It is important for students to recognize their role as a student and their responsibilities to the clinical site and preceptor. The student can optimize their clinical learning experience by following these guidelines.
Preceptors need to remember that they do not fail students or stall a student's progress. Instead, the student's performance either meets or fails to meet criteria.
As a rule, preceptors for family nurse practitioner students are asked to fill out the "Competency Based Evaluation" Tool form midway through the student's hours and near the end of the completion of hours. Preceptors are encouraged to contact the faculty at any time with any questions or concerns.
Selection of Preceptor
Students may be given the opportunity to provide input into the selection of their clinical preceptor. If so, students can suggest a preceptor to the clinical coordinator or designee based on the potential preceptor’s experience with students from the program, recommendations from faculty, geographic need, preceptor specialty/subspecialty and experience of the preceptor. All preceptors and clinical sites must be approved by the clinical coordinator or designee prior to a final agreement with the preceptor. The preceptor must have a minimum of one-year clinical practice experience in which the clinical will occur. Students should be aware that clinical site and preceptor placement by the APRN Clinical Coordinator or designee is not a guarantee and is based on clinical site and preceptor availability and acceptance – which may delay and/or impede progress in the program plan of study. Student assistance with the clinical site and preceptor placement may be requested under certain circumstances. Students CANNOT have a family member serve as a clinical preceptor.
Coordination of Clinical Hours
Students are to coordinate with the preceptor a proposed schedule prior to starting the clinical practicum. The student is expected to accommodate the preceptor's availability and schedule. Students are expected to arrange their personal and work schedules to accommodate participation in the required number of clinical hours specified by the clinical course. The clinical hours face sheet should be completed and a copy for the preceptor, faculty and student provided. Changes to the clinical schedule are provided in writing to the preceptor and the clinical professor.
Students are highly discouraged from traveling for personal reasons not covered in the excused absences section, during the academic year.
Preparation for Clinical
The student is expected to prepare for the clinical practicum as recommended by the faculty and preceptor. This preparation includes developing individual learning objectives, conferring with faculty and preceptor on areas of weakness, and seeking independent learning experiences that will provide the student with a higher level of self- confidence. Students are to meet with the preceptor prior to beginning clinical hours. The student should be prepared with a short CV/resume, written clinical objectives and a clinical calendar form to negotiate clinical hours for the semester.
The student should discuss with the preceptor the patient population in the preceptor's practice and the most common clinical problems that s/he can expect to encounter in the clinical site. The student is expected to prepare for the clinical practicum by reading current reference material for the patient population and patient clinical problems most often encountered by the preceptor. Preparation should also include reading appropriate reference material to expand knowledge regarding clinical situations encountered by the student during the practicum hours.
Attendance at Clinical
Students are expected to treat the agreed upon clinical hours similar to work hours. If the student is to be absent for a scheduled clinical day due to illness or emergency, the preceptor should be notified prior to the beginning of the clinical day. The student should negotiate the procedure for contacting the preceptor in case of absence prior to starting clinical practicum. Make-up hours are then to be negotiated. Students also must contact the faculty member promptly. Students are required to keep a log of completed clinical hours. Specific required intervals for submission of hours to clinical faculty are set by each course. Students are highly discouraged from traveling for personal reasons not covered in the excused absences section, during the academic year.
The student should provide a one to two-page summary of their education, work history and clinical experience if required. Include clinical and other pertinent courses completed in the nurse practitioner program and previous student NP clinical experiences.
Clinical Note Documentation
The Information Blocking Rule, as part of 21st Century Cures Act, requires that all clinical notes are released to the patient immediately after they are finalized. Student notes qualify as clinical notes; therefore, they are subject to this rule. Student notes will become final after the note is cosigned/attested by the supervising physician or APP. The supervising provider must verify documentation and ensure that the note is shared with patient by the student prior to attesting/cosigning the note. Students are not allowed to un-share the note, this is the supervising providers’ responsibility.
Malpractice Insurance
Coverage by professional RN liability insurance (1 million/5 million) prior to enrollment in the first graduate nursing core course is required. Malpractice/liability insurance covering Nurse Practitioner students is required once the student enters the Nurse Practitioner Practicum courses.
BLS & ACLS Certification
Successful completion of BLS prior to their first graduate clinical course is required. Successful completion of an ACLS course is required prior to NURS 765.
Licensure
Licensure is required as an RN in the state of residence prior to enrollment in the first graduate nursing core course. For students who are enrolled in a plan of study that requires an APRN license, the license must be obtained prior to enrollment in the first graduate course. Licensure may also be required in the state where clinical hours will be complete. Multi-state licensure compacts recognized by the South Dakota Board of Nursing are acceptable.
Students are required to maintain current licensure during the program. Students are responsible for submitting appropriate documentation in a timely manner to the graduate nursing program office.
Faulty Evaluation of Student
Practicum courses will require faculty to visit the student’s clinical site. When the clinical site visitor is required to travel greater than 200 miles, the student will be responsible for costs associated with travel.
Travel expenses may include the following:
- Airfare
- Hotel
- Rental Car
- Parking
- Mileage
- Per Diem/Meal
The student will be invoiced upon completion of the site visit. All invoices must be paid by the end of the applicable semester. In some instances, it may be possible for the student to travel to a approved clinical site to complete the site visit and pay for his or her own travel expenses to this site. The student will need to contact the APRN Program Director if this is desired.
Confidentiality of Information
Students will maintain confidentiality while communicating data, plans, and results in a manner that preserves the dignity and privacy of the client and provides a legal record of care.
For purposes of accreditation, students will assemble certain information in relation to their participation in the care of patients, but subsequent use of the information will be in redacted from meeting HIPAA Limited Data Set requirements.
When recording data to document student experiences, the student will remove any patient identifying data as identified as "Limited Data Sets." Limited Data Sets are Protected Health Information (PHI) with the following twelve identifiers regarding the patient, the patient's employer, the patient's relatives and the members of the patient's household removed from it: 1) name; 2) street address; 3) telephone and fax numbers; 4) e-mail addresses; 5) social security numbers; 6) certificate/license numbers; 7) vehicle identifiers and serial numbers; 8) URLs and IP addresses; 9) full face photos and other comparable images; 10) medical record numbers, health plan beneficiary numbers, and other account numbers 11) device identifiers and serial numbers: and 12) biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints.