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Step 4: Successfully Complete your Practicum Courses

The final step in your practicum journey is successfully completing the course and tracking your practicum experience. During your course you should: 

  • Submit and monitor any future practicum applications.
  • Notify the Office of Field Experience immediately if there are changes to your experience.
  • Have your preceptor attend conference calls with your faculty instructor.
  • Enter your time logs and patient logs (NP only) in Meditrek. 
  • Complete evaluations you are assigned.
  • Make sure your preceptor completes evaluations and signs off on hours in Meditrek.

 

Immediately Contact Us

Alert us immediately if any issues or concerns arise such as;

  • You must drop the course.
  • Your need to change your preceptor. 
  • You're having issues meeting your hours or patient encounters.
  • You are having issues with your preceptor.
  • You need to add a supplemental preceptor.

Contact the Office of Field Experience

Having a faculty issue? Contact your Program Coordinator.

Having a technical issue? Contact Customer Care Team

Complete Practicum Orientation before you begin your practicum experience.

Complete Training Before Practicum

Complete the following training on professional presence, communication, and conduct before you begin your practicum experience.    

Start Training

Completing Your Logs

Read detailed information on practicum time/patient logs for your program:  

Nurse Practitioner and Post-Master's Specialty Master's and Post-Master's DoctoralUndergraduate (BSN) Nursing

Evaluations

You and your preceptor are required to provide feedback by completing an online evaluation in Meditrek®.

You will complete an evaluation of your practicum experience at the end of your course. 

Your preceptor must complete a midterm and final evaluation in Meditrek. These evaluations will provide information about your progress and performance during practicum. Your preceptor will receive an email with login information for Meditrek.

You are responsible for ensuring your preceptor has received a username and password for Meditrek, signs your time logs and completes the practicum evaluations by the course deadline. Your preceptor is required to complete the evaluations and sign time logs in Meditrek before a final grade will be issued.  

You must contact the Office of Field Experience if your preceptor has not received an email with access to Meditrek® after Week 3 of the course.

Frequently Asked Questions – Course Success

Do I need to complete an orientation before I begin my practicum experience?

Yes. You must complete the Walden Practicum Orientation for Students before you begin your practicum experience. You must also contact your practicum site to inquire if they require you to complete orientation before you begin.

Do I need to complete training before I begin my practicum experience?

Yes. You must complete the Guide to Professional Presence, Communication, and Conduct in Field Experience training before you begin your practicum experience. You must also contact your practicum site to inquire if they require you to complete training before you begin.

What is expected of me during my practicum experience?

You must review expectations for practicum in the Practicum Orientation for Students before you begin your practicum experience. You must also abide by the policies and procedures outlined in the Practicum Manual, Course Success page on the Field Experience website and in the Course Syllabus.

Is there a dress code for practicum?

You must abide by student expectations for dress code and professional appearance for practicum as outlined in the Practicum Orientation for Students. You must also contact your practicum site to inquire about their dress code attire and abide by the dress code for the practicum site.

How many hours are required for my practicum course?

Review the requirements for practicum hours on the Course Overview and in the Practicum Manual in Section 2 to determine how many hours you must complete during the practicum course.

How long is my practicum?

Review the requirements for practicum hours on the Course Overview and in the Practicum Manual in Section 2 to determine how many hours you must complete during the practicum course.

Course-Based Practicum:

  • Graduate Courses: Practicum hours must be completed by Week 10 of the 11-week term.
  • Undergraduate Courses: Practicum hours must be completed by Week 6 of the 6-week term.

Tempo-Based Practicum:

Practicum approval is valid for 13 weeks from the start date of the term for the approved practicum application. Students should complete practicum hours within the 13-week period.

When can I begin my practicum experience?

Students may begin practicum hours and practicum activities with the preceptor or at the practicum site after (a) the start of the term, (b) they receive practicum application approval in Meditrek from the Office of Field Experience, (c) they are registered/enrolled in the practicum course, and (d) they receive approval from the faculty instructor for the practicum course once the course begins. Students cannot begin completing practicum hours or logging practicum hours until these conditions have been met.

Can I start practicum early if my practicum site wants me to begin practicum early?

No. You cannot begin your practicum experience early. You must wait until the start of the term, you have approved application in Meditrek, and you have approval from your faculty instructor to begin the practicum experience.

Do I need to obtain books or materials for the practicum experience?

Each course is different so you should check in the bookstore to confirm if there are any required books/materials for the course. It may be necessary for you to explore learning resources that relate to your chosen area of interest outside of Walden resources. This is a common requirement of scholar practitioners who seek to keep current in their areas of expertise.

What if I need to change my preceptor and/or practicum after the course begins?

Review the instructions and steps outlined in the “Change of Preceptorship After the Practicum Course Begins’ in Section 2 of the Practicum Manual.

Do I have to finish all the practicum hours during each course?

Yes, you must complete the required practicum hours during each course to satisfactorily meet the requirements of the course. Practicum hours cannot be carried over to another term.

What if I cannot complete all of the practicum hours and requirements by the end of the term?

Students usually complete their practicum without any problems. However, if you are concerned about this, you should contact your practicum course faculty instructor immediately.

  • Course-Based Courses: Students may be eligible for an Incomplete Grade for a practicum course if you meet the guidelines as determined by the faculty instructor. An Incomplete Grade will provide you with additional time to complete practicum requirements. See the Student Handbook to review the policy for Incomplete Grades.
  • Tempo-Based Courses: Students who need to complete practicum hours after the 13-week approval period must go through the Remedial Application process. Students must follow directions for Remedial Applications described in the Practicum Application Process section.
Can my practicum experience be virtual/remote?

No. Practicum is completed onsite in person with the preceptor at the practicum site.

Can my practicum experience be in a private home setting?

No. Practicum experiences cannot be completed in a private residential setting.

May I go to another practicum site location with my approved preceptor?

No. You are only approved to complete practicum experiences at the address that you listed in your practicum application for the practicum site. You must have an approved practicum application for each practicum site location you plan to attend. If your preceptor goes to multiple practicum site locations, you may not go to these other practicum site locations with your preceptor without an approved practicum application for the new location(s) in Meditrek.

Who can sign my time logs and complete my practicum evaluations in Meditrek?

Only your designated and approved preceptor who is approved in Meditrek can sign off on your time logs and complete your practicum evaluations in Meditrek. Students, preceptor designees, and administrative staff are not permitted to complete these tasks.

What if my preceptor does not complete the required midterm and final evaluation in Meditrek?

Students must confirm with their preceptor(s) that they have received their account information to access Meditrek. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their preceptor completes the midterm and final evaluation in Meditrek. Students will earn an “F” in the practicum course if the preceptor does not complete the required Meditrek final evaluations by the course deadline. Preceptors may send an email to nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu if they experience issues accessing Meditrek.

Will my preceptor be compensated?

Although Walden University College of Nursing does not compensate preceptors financially for preceptorships, they are provided with great benefits for serving as a preceptor. You can review the Preceptors Benefits on the Preceptor Resources webpage.