Specialty Programs Practicum Manual for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Post-Master’s Certificate:

Section 4. Identification of Preceptor and Practicum Site

 

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 practicum site and preceptor early in the program, as it can take a significant amount of time to identify a preceptor and practicum site and complete the application process. Eligible students who would like to partner with a Field Placement Coordinator to be matched with a preceptor and practicum site through the Practicum Pledge™ service must begin the process early in their program to complete the registration requirements by the deadline. 

Walden’s program directors, director of field placement, experience, specialization coordinators, field experience coordinators, field placement coordinators, practicum course faculty instructors, and are committed to working collaboratively with students and preceptors to support the successful completion of practicum experiences.

College of Nursing Practicum Process Summary

• The process of selecting a site for placement begins with the student identifying a practicum site and initiating contact with a potential preceptor who meets the knowledge, education, skill, and certification qualifications necessary to support the outcomes as outlined in each field experience (i.e., practicum) course. Because Walden students are located around the world, students have the flexibility to identify sites and nominate preceptors based on their region or location.
• Most students should have their first preceptor nominee and a practicum site identified by the middle of their second term.
• Students in the Nursing Education and Public Health Nursing specializations should keep in mind that they are taking two courses that focus on different Learning Outcomes and may need two different preceptors and sites over the course of their program.
• A completed practicum application must be submitted via Meditrek® by the practicum application deadline date for each term.
• Walden’s policy on practicum sites and preceptors is aligned with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) Key Element II-B Standard (2018), which states that “the program is responsible for ensuring adequate physical resources and clinical sites. Clinical sites are sufficient, appropriate, and available to achieve the program’s mission, goals, and expected outcomes.” Further, it is Walden’s policy to ensure adequate physical resources and practicum sites by collaborating with students, preceptors, and administrators to support the successful completion of each student’s program of study, including the field experience and practicum placements.

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 practicum sites and possible preceptors at least three terms before the beginning of their practicum courses, 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 6002/6003 – Perspectives on Graduate Study for Advance Nursing Practice.

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.

Tips for Practicum Site and Preceptor Search

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:

• Contact Career Planning and Development to update their résumés and cover letters with a focus on finding a practicum site. Career Planning and Development can also provide mock interviews to prepare students for speaking with potential preceptors. Please visit the Career Planning and Development website for more information.

• Contact the education department or connect with the person who coordinates field education within organizations where they are interested in doing their field experience.

• Review the practicum site list in Meditrek®. Instructions to access the practicum site list are located on the Office of Field Experience website. This is a list of practicum sites that Walden University College of Nursing students have used in the past.
  Note: A facility’s listing on this site does not guarantee that the site will be able to accommodate a student or that an active Affiliation Agreement is on file, but it is a good place to start.
• Use their professional and personal network to make connections. Develop a profile on professional networks (e.g., LinkedIn) to network; research practicum sites; connect with colleagues, alumni of Walden, and a variety of other professional nursing related groups.
• Research professional nursing associations and organizations to find preceptor resources.
• Contact their state board of nursing to see if they have a list of available preceptors or resources.
• Schedule an appointment with their regional nursing field experience coordinator or field experience coordinator to discuss other tips and ideas for securing a preceptor and practicum site. Students can schedule an appointment online. Please keep in mind that the field experience coordinator cannot place students at a site but may offer further advice or assistance for students.
• Schedule an appointment with the specialization coordinator (Nurse Executive, Nursing Education, Nursing Informatics, or Public Health Nursing). Contact information is listed in Section 9. Specialization coordinators are experts in their field and are significant resources for students. They cannot place students at a site but may be able to offer suggestions to help students identify potential preceptors or practicum sites.
• Attend a Field Experience Roundtable Session to learn more about the process. 

Identifying a Site

“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:

• In a different setting than their usual assigned employment role or work
• Completed outside of their normal working hours
• Under the direction of a preceptor who is not their immediate supervisor and who does not report to them

Note: Students’ employment at their nominated practicum 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 practicum sites.

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

Note: Students who wish to conduct their practicum at their place of employment should be aware 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.

Preceptor Requirements

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:

• The preceptor nominee holds a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing.
• The preceptor nominee is currently a registered nurse with an active, unencumbered license to practice professional nursing in the state where the practicum will take place.
• The preceptor nominee has a minimum of 1 year of postgraduate unsupervised experience and current job role relevant to the MSN specialization The 1 year of experience is based upon the original date of licensure for licensed practitioners.
• The preceptor nominee is able and willing to commit to the preceptor role for the practicum experience.
• The preceptor nominee is employed at the practicum site where practicum takes place.
• The preceptor nominee is not 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, does not report directly to the student.  
• The preceptor nominee must not be a current student in a Walden MSN Specialty Program.

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, primary care provider of the student, or any other relationship that would be considered a conflict of interest. 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.

Use of the Same Preceptor for Multiple Practicum Courses

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.

