Expectations and Requirements
What Makes an Appropriate Clinical Experience?
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing seeks to partner with preceptors and sites that promote a safe and inclusive care environment for diverse, underserved and/or vulnerable communities. Your site should provide adequate patient volume and the appropriate patient type and mix for the specialty. In addition, your facility needs to offer appropriate preceptor/student interactions to meet role and population-focused competencies. Of course, of great importance is students’ ability to meet course learning objectives.
What are the different roles?
In a student rotation, what are the different roles and responsibilities?
- Orient the student to the site/agency and its guidelines/expectations.
- Communicate with the student regarding learning objectives, progress and written evaluations.
- Supervise, collaborate with and counsel the student in patient care activities.
- Assist student in selecting an adequate volume of appropriate cases.
- Communicate with faculty regarding student progress and any concerns.
- Complete evaluation forms at specific intervals.
- Protect student information according to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Contact faculty with any questions about FERPA or learn more here .
- Maintain professional behavior and demeanor in all clinical interactions.
- Communicate learning objectives, progress and learning needs.
- Collaborate with preceptor/agency to develop a schedule and communicate absences in advance.
- Maximize learning by augmenting patient experiences with texts and other resources.
- Protect patient information according to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Submit assigned course work, complete clinical log* and participate in clinical conference/supervision..
*If applicable
- Orient site/preceptor to student’s educational needs. Orient student to course.
- Conduct virtual or face-to-face site visit to assess student progress towards learning goals.
- Review written evaluations of student progress and communicate with clinical preceptor as needed.
- Be available to preceptor and student to address any concerns which may arise.
- Grade all student coursework.
- Guide student towards learning objectives via clinical conference/supervision.
- Protect student information according to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA )
What makes an effective preceptor?
Find ways to help students learn:
- Work with students to set realistic goals for learning, aligned with course objectives
- Pace learning experiences
- Foster development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Help students organize and prioritize work through both role-modeling and discussion
- Help students see the “big picture” instead of focusing on tasks
- Know students’ goals and objectives early in the experience
Understand the course requirements
- Know overall time frame of the experience
- Have a clear understanding of course objectives
Be able to evaluate effectively
- Evaluate whether students meet course objectives
- Provide constructive feedback to students
- Decide what evidence to write on the evaluation form
- Develop a method to track student performance and progress
Interact effectively with students
- Learn how to resolve conflicts with an overly sensitive student
- Learn how to resolve conflicts with an overly confident student
What qualifications do I need to precept?
Each specialty has different requirements of its preceptors. Please find your specialty below for details.
Lindsay Miller, RN
Nursing Health Care Leadership Preceptor of the Year 2021
I love to precept nursing students and new leaders and share all that I have learned as a leader.”
