Last updated 1/04/2019
What should I do if I have concerns about the NP program or the student I am precepting?
What if a student incurs an injury while doing clinical with me?
Once I agree to precept an NP student, am I obligated to precept students every semester?
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1. How will the program communicate with me?
Initially, either an NP student or a member of our NP faculty will contact you to discuss your willingness to precept a student.
If interested, you will be contacted again to ensure that a clinical contract is in place between your agency and UW and that we have a current preceptor qualification form on file for you.
The NP student will then contact you to arrange an initial meeting date, at which the two of you can set up a clinical schedule.
Approximately 40 hours through the student’s rotation, a DNP faculty member will contact you to obtain an informal assessment of the student’s performance.
The faculty member will then contact you again, approximately halfway through the student’s rotation for a midway assessment.
Finally, if requested by you, the clinical instructor (or other affiliated instructor) can help to arrange a faculty site visit.
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2. What should I do if I have concerns about the NP program or the student I am precepting?
If you have any concerns about the program or a student’s performance, please contact:
DNP-FNP Program:
Candy Stidolph, DNP-FNP clinical coordinator / 307-766-3906 / stidolph@uwyo.edu
DNP-PMHNP Program:
Nancy McGee / 307-766-6584 / nmcgee@uwyo.edu
or
J'Laine Proctor / 307-766-6567 / jprocto5@uwyo.edu
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3. What should I expect from NP students?
NP students should demonstrate professionalism. NP students are all licensed RNs and should observe professional norms related to patient confidentiality, respect, and documentation. Students should also be timely, neatly groomed, and prepared for clinical in terms of having adequate resources and knowledge. Although students are not expected to know everything on day one, they are expected to be accountable for their own learning needs and to research unfamiliar diagnoses, treatments, etc. as they are encountered.
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4. What if a student incurs an injury while doing clinical with me?
All NP students are covered under UW’s Worker’s Compensation policy. Students who incur clinical-related injuries should be advised to follow the policy in the DNP Student Handbook.
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5. I've agreed to precept an NP student but am wondering whether other providers in my practice/agency can also precept the student?
Perhaps. NP faculty must approve every preceptor before he/she spends any time with a student. If you have agreed to precept a student and believe that students may be spending time with other providers in your agency, please have these providers complete and return a Preceptor Qualification Form, which is available from www.uwyo.edu/nursing (see “For Preceptors"). Or contact the graduate nursing office at gradnurse@uwyo.edu or 307-766-6565.
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6. I see patients in more than one clinical location (e.g., clinic, nursing home, hospital). May NP students accompany me to these other locations?
Perhaps. There are a few issues to consider:
1) Our FNP program prepares FNP students for roles in outpatient primary care settings, and our students receive no classroom education related to inpatient care. Thus FNP students may only have experiences that involve outpatient primary care.
2) For both our FNP and PMHNP programs, there must be a contract between each clinical agency and UW. Sometimes an alternate clinical location is covered under an agency with which UW has a contract, so no new contract is needed. Other times, a new contract must be sought. Figuring out the "contract" end of things can be complex.
3) If you would like for NP students to accompany you to different locations, please contact Candy Stidolph (FNP), or Jill Proctor/Nancy McGee (PMHNP). You can also talk to the graduate nursing office: gradnurse@uwyo.edu; 307-766-6565.
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7. How are students evaluated during their clinical rotations?
NP students are evaluated during their clinical rotations in a variety of ways. Faculty members perform on-site clinical site visits to discuss student performance with preceptors and to observe students interacting with patients. Faculty members also evaluate students on campus through simulated clinical experiences (e.g., standardized patients). Although NP faculty rely heavily on preceptor feedback regarding NP student performance, NP faculty members are ultimately responsible for evaluating students regarding specific clinical competencies. We do ask preceptors to complete an evaluation form for the NP student they are precepting. At the end of the student’s clinical rotation, the UW clinical coordinator will provide you with a secure web address, which allows you to submit the evaluation electronically.
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8. How many students can I precept at a time?
According to our national guidelines, a preceptor may only precept one NP student when the preceptor is also seeing patients and up to two NP students if the preceptor is not also seeing patients. In general, we try to place only one student with a preceptor at a time and will discuss this issue with you further if two students are ever placed with you.
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9. Once I agree to precept an NP student, am I obligated to precept students every semester?
No! We recognize that precepting is time and energy intensive and do not expect you to precept students every semester. Please let us know when and how often you are interested in precepting NP students. Also, let us know if and when you need a break!
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10. How do I find more information about the program?
For more information about the DNP program, please visit the DNP web page at https://www.uwyo.edu/nursing/programs/dnp/index.html
For information specifically related to precepting, please visit the Preceptor Info web page at https://www.uwyo.edu/nursing/preceptor-info/index.html
For additional information about the DNP program, contact one of the following:
Graduate Nursing Office / 307-766-6565 / gradnurse@uwyo.edu
OR
DNP Program Director Ann Marie Hart, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP / 307-766-6564 / annmhart@uwyo.edu
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Page updated 1/4/2019