Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Online

Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Course Objectives and Preceptor Guidelines (Overview)

Clinical experiences are intended to provide students in the online-enabled FNP program with experiential learning opportunities to enable them to transition successfully into the role of the Nurse Practitioner. An essential part of each clinical experience is active, hands-on practice, guided by a licensed and certified preceptor with expertise in the therapeutic management of patients and their families.

Successful fulfillment of clinicals requires following these steps:

1. Completion of an orientation during the last 5 weeks of NURS 5418 Advanced Health Assessment, the prerequisite course for all clinicals. During the orientation you will receive further information on these requirements:
   1. Drug test – not to be performed before 30 days in advance of first clinical course
   2. Background check
   3. Verification of immunization records
2. Identification of preceptors and clinical sites
   1. Guidelines to best practices in recruiting your preceptors and other resources as well as the forms to use will be made available on Blackboard via the orientation course, nurs: clinical coordinator
3. Approval of preceptors and clinical sites by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty
   1. All preceptors must sign a Preceptor Agreement using proper forms
   2. Clinical sites may require a written agreement or contract with the UT Arlington College of Nursing

Nurse Practitioner Clinical Objectives

The clinical objectives for the program are listed below. These objectives are appropriate for EVERY clinical course – and form the basis for student learning as well as evaluation. The expectation is that students will grow and develop in accuracy, completeness, and independence in accomplishing the clinical objectives. By the end of the final course – NURS 5631 Advanced Clinical Practicum – the student is expected to be able to function as an independent provider in clinical practice.

1. Provide evidence of clinical skills in performing advanced health assessments to include:
   1. collecting a complete health history
   2. examining all body systems
   3. performing functional assessments to determine ability for self-care and independent living
   4. collect additional data as needed (ECG, vision and hearing screening, urinalysis, blood sugar determination, hematocrit, pap-smear, wet-mount, hanging drop smear, nose and throat culture and others)
   5. making appropriate decisions regarding priority needs for episodic data collection (subjective and objective)
   6. determining which problems/data collection can be deferred until later
   7. making an appropriate and accurate assessment of client’s health status (rule outs, differential diagnoses, nursing diagnoses, etc.)
   8. presenting pertinent data to preceptor in a succinct manner
   9. presenting a cost-effective, clinically sound plan of care which may include:
      1. advanced nursing management
      2. medical intervention
      3. pharmacotherapeutics
      4. diagnostic testing
      5. teaching/counseling
      6. follow-up plan
   10. discussing with preceptor personal strengths and needed areas of improvement
   11. selecting patients that reflect the content