Applying for practicum can be a lengthy process. The Office of Field Experience recommends that you start the process early enough to remedy any problems that may arise before your application is due. Students must submit one application per practicum course and one application per field site and preceptor. Deadlines are firm.
Applications are due the first day of the quarter before you plan to start your practicum.
|
Term |
Term Start Dates |
Application Deadline Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Spring 2023 |
February 27, 2023 |
November 28, 2022 |
|
Summer 2023 |
May 29, 2023 |
February 27, 2023 |
|
Fall 2023 |
August 28, 2023 |
May 29, 2023 |
|
Winter 2023 |
November 27, 2023 |
August 28, 2023 |
| Spring 2024 | February 26, 2024 | November 27, 2023 |
| Summer 2024 | May 27, 2024 | February 26, 2024 |
Practicum Manuals for the 2022-2023 Academic Year
Practicum Orientations for the 2020-2021 Academic Year
Course Overviews
Clinical Checklists
BSN - Undergraduate (4210,4211,4220,4221):
Course-Based:
Tempo-Based:
MSN-Specializations:
Course-Based:
TEMPO-Based:
Post Master's Certificate - Specialty:
MSN-Nurse Practitioner Specializations:
Post Master's Certificate - Nurse Practitioner Specializations:
DNP:
Resources:
Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual
Nurse Executive
Nursing Education
Nursing Informatics
Public Health
Students may search active affiliation agreements that Walden University has with various field sites for programs throughout the university in Meditrek. Some field sites may not be appropriate for some programs/specializations. Students should review the Practicum Manual for specific course requirements to ensure the site would be appropriate for the course. An active affiliation agreement between Walden and the field site does not require a site to agree to take on any particular Walden student for practicum as space and programs may be limited. You will need to work directly with the field site to ensure their willingness and ability to take you on as a student during the time period that aligns with your course. You will also need to complete the practicum application process and receive application approval in Meditrek. The presence of an active agreement with a field site does not imply automatic approval of your practicum application.
Walden actively pursues affiliation agreements with new field sites whenever possible. Walden University has resources and staffing available to facilitate new affiliation agreements. Please contact the Office of Field Experience to discuss options if your desired field site is not listed in this database.
To access the Affiliation Agreement Search in Meditrek, you will need to sign into Meditrek using your Meditrek credentials. If you are a current nursing student and have not received your Meditrek credentials, click here.
Students enrolling in certain MSN and Post Master’s Certificate courses will be required to submit a practicum plan in Meditrek as part of a course assignment. Students should follow all directions as outlined in the course syllabus in Blackboard. Students may access step-by-step instructions on how to submit their “Practicum Plan” in Meditrek by reviewing the “Practicum Plan Tutorial for Meditrek & FAQ”.
Students may search active affiliation agreements that Walden University has with various field sites for programs throughout the university in Meditrek. Some field sites may not be appropriate for some programs/specializations. Students should review the Practicum Manual for specific course requirements to ensure the site would be appropriate for the course. An active affiliation agreement between Walden and the field site does not require a site to agree to take on any particular Walden student for practicum as space and programs may be limited. You will need to work directly with the field site to ensure their willingness and ability to take you on as a student during the time period that aligns with your course. You will also need to complete the practicum application process and receive application approval in Meditrek. The presence of an active agreement with a field site does not imply automatic approval of your practicum application.
Walden actively pursues affiliation agreements with new field sites whenever possible. Walden University has resources and staffing available to facilitate new affiliation agreements. Please contact the Office of Field Experience to discuss options if your desired field site is not listed in this database.
To access the Affiliation Agreement Search in Meditrek, you will need to sign into Meditrek using your Meditrek credentials. If you are a current nursing student and have not received your Meditrek credentials, click here.
Instructions: “Affiliation Agreement Search in Meditrek”
Video Tutorial: Affiliation Agreement Database: Searching for Practicum Sites in Meditrek
What is Meditrek?
Meditrek, a product of HSoft Corporation, is a user-friendly online tool that will help you apply for, track, and manage your practicum experience. Meditrek will help you:
Collaborate more effectively with faculty and preceptors.
Track your time spent at each clinical field site and organize it by course, term, and more.
Provide documentation of your experience to potential employers or certifying agencies for certificates and licensure.
Provide an easy and trackable system to submit your practicum applications.
Access the system 24 hours a day from anywhere with an Internet connection, including your computer, tablet, and smartphone, even after you graduate.
Existing Account: If students and preceptors already have Meditrek credentials created but lost their username and/ password, they request their username and password to be reset directly on the Meditrek home page at https://edu.meditrek.com by clicking on the link for “Forgot your password or username?” at the bottom of the screen.
New Account: If students and preceptors do not already have an account in Meditrek, they may request account creation online by completing this form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/CON/RequestMeditrekCredentials
Walden’s Practicum Pledge™ is an exclusive service offered by our institution to support you on your journey to become a nurse practitioner. We know that finding a site or preceptor can be challenging. To better ensure a successful placement, we’ve developed a truly collaborative process. It involves you, practicum sites, and preceptors while Walden supports you to navigate that process. If you get stuck – we’re here to help! If you have worked to identify your own site and preceptor but are not able to do so, Walden’s Practicum Pledge™ will match you with a site and preceptor.
Eligible Programs: Nurse Practitioner courses for MSN-NP and DNP-NP programs.
Meditrek, a product of HSoft Corporation, is a user-friendly online tool that will help you apply for, track, and manage your practicum experience. Meditrek will help you:
Collaborate more effectively with faculty and preceptors.
Track your time spent at each clinical field site and organize it by course, term, and more.
