on how to complete the evaluation. The final evaluation is due at the end of the course. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the preceptor has received the Meditrek® email and has completed the evaluation by the course deadline. Students should contact the Office of Field Experience if they discover that the preceptor has not received an email with access to Meditrek® by the end of the course.
Note: Students receive a failing grade if the final evaluation is not received by the posted deadlines.
Grades
Dismissal: Dismissal from a practicum experience by a preceptor and/or practicum site may lead to a course failure.
Grade of Incomplete and Remedial Applications: Grades of Incomplete (I) must be requested by the student. Incompletes (I) are given at the discretion of the course Instructor. A grade of Incomplete may be granted only if students have already met the minimum criteria in a course and have acceptably completed approximately 80% of the course requirements (including practicum hours) prior to the last day of classes.
Student must work directly with their course Instructor to determine eligibility for an Incomplete grade. If the course Instructor grants an Incomplete grade, student must establish a plan to complete the practicum requirements directly with the course Instructor.
If the course Instructor does grant the grade of Incomplete, and student will need to complete practicum hours during the next term, student must have a remedial application approved in Meditrek® for the next term.
Once students are officially issued a grade of Incomplete (I) and must complete additional practicum hours during the next term, they must submit a Remedial Application Request Form in Meditrek to begin the remedial application process. Students will receive more information about the remedial application process once the form is submitted. Students must NOT begin practicum hours until after the start date of the remedial application and the remedial application is approved in Meditrek®. Students must have an approved remedial application in Meditrek® in order to begin or continue logging practicum hours to finish the remaining hours for the course.
Failing Grades
If students fail a prerequisite course for a practicum course, they are responsible to contact Student Success Advising to discuss the program of study and develop a plan. Students must also contact the Office of Field Experience to discuss options regarding practicum applications. Depending on timing of the next term start, students may NOT be approved to retake a practicum course if another application must be approved for the failed course and the student is using a different preceptor or site.