Clinical rotations, commonly referred to as practicums or preceptored experiences, provide the family nurse practitioner (FNP) student with opportunities for critical skill development and application of knowledge and competencies essential to the advanced practice registered nurse role of the family nurse practitioner.
FNP students spend over 700 hours in supervised clinical rotations. Students are expected to identify a clincial sites and preceptors to allow for clincal practicums to completed at practice sites close to the student’s home. Faculty advise students and information about strategies to find a preceptor can be found in the clinical manual eBook.
Each clinical rotation should be arranged to assure that clinical opportunities are congruent with the identified learning objectives for the course and program of study.
Students should plan to identify preceptors 3-6 months before their first clinical practicum courses (NP Practicum I -N784D) begins in order to allow time for CUA review of and approval of preceptor and clinical agency. A Memorandum of Understanding will be developed by the school of nursing between CUA and approved agencies (see clinical manual for details).
Approved preceptors for the FNP student are likely to be family nurse practitioners, physician assistants or physicians trained in family practice or internal medicine. In addition, population specific nurse practitioners (pediatrics, women’s health, adult-gerontology), physicain assitants, or physicians may provide excellent teaching and supervision as well during specific clinical rotations. Preceptor CVs are required to be reviewed and on file with the SON to attest to their current unencumbered license in the state of practice, national certification, and experience.
After establishing a clinical schedule with a preceptor, students are responsible for communicating their schedules to their assigned faculty member at the beginning of each semester. If a change in the schedule is required, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate the changes to both the preceptor/mentor and the assigned faculty member. Generally, it is expected that the clinical/practicum experience will span the length of the semester.
CUA faculty will work closely with the student and the preceptor to assure that expectations for student learning objectives and clinical performance are clear. Ongoing communication between the faculty and preceptor is enhanced through email and phone calls. Site visits and virtual meetings can offer additional opportunities for collaboration and assessment of a student’s progress. The use of weekly clinical logs that students submit to faculty for review and critique is a required expectation for each clinical rotation. Student evaluations are completed by the preceptor and reviewed with faculty. The final grade for a course remains the responsibility of the faculty after consultation with the student, preceptor and careful review of all of the course requirements.