FAQs

Preceptors may be physicians, nurse practitioners, osteopaths, physician assistants, or other providers who are approved by your faculty or Clinical Placement Coordinator.

Clinical sites are located throughout and beyond the Puget Sound area. Sites vary and include:

• Private practice
• HMO
• Health department
• Indian Health
• Correctional centers
• Community clinic health care
• Pediatrics
• Veteran’s health care
• Urban and rural health

Sites can be difficult to secure due to competition from other health education programs, restrictions from managed care on the scope of practice, current Medicare guidelines, and other limitations. Traveling to clinical sites should be expected and travel time may vary, so it is helpful to have a car available to you.

Clinical placement requires that students have a flexible schedule. You can expect to be placed at a clinical site on any day of the week that does not conflict with your course schedule.

• You will work with program faculty to determine the objectives for your clinical experience each quarter.
• You must be compliant with the UW School of Nursing Student Health Policy.
• You are required to adhere to the standards, policies, and regulations of clinical training sites. These standards include always arriving on time to your clinical site, wearing appropriate attire (including name tags and closed-toe shoes), and adhering to the standards and practices of the site.

Reasons for Requesting a Clinical Site Change

• The site exceeds your current skill level
• The site doesn’t meet course objectives/limited preceptor availability
• You feel intimidated

Steps for Requesting a Clinical Site Change

1. Dialogue is initiated between you, your faculty/course adviser, and your preceptor to clarify the issues. It is helpful for you and your preceptor to review your clinical objectives. Every attempt must be made to keep you in the current clinical site with hopes that ongoing dialogue will resolve issues.
2. Your faculty/course adviser makes a site visit. Alternatively, the faculty/course adviser initiates a conversation with your preceptor. During these discussions, you will continue to attend the clinical site.
3. You, your faculty/course adviser and your preceptor will identify the best course of action.
4. If, as a result of this process, a site change is needed and you leave a site prior to the end of the quarter, your faculty/course adviser is responsible for contacting the preceptor to inform them of the change.
5. Your faculty/course adviser will inform the Clinical Site Program Coordinator of the final outcome so the placement database can be updated.

Students are encouraged to bring ideas for site placement possibilities to program faculty. Please coordinate any direct contact with preceptors through the faculty so that they can assure that all requirements are met.

The basic rule for determining academic credit is one credit represents a total student time commitment of three hours each week in a ten-week quarter or a total of thirty hours in a quarter. Total time includes:

• time spent in class, if any
• time devoted to individual conference with instructors
• time devoted to reading or other studies, problem-solving, writing, laboratory work, exercises, or any other activity required of the student

A specific number of credits must be earned for a degree.