A listing of roles and responsibilities regarding students, preceptors and faculty in providing clinical education is provided below.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Preceptor
The preceptor works directly with graduate nursing students and closely with Faculty to facilitate the student's clinical experience and achievement of clinical objectives. Specifically, the preceptor will:
- Precept the student on a one-to-one clinical basis.
- Participate in student instruction while serving as an expert, role model, and consultant during clinical experience.
- Provide student orientation to the facility and introduction to staff.
- Provide space and room facilities as needed for the student's clinical experience.
- Provide the student with clinical experiences to meet the course and clinical requirements, objectives, and specific educational expectations.
- Provide feedback to the USI faculty regarding the student's clinical performance. Faculty have the ultimate responsibility of student clinical evaluation.
- Evaluate the student's clinical competency via communication with student, preceptor and faculty.
- Notify the graduate faculty immediately of any problems arising from the student's performance.
- Provide feedback to the student about performance and progress on an ongoing basis.
- Facilitate student experiences through evaluation of clinical experience, participation in quality management of clinical experience, and identification of new learning experiences.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Graduate Nursing Student
The student, in consultation with the preceptor and faculty, should progress through the five stages of role performance from dependence to independence in providing care to clients. It is essential that the student experience success in knowing when to treat independently, when to consult, and when to refer. Specifically the student will:
- Understand and practice within the scope of advanced nursing practice as regulated by the Nurse Practice Act in the state where clinical experiences will be completed.
- Provide the preceptor/agency and faculty with proof of liability insurance, satisfactory completion of OSHA and HIPAA requirements, and licensure to practice professional nursing in the state clinical experience will be completed.
- Provide a professional, updated resume for the preceptor.
- Provide proof of current immunization status and CPR certification.
- Negotiate goals/objectives for fulfilling the clinical requirements with the preceptor.
- Provide written documentation of educational and clinical experiences that meet goals and objectives as indicated in the course syllabi.
- Maintain a collegial and professional relationship with preceptor and faculty.
- Provide evidence of self-evaluation of clinical performance and the attainment of learning objectives.
- Assume responsibility for individual learning needs through assessment of own strengths and limitations.
- Report to preceptor and faculty immediately if unable to meet clinical experience commitment.
- Communicate to the preceptor and faculty immediately about any problems that may arise during the clinical experience.
- Participate in the clinical evaluation process via communication with preceptor and faculty.
- Demonstrate clinical competency in site visit simulations as indicated in syllabi.
- Students may be required to visit campus in order to demonstrate clinical competency.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Graduate Nursing Faculty
The faculty, in collaboration with the preceptor, will arrange clinical experiences to optimize the student's personal and professional development. Specifically, the faculty will:
- Identify clinical educational requirements and objectives with the clinical affiliate faculty, preceptor and student.
- Facilitate student, clinical affiliate faculty and preceptor orientation to the respective roles and responsibilities.
- Assess the adequacy of space and appropriateness of clients within the clinical affiliate faculty’s and preceptor’s practice environment to ensure adequate student learning experiences and meeting learning objectives.
- Ensure that appropriate agreements are signed with agencies, clinical affiliate faculty and preceptors.
- Provide students with contact information for the clinical affiliate faculty in their area.
- Respond to problems and concerns of clinical affiliate faculty, preceptors and students.
- Communicate periodically with preceptor and student about progress in meeting goals and devise new strategies for attaining goals if needed.
- Evaluate the student's clinical competency and meeting of clinical learning objectives through scheduled communication with preceptor and in consideration of the written clinical affiliate faculty and preceptor evaluation.
- Schedule site visits as needed.
- Evaluate the student's clinical competency via communication with student, clinical affiliate faculty, preceptor, and through site visits as indicated.
- Facilitate the student-preceptor-faculty relationship through continual constructive feedback.
- Faculty reserve the right to require students to visit campus in order to demonstrate clinical competency.