Pre-licensure Clinical Preceptor Program

Nursing Curriculum

• Student Learning Outcomes

  Student learning outcome (SLO) statements clearly state the knowledge, skills, attitudes, competencies, and habits of mind that students are expected to acquire and demonstrate upon the completion of the nursing program. The FSoN SLOs are derived from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. The FSoN SLOs consist of an overarching preamble and nine outcome statements. 

  Preamble The graduate from Assumption University Froelich School of Nursing is prepared as a nurse generalist who functions within an interprofessional healthcare team to provide professional, compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals across the lifespan, families, and populations, in a variety of healthcare settings. Health promotion, including the use of patient teaching, is a refined skill of the graduate. Through reflection and the pursuit of a life of inquiry, the student nurse will transition into practice and continue evolving as a member of the nursing profession.

  SLO 1. Synthesize concepts and theories from the liberal arts and science education rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic health care ethics to guide professional nursing practice.
  SLO 2. Integrate concepts of safety and quality improvement in the practice of professional nursing within a healthcare system.
  SLO 3.  Appraise evidence to support clinical decisions throughout the nursing process.
  SLO 4. Incorporate information systems and healthcare technologies throughout the nursing process. 
  SLO 5. Examine the impact of socio-economic, cultural, spiritual, legal, ethical, and political factors influencing healthcare and professional nursing practice.
  SLO 6. Collaborate with patients, families, populations, and the interprofessional healthcare team by selecting appropriate communication strategies.
  SLO 7. Select evidence-based health promotion and health maintenance strategies to maximize health and minimize risk to patients, families, and populations.
  SLO 8. Examine a variety of health determinants when planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care of patients, families, and populations.
  SLO 9. Demonstrate characteristics and behaviors consistent with the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal practice in professional nursing.

• Clinical Placement Overview

  Precepted clinical placements provide opportunities for the student to gain experience in applying the knowledge acquired throughout didactic and clinical work thus far. Clinical preceptors have a demonstrated expertise relative to the student’s educational program. Faculty have the academic responsibility for supervision and evaluation of students and for the oversight of the clinical learning experience. The number for each preceptor clinical experience is specific to each clinical and outlined in the course syllabus that is shared with the preceptor. The preceptor, in collaboration with clinical faculty, play a significant role in evaluating the student’s performance. School faculty assign a final grade for the clinical course.

  The FSoN uses preceptors during the student’s senior year in the following courses: NUR 401 Complexities of Professional Nursing Clinical, NUR 413 Promoting Global Health Clinical, NUR 421 Promoting Family Health Clinical, and NUR 491 Transition to Professional Practice Clinical.

  Criteria for Being a Preceptor

  The preceptor must have an unencumbered registered nurse license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing /Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and have knowledge of the course description, course objectives, and overall program learning objectives.

• The Preceptor Program

  Purpose: to assist the nursing student in making the transition from the student role to the entry-level nurse generalist. The various clinical education opportunities guided by the nurse preceptor facilitates the refinement of assessment skills and continued improvement in the clinical decision-making process conducted by the nurse. 

  Preceptor: An experienced, competent, caring, registered nurse who agrees to serve as a role model, leader, consultant, mentor and teacher, helping the student bridge the gap between theory and clinical practice.

  Preceptee/Student: a pre-licensure student who will spend time with one or more preceptors to increase learning opportunities through realistic nursing experiences in a designated clinical setting. The student is responsible for adhering to all of the FSoN policies at all times.

  Agency: Clinical setting that is approved by the School and where the student will work with a preceptor.

  Clinical Faculty: Nursing faculty who oversees the experience and works closely with the preceptor to maximize the student’s success. There will not be a faculty member at the site on a continual basis. The faculty assigned to the student or a school designee may make scheduled visits with the preceptor and the student to assure learning objectives are being met and that lines of communication are open and that all understand the importance of effective communication.

  Preceptor Criteria: In accordance with 244CMR 6.00 Approval of Nursing Education Programs and the General Conduct Thereof, the FSoN adheres to 244CMR 6.04(2) regarding faculty qualifications as preceptors are used as an extension of the FSoN clinical faculty.