Supplemental Preceptors

Students may need additional preceptors in order to meet all the requirements for the course including logging all the required hours and/or requirements. 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 must be submitted by the application deadline. If students need to submit a supplemental application for a supplemental preceptor after the application deadline or during the term, they must go through the waitlist to submit a waitlist application.  Applications for supplemental preceptors go through the same review process as other applications and the same policies and requirements apply.

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.

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.

Nurse Executive

NURS 6600: Capstone Synthesis Practicum

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses with a PhD, DNP, MSN (e.g. Nurse Executive), MHA, MBA, and/or MPH degree in a leadership role
• Possible Site Choices: Hospital, clinics, health department, school of nursing

Nursing Education

NURS 6341: Specialty in Clinical Nursing

• The purpose of NURS 6341 is to provide nurse educator students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the science-driven courses of pathopharmacology (NURS 6301) and advanced health assessment (NURS 6512 or NURS 6380; catalog year Spring 2019).
  • The course, through online classroom Discussions and practicum experiences, provides students with the opportunity to apply these sciences to advanced direct patient care.
  • Preceptors are required to have been prepared at the graduate level in the application of these sciences and must be engaged in delivering advanced patient care in a specialized field. Advanced patient care is defined as the management of complex disease processes in a specialty beyond the basic bedside nursing care to a specific group of patients. For example, students might select to learn more about the pain management of oncology patients or the management of hypertensive patients.
  • Other examples of student experiences may be learning the management of complex nursing care delivery, involving the work of a clinical nurse specialist, experiences with a wound specialist, or hospice care. To achieve these learning experiences, students must propose a practicum site that allows them direct contact with patients. Acceptable preceptor and site choices include the following:

• Possible Preceptor Choices: (Clinician) clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, physician, or physician assistant who provides advanced direct care
  • The preceptor is NOT required to be an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
• Possible Site Choices: Community clinic, emergent care clinic or hospital, and/or nursing home or hospice that provides direct contact with patients
• Nonacceptable Sites:  Agencies completing home health visits.  Students are not permitted to go to private homes for home health. 

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.

NURS 6351: Role of the Nurse Educator

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Nurse educators in an academic setting, hospital, or clinic in the role of academician, staff developer, or patient educator
• Possible Site Choices: Academic setting that educates nursing students or allied health staff; hospital, clinic, or other community-based facility that has health education needs for patients and staff
• NOTE: A preceptor that solely supervises students during clinicals is not an appropriate preceptor for this course. 

Nursing Informatics

Practicum Courses for Students With a Catalog Year Prior to Spring 2019:

NURS 6431: Evaluation Methods for Health Information Technology

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses employed in an informatics role with a PhD, DNP, MBA, or MSN (e.g., senior nursing informatics officer [SNIO], chief information officer [CIO], chief medical information officer [CMIO])
  • Nominated preceptors who have a nursing informatics role but who do not have an advanced degree in nursing may be acceptable if students have a co-preceptor.
  • NURS 6431 must be successfully completed prior to taking NURS 6600.
• Possible Site Choices: Hospital, clinic, health department, or organization providing support for electronic health record systems

NRSE 6600: Capstone Synthesis Practicum

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses employed in an informatics role with a Ph.D., DNP, MBA, or MSN (e.g., senior nursing informatics officer [SNIO], chief information officer [CIO], chief medical information officer [CMIO])
  • The preceptor for NURS 6431 and 6600 must be the same.
• Possible Site Choices: Hospital, clinic, health department, or organization providing support for electronic health record systems

Practicum Courses for Students With a Catalog Year Beginning Spring 2019:

NURS 6461: Capstone Synthesis Practicum

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses employed in an informatics role with a Ph.D., DNP, MBA, or MSN (e.g., senior nursing informatics officer [SNIO], chief information officer [CIO], chief medical information officer [CMIO])
• Possible Site Choices: Hospital, clinic, health department, or organization providing support for electronic health record systems

Public Health Nursing

NURS 6720: Population-based Public Health Nursing Interventions*

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses employed in a public health role with a PhD, DNP, MSN, or MPH
  • Nominated preceptors who have a public health role but who do not have an advanced degree in nursing may be acceptable if students have a co-preceptor.

• Possible Site Choices: Local, state, or national public health departments; community centers or agencies (including voluntary, nonprofit, and/or nongovernmental organizations) focused on population care, environmental health, disaster management, and health education; public schools (school nursing)
• Nonacceptable Site Choices: Home visits

NURS 6730: Public Health Nursing Leadership*

• Possible Preceptor Choices: Registered nurses employed in a leadership role in the public health or community health environment with a PhD, DNP, MSN, or MPH
  • Nominated preceptors who have a public health role but who do not have an advanced degree in nursing may be acceptable if students have a co-preceptor.
• Possible Site Choices: Local, state, or national public health departments; community centers or agencies (including voluntary, nonprofit, and/or nongovernmental organizations) focused on population care, environmental health, disaster management, and health education
• Nonacceptable Site Choices: Home visits

*Please Note: For NURS 6720 and NURS 6730 it is preferred that the student remain at the same practicum site.