Provide documentation of your experience to potential employers or certifying agencies for certificates and licensure.
Provide an easy and trackable system to submit your practicum applications.
Access the system 24 hours a day from anywhere with an Internet connection, including your computer, tablet, and smartphone, even after you graduate.
Students can use their Single Sign On credentials to access Meditrek: Student Meditrek Login.
What do I need in order to submit my application?
From Meditrek
From Your Preceptor Nominee
From Your Field Site
From Yourself
For Webinars, FAQs, and Tutorials on how to submit your application, please go here.
Students who have officially been approved to change their specialization and/or program must request their Meditrek account be updated. Students may submit a request to update their Meditrek account by completing this online form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/SON/ChangeOfSpecialization
Students enrolling in a different learning modality must request their Meditrek account be updated. Students may submit a request to update their Meditrek account by completing this online form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/SON/ChangeOfSpecialization
Students needing to change their start date for their practicum application by two-weeks for courses in the Tempo program may request the change online by completing this online form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/SON/TempoApplication
Students with an incomplete grade needing to log practicum hours during the next term must submit a request for a remedial application to be opened in Meditrek by completing this online request form: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/SON/RemedialApplication .
Walden University College of Nursing’s Onboarding Policy requires practicum students to complete specific requirements in order to be approved for practicum. These onboarding requirements vary from state to state; however, they generally include the passing of a background check and drug screening, health requirements, required training and professional liability insurance, and any additional onboarding requirements that may be required by the field site. This is a Walden University requirement that applies to all nursing practicum students. Being an employee of the field site does not exempt students from this requirement.
Requirements will only be approved if submitted through Walden University’s designated provider, CastleBranch. Please be aware that students are responsible for all expenses incurred for onboarding requirements. Students will not be permitted to start their field experience until Onboarding Requirements are complete.
CastleBranch, Walden’s designated vendor for onboarding requirements, provides a secure platform to complete onboarding requirements. Onboarding requirements are managed, stored and tracked in CastleBranch. Students must complete ALL the requirements listed in the CastleBranch portal to begin their practicum. Students must complete all onboarding requirements online at http://walden.castlebranch.com/. Step-by-step instructions can be found here. Any questions regarding the purchase of a screening package can be answered by CastleBranch at 1-888-723-4263. For questions regarding the field site, onboarding requirements or practicum applications regarding this process, please contact nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu.
Students do not need to complete the onboarding requirements in CastleBranch prior to submitting a practicum application, but the requirements must be completed before an application will be approved. This practicum application will not be fully approved until all the requirements are complete in CastleBranch. The School of Nursing Field Education Office Staff will confirm submission of all requirements in CastleBranch to approve practicum applications.
Walden is fully committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment and academic community for all students, faculty, and staff. Click here to view Walden University's Notice of Nondiscrimination and Procedures for Student, Faculty, and Staff Reporting of Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Discrimination, or Other Related Reports.
For additional information check Application Status Review Guide.
Applications will not be reviewed in the Incomplete, Incomplete-Started, Returned or Closed status. If you are planning to use an application in this status action is required. The email sent you from Meditrek on the date of the status change will give more information. If you have additional questions reach out to the Field Experience after you have read the Meditrek email and checked your Meditrek profile.
What Happens After an Application is Submitted
1. When you successfully submit your application, you will receive an automatic email from Meditrek stating it was submitted.
2. You should allow 2-3 weeks (3-4 during peak time) to receive a response from a Field Education Coordinator via your Walden Email.
3. The application and the affiliation agreement are two separate entities being worked on simultaneously.
4. You will receive an email reply with one of the following in regards to your application
5. We process applications as they come in and if we identify an error later we are able to override the approval.
6. You can log in to Meditrek at any time to see the status of your application.
It is important for students to submit their practicum application by the application deadline to avoid delays. The application deadline is important to allow enough time to complete the practicum approval process to ensure all accreditation, compliance, regulatory, onboarding, and practicum site requirements are complete. Students submitting an application after the application deadline will be delayed. In order to accommodate late applications once the application submission period ends in Meditrek, the Office of Field Experience has a waitlist for late applications. The waitlist is only available for a very limited time. The waitlist will close at any time, without notice, for a variety of factors including the volume of requests and length of time before the start of the term.
To be initially eligible for a waitlist late application, students must have a preceptor secured and have extenuating circumstances. Students must also have all onboarding requirements compliant and valid for the upcoming term in CastleBranch. Students must have all requirements set to expire before the term updated and renewed in CastleBranch. If any expiring requirement is currently marked complete in CastleBranch, students must contact CastleBranch to request the renewal requirement to be added early to their “To Do List” in order to update the requirement in CastleBranch. Students must also have a background check and drug test completed within 12 months of the first day of the term. Students must follow instructions in the Onboarding & CastleBranch Instructional Guide.
Students interested in submitting a late application through the waitlist process must submit a “Waitlist Late Application Request” form in Meditrek because students are unable to open new applications in Meditrek once application submission period ends. This request process is only available when the waitlist is open. The response time on requests for a waitlist application is 5-7 business days. If granted a waitlist late application, students must be ready to submit their practicum application in Meditrek immediately. Once an application is submitted, the application gets placed on the waitlist and is processed in the order it is submitted in Meditrek. Final approval and registration decisions for waitlist applications are made beginning two weeks before the start of the term and continues through the start of the term. Placement on the waitlist does not guarantee that a practicum application will be approved.
Once the waitlist is closed, new requests for late applications will no longer be accepted through the waitlist. The ability for students to submit a late application through the waitlist is not a guarantee.