  Students as Adult Learners: Our students are adult learners who want to learn, are self-directed, use life experiences in the learning process, and are motivated to achieve personal and professional goals by returning to school.

  Collaboration: Various members of the FSoN work with the clinical agency staff to decide on the appropriate preceptors for each student. The course instructor/professor is responsible for ensuring that clinical course objectives are met and provides the final grade evaluation of the student.

  Feedback is Important: Constructive feedback helps the students grow professionally. 

  • Specific and done in a positive and timely manner.
  • Provide specific examples of what they have done well and not so well. For things not done well, educate the student on how to use best practice to improve patient care outcomes. 
  • Aimed at creating a learning environment that is conducive to positive learning that assures accountability and responsibility. 
  • Take every opportunity to promote professionalism within the clinical setting.

  Preceptor Evaluation of the Student/Experience: The preceptor will be asked to evaluate the students’ performance in the clinical setting and for feedback about the overall experience. 

  Student Evaluation of the Preceptor: Before the clinical experience ends, the student will evaluate the preceptor. 

  Clinical Hours Form: the preceptor will document and sign the form attesting to the number of clinical hours each student spends in the agency.

  Roles and Responsibilities

  Nursing Student

  Orientation 

  • Participate in the agency and unit orientation as directed.
  • Provide accurate information on past learning/working experiences.

  Practice

  • Arrive at the clinical agency at the appropriate time for assigned shifts. 
  • Portray a professional image at all times including communication, attendance, and dress code when working with all disciplines.
  • Act civilly, respectfully, and professionally in accordance with the FSoN expectations.
  • Provide safe, competent, and ethical nursing care within scope of practice standards.
  • Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality.
  • Use legal name at all times when documenting care.
  • Ask for assistance from the preceptor/supervisor when needed/indicated to perform care safely.
  • Document patient information in an accurate and timely manner.
  • Demonstrate use of best practices, priority setting, and organizational skills.
  • Assess patients and report patient status or changing status to appropriate member of the healthcare team.
  • Effectively collaborate with all disciplines to assure positive patient outcomes.
  • Accept responsibility for own behavior and seek opportunities for further learning.

  Precepted experiences are an opportunity to “perform like a nurse” however, the patient’s safety and dignity should always be considered the priority. In addition to any exceptions outlined by the agency, the student will not:

  • Take verbal or phone orders
  • Witness consent or verify blood products
  • Insert or remove central lines
  • Be responsible for ECG or fetal monitoring
  • Be in charge of an assigned patient while the primary nurse is off the floor
  • Carry narcotic keys
  • Perform procedures or medications independently
  • Transfuse blood products
  • Push ACLS drugs

  Communication

  • Communicates in a timely manner with the preceptor and clinical faculty per the FSoN attendance policy.
  • Keep clinical log hours current and assure the preceptor has signed them at the end of every shift.

  Evaluation of Clinical Experience

  • Provide frequent and objective feedback to preceptor regarding learning experience.
  • Complete the preceptor evaluation in a timely manner and submit as directed.

  Preceptor

  • Serve as a professional role model.
  • Completes and submits the preceptor profile to the FSoN Clinical Placement Coordinator. 
  • Identifies patient(s) and makes assignments that will help meet the professional goals/objectives of the student and the learning objectives of the clinical course.
  • Facilitate a collaborative and mutually respectful environment for the student’s learning experience.
  • Be physically present on the unit at all times when the student is functioning in the role of the nurse. 
  • Be present with the student when a student is providing direct care to clients until the preceptor is comfortable with the students’ ability to perform skills independently (students may not administer medications independently).
  • Assist the student to identify his/her weakness and provide opportunities for professional growth and development such as professionalism, critical thinking, and learning new skills for implementation and evaluation plan of care.
  • Seek guidance from clinical faculty or nurse manager if they have concerns with the students’ competencies/professionalism to allow for early intervention.
  • Provides input to clinical faculty through student evaluation.
  • Notify the clinical faculty of record immediately should any unforeseen/unusual situation occurs. This includes but is not limited to:
    • Medication error (actual or near miss). 
    • Treatment error (actual or near miss). 
    • Needle stick or other accidental blood or body fluid exposure.
    • Student illness/injury requiring medical attention. 
    • Issues with medication counts. 
    • Other events that may reasonably affect patient care quality or student safety. 
    • Provide feedback to the clinical faculty on how the learning experiences can be improved.

