Overview of Professional Practice Experience

In Preparation for Your Professional Practice Experience hours you will:

Meet with Program Mentor to discuss initiating placement process
Complete the requirements on your Field Experience Page
Work with your Coordinator and site throughout the placement process
Complete WGU Compliance and site-specific requirements
Obtain official clearance from your Coordinator

To avoid delaying your degree progression stay in close contact with your Coordinator

Discuss the Professional Practice Experience expectations with your Program Mentor.

You want to have ample time to network in order to identify a potential preceptor and site. When establishing an Affiliation Agreement with your selected host site or renewing an old agreement, the process can take a significant amount of time. Additionally, gathering and uploading compliance records can take time and may require updating your immunizations.

Any delay in starting these steps can impact your degree progression, especially when you are at the end of term or nearing graduation.

Possible placement locations

Large Medical Facilities
Pharmacies
Consulting Firms
Insurance Companies
Small Medical Facilities (Dental Office, Home Health, e.t.c)

Provide potential host site and contact information on the Pre-Placement Survey located on your Field Experience Page

Please be sure that the information on your Pre-Placement Survey is accurate and filled in completely.

What is a Placement Host Site?

A health facility that has or is willing to enter into an Affiliation Agreement with WGU. i.e., Hospital, Clinic, or Health Department willing to accept WGU BSHIM students.

Students are welcome to utilize their place of employment as their host site.

Review the Introduction to Your Placement Process page

Please be sure to review the resources provided to fully understand this placement process and the expectations you will be held to.

To access this page click here

Process of securing placement

Once you have identified a Site and Preceptor you will work with your Coordinator to secure placement. Your Coordinator is also required to be in direct contact with your placement site.

Your Coordinator will stay in regular contact with you through out this process. Your communication with the site through out this placement is beneficial to move this process forward.

**Your placement may require site-specific placement approval or onboarding**

Affiliation Agreements

This is a legal contract negotiation between WGU's legal team and the legal team at your selected site. This can take 2-3 months to fully execute.

Students will be notified once the Agreement is fully executed.

Please visit the Compliance Requirements Page

Documentation of WGUs Compliance items are required, even if a student is seeking placement with their employer, a Complio account is required, as employment status and Field Experience are not interrelated.

Please feel free to review document linked below for more information.

BSHIM Compliance FAQ

For compliance related questions, students should email the WGU Compliance Team at healthplacement@wgu.edu with “Compliance Questions” in the subject line.

Once onboarding and compliance have been completed for both WGU and the site an agreed upon start date will need to be reported to your Coordinator

BSHIM final placement confirmation email

Your Program Mentor needs to approve your start date and help coordinate with your degree plan and PPE course timelines.
Students CANNOT engage in or log PPE II hours before receiving the Final Placement Confirmation Email and current term enrollment in the D259 course. Any hours started prior to the requirements above will not be counted and will need to be redone.
Once a student has an approved start date, they will receive a Final Placement Confirmation Email and the Final Review task on your Field Experience Page will be checked off.

Students should remember when they are at the worksite, they should function like a staff member and support others in their work, all the while maintaining professionalism and following WGU policies. Please dress professionally until you have learned dress code standards of the facility.

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