It is critical to students’ successful practicum experiences that they thoroughly and completely review the Walden University College of Nursing Practicum Manual designated for their program and specialty area in their first term and throughout their program. Walden provides guidelines for identifying an appropriate preceptor and practicum site, and the manuals outline the practicum application submittal resources necessary in order to begin the practicum process.
Preparing early will be critical to practicum success. It is highly recommended that students work with the Office of Field Experience to start the search process for a field site and preceptor early in the program, as it can take a significant amount of time to identify a preceptor and field site and complete the application process.
Reference:
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (2018). Standards for accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs: Key element II-B standard. CCNE.
Students should read this manual and refer to the practicum application resources on the Office of Field Experience website to begin the practicum process. Walden provides guidelines for how to identify preceptors and practicum sites. Because Walden students are located around the world, they have the flexibility to identify sites based on their region/location. To begin the process, students identify a practicum site and initiate contact with a potential preceptor who meets the qualifications and may be interested in working with them.
Students are encouraged to start the search to identify field sites and possible preceptors early in the program, as it takes time for Walden to negotiate Affiliation Agreements with sites and to review qualifications of potential preceptors. Students should notify the Office of Field Experience of their identified preceptor nominees and practicum sites early in their specialization. For most students, this will be during NURS 6321: Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Evaluation; NURS 6221: Managing Human Resources; NURS 6411: Information and Knowledge Management; or NURS 6700: Epidemiology and Population Health.
Students are strongly encouraged to identify alternative practicum sites and preceptor nominees as back-ups and submit their application prior to application deadline in order to increase their opportunity for placement during the students’ desired term and to avoid practicum and academic delay. A completed application must be submitted via Meditrek® by the practicum application deadline date. Students must submit the application in Meditrek® for the application to be reviewed and processed. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and may delay practicum placement and academic progress.
Identifying a practicum site and preceptor can be as intensive as a job search. The following tips are recommended for students when they are beginning the search process. Students should:
“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 supervise the student in the practicum experience during a specific term.
Students should consider their career goals after graduation when they are choosing a practicum site. They must match their practicum setting and the preceptor who they nominate with their goals, within the specific guidelines of the course. To finalize their education, students must have an opportunity to apply their acquired knowledge, concepts, and skills. To do this, students may need to travel to a setting other than their own practice setting.
Students may complete the practicum where they work, assuming the location is appropriate to their area of specialization. (e.g., hospital, nursing home, health organization, public health department, college, or university health department). However, their practicum experience must be:
Note: Students’ employment at their nominated field site does not guarantee that an Affiliation Agreement can be reached between Walden University and the site. Regardless of employment status, an Affiliation Agreement and onboarding are required for all field sites.
Students should follow the appropriate procedure at the field site to secure a practicum rotation and to understand the field site requirements prior to beginning the practicum.
Note: Students who wish to conduct their practicum at their place of employment should be aware that that loss of employment during their practicum may interfere with their ability to complete their required practicum hours.
Students must identify a potential preceptor 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 preceptor. Instructions on how to nominate a preceptor are provided later in the “Forms to Complete in Meditrek” section. 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 determine if the preceptor and site meet the requirements. Students should evaluate potential preceptors early by emailing nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to obtain feedback about whether the nominee is an acceptable preceptor candidate.
Prior to approval, the nominated preceptor’s licensure and certification (if applicable) is verified and reviewed; the curriculum vitae or resume is reviewed; and the Preceptor Commitment Form is evaluated by the Office of Field Experience. The specialization coordinator gives final approval of preceptor nominees. Approval of the preceptor is based on the following criteria:
Important Note: If it is found that a student’s preceptor is a supervisor, direct report, relative, family member, fiancé, roommate, significant other, 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.
Please refer to the “Course-Specific Requirements” section for more course-specific requirements for preceptors.
Note: Approval of the preceptor must occur prior to the student starting the practicum course and logging hours. Students cannot begin logging practicum hours until their practicum application is fully approved, and they have been registered for the course.
Except where otherwise noted, students must use different preceptors for their different practicum courses. Each practicum course has different requirements. It is unlikely that one preceptor will have the expertise in each separate and distinct focus for students to acquire the appropriate training. It is important to remember that this is students’ opportunity to learn; selecting a preceptor who meets only the minimum requirements may result in an inadequate experience.
Students may need additional preceptors in order to meet all the requirements for the course including logging all the required hours and/or patients. If students need to precept with multiple preceptors to meet the course requirements, then they have an option to nominate another person as their supplemental preceptor, provided the supplemental preceptor nominee fulfills the requirements. When students complete their practicum application, they must provide a fully completed application for both their preceptor nominee and their supplemental preceptor nominee. Applications for supplemental preceptor nominees should be submitted as early as possible. However, applications are accepted during the quarter if students need a supplemental preceptor during the quarter to meet the required practicum hours. Applications for supplemental preceptors go through the same review process as other applications.
In some cases, there may be someone who would be an ideal preceptor, but they do not meet all of the requirements. For instance, an individual may be a nurse but not have a master’s degree in nursing. A preceptor candidate may be a healthcare informatics specialist but not a nurse. If students find themselves in this situation, then they have an option to nominate the person as their supplemental preceptor, provided they also nominate a preceptor who fulfills all qualifications applicable to preceptors. The co-preceptor assists the preceptor; both ensure that the quality of the practicum work is at the master’s level and relevant to nursing.
Note: Supplemental preceptors must be approved in Meditrek® prior to students logging hours with supplemental preceptors.
Example reasons for supplemental preceptors:
Because circumstances change, sometimes students need to change preceptors before or during their practicum course. This is known as a replacement application. If the new preceptor nominee requires transfer to a new practicum site, then a new Affiliation Agreement will also be needed. Depending on the timing before the term begins, there may not be enough time to process an application, Affiliation Agreement, and onboarding, which may delay the practicum experience until a later term. Students must receive practicum application approval in Meditrek® for any change of preceptor prior to logging practicum hours
Note: If a student’s preceptor becomes unavailable for any reason before or during the practicum, the student is required to notify the Office of Field Experience.
Students whose approved preceptor becomes unavailable for any reason before their course begins must
Note: Practicum hours logged prior to application approval will NOT be allowed to count toward the practicum course requirements.
Students whose approved preceptor becomes unavailable for any reason after their course begins must:
Note: Practicum hours logged prior to application approval will NOT be allowed to count toward the practicum course requirements.
Important Note: Practicum hours completed under a preceptor other than the preceptor who was identified in a practicum application submitted by the student and approved in Meditrek® will be rejected and students will be required to repeat the hours. Failure to notify the Office of Field Experience and assigned Faculty, as stated above, will result in a 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.
Following are suggestions, listed by specialization, for students to consider when choosing a preceptor and site for each required practicum course. Students can also consult the course descriptions in the as a guide.
Note: The focus of this course is not on educating patients, students, or staff. A college, university, or staff development department is not an appropriate site and will not help students achieve the objectives of this course. Also, supervising nursing students in a clinical setting would not be an appropriate activity for this course. In addition, individuals in educator roles are not appropriate preceptors for this practicum unless they have expertise as clinicians and can provide students with access to direct patient contact.
*Please Note: For NURS 6720 and NURS 6730 it is preferred that the student remain at the same practicum site.