  Providing Feedback

  Assessment of the student’s performance on shift. Characteristics of positive feedback include:

  • Starting with the positive aspects of the student’s performance.
  • Next, review improvements that are identified. Focus on controllable issues and behaviors.
  • End with a specific improvement strategy. For example, “next time…”
  • Ask the student to paraphrase to ensure understanding.
  • Conduct feedback in an unhurried and uninterrupted atmosphere.

  Health Care Agency

  • Retains ultimate responsibility for all patient care and needs
  • Retains responsibility for the preceptor’s salary, benefits and liability.

  Clinical Faculty 

  Orientation

  • Assures that agency, preceptor, and department supervisors are ready for the students to begin learning experience(s).
  • Provide preceptor with all necessary material/information for the student learning experiences.
  • Assures that questions are answered to the preceptor’s satisfaction.

  Supervision and Education

  • Assume overall responsibility for educating and evaluation of the student.
  • Assures students are compliant with clinical credentialing.
  • Seve as a liaison to the preceptor in evaluating the students’ performance of clinical skills and in taking advantage of learning/educational opportunities.
  • Be available for students while they are assigned in the clinical field. A schedule will be shared between the student, preceptor, and clinical faculty.

  Communication

  • Collaborate/communicate with nursing student and preceptor and/or designee to make sure all understand the performance expectations, goals/objectives and student learning outcomes.
  • Provide guidance to assure students learning needs are met.
  • Serve as resource to the nursing student and preceptor. 
  • Completes the students’ evaluation with input from student and preceptor and uses this in calculation of the final grade.

  Evaluation of the Clinical Experience

  • Meet with or provide frequent feedback regarding the student’s performance in the clinical agency/setting.

   
   

• Courses that Utilize Preceptors as Part of the Clinical Education Rotation

  NUR 401 Complexities in Clinical Nursing – Clinical

  Course Description

  Learners will conduct the nursing process when caring for patients with complex health conditions and comorbidities in complex healthcare systems.  The student nurse will assess, plan, deliver, and evaluate safe and quality patient-centered care using therapeutic communication and evidence-based nursing interventions. Collaboration with social support systems and the interprofessional team will be expected. Clinical experiences support further evolution of clinical judgement. Experiences may be conducted in a variety of clinical settings including, but not limited to, the clinical skills laboratory, clinical simulation laboratory, virtual simulation, and healthcare agencies.

  Course Objectives

  At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Apply concepts from the liberal arts and science education rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic health care ethics to provide patient-centered care to patients with complex health conditions (SLO1). 
  2. Integrate principles of safety throughout the nursing process when caring for patients with complex health conditions (SLO2).
  3. Use the nursing process to prioritize care for patients with complex health conditions (SLO2, SLO3, SLO8). 
  4. Use information systems and information technologies to support clinical decision-making and guide clinical care for patient with complex health conditions (SLO4).
  5. Adapt nursing interventions to address various determinants of health (SLO7, SLO8).
  6. Incorporate health promotion strategies in the nursing plan of care of patients with complex health conditions to maximize health and minimize risk (SLO3, SLO7).
  7. Prioritize patient teaching in complex situations (SLO6, SLO7).
  8. Initiate therapeutic relationships appropriate for the care of patients with complex health conditions (SLO6). 
  9. Demonstrate the use of professional, regulatory, moral, and ethical codes and standards in the care of patients with complex health conditions (SLO1, SLO9). 
  10. Reflect on personal beliefs and values as they relate to professional nursing practice (SLO1, SLO9).

  NUR 413 Promoting Global Health Clinical

  Course Description

  The student nurse will demonstrate clinical judgement in the role of global health nurse by prioritizing care for individuals, families, and/or aggregates in the community.  Under the direct supervision of a community partner and the indirect supervision of the clinical faculty, the student will identify a priority health need in the community; plan, develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based health promotion project, noting the community’s strength(s) and resources. Clinical experiences may be conducted in a variety of clinical settings including, but not limited to, the clinical skills laboratory, clinical simulation laboratory, virtual simulation, and healthcare agencies.

  Course Objectives

  At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Synthesize concepts and theories of the liberal arts and science education rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic health care ethics to provide care to individuals, families, and aggregates in a community-based or global healthcare setting (SLO1).
  2. Prioritize nursing care of populations based on assessment of a variety of determinants of health (SLO3, SLO5, SLO8).
  3. Participate with community partners, including the interprofessional team, to identify expected health outcomes in selected populations and recommend public health interventions for target audiences (SLO6).
  4. Develop, implement and evaluate a plan of care for a group or population (SLO7, SLO8).
  5. Demonstrate the use of professional, regulatory, moral, and ethical codes and standards in the care of groups, aggregates, and populations (SLO1, SLO9). 
  6. Reflect upon knowledge of nursing relative to providing safe, effective, patient-centered care to groups, aggregates, and populations in a community-based or global healthcare setting (SLO1, SLO9).

  NUR 421 Promoting Family Health Clinical

  Course Description

  The learner will conduct the nursing process when caring for the family unit, with special consideration of age and principles of developmental stage. The student nurse will assess, plan, deliver, and evaluate safe and quality patient-centered care using therapeutic communication and evidence-based nursing interventions. Collaboration with social support systems and the interprofessional team will be expected. Clinical experiences provide the student nurse an opportunity to execute clinical judgement. Experiences may be conducted in a variety of clinical settings including, but not limited to, the clinical skills laboratory, clinical simulation laboratory, virtual simulation, and healthcare agencies.

  Course Objectives

  At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Apply concepts from the liberal arts and science education rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic health care ethics to provide patient-centered care to families requiring nursing care (SLO1).
  2. Integrate principles of safety throughout the nursing process when caring for members of the family and family unit (SLO2).
  3. Use the nursing process to develop, implement, and evaluate safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care for families (SLO2, SLO3, SLO8).
  4. Use information systems and information technologies to support clinical decision-making and guide clinical care for families (SLO4).
  5. Adapt nursing interventions to address various determinants of family health (SLO7, SLO8). 
  6. Incorporate health promotion strategies to maximize health and minimize risk in families (SLO3, SLO7).
  7. Initiate therapeutic relationships appropriate in the care of families (SLO6).
  8. Demonstrate the use of professional, regulatory, moral, and ethical codes and standards in the care of families (SLO1, SLO9). 
  9. Reflect on personal beliefs and values as they relate to professional nursing practice with families (SLO1, SLO9).

  NUR 491 Transition to Professional Practice Practicum

  Course Description

  The synthesis of liberal arts, science, and nursing knowledge will guide clinical judgement. The student will begin to perform nurse roles such as delegator, leader, and manager within the work unit while performing the nursing process to promote safe, compassionate, patient-centered care. Clinical experiences may be conducted in a variety of clinical settings including, but not limited to, the clinical skills laboratory, clinical simulation laboratory, virtual simulation, and healthcare agencies.

  Course Objectives

  At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Synthesize concepts from the liberal arts and science education rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic health care ethics to provide quality and safe care in the healthcare unit (SLO1).
  2. Integrate principles of safety throughout the nursing process when caring for patients with various health conditions and in a variety of health care settings (SLO2).
  3. Use the nursing process to develop, implement, and evaluate safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care for patients (SLO2, SLO3, SLO8).
  4. Prioritize nursing care based on assessment of determinants of health and complexity of situation (SLO2, SLO3, SLO8).
  5. Integrate leadership principles and processes in actual organizational systems to ensure safe and quality patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum (SLO2)
  6. Manage patient care technologies and information management systems to evaluate the quality of care in selected clinical situations (SLO2, SLO4).
  7. Demonstrate the use of professional, regulatory, moral, and ethical codes and standards in the care of patients (SLO1, SLO9).
  8. Reflect on personal clinical practice as a means of improving nursing practice (SLO1, SLO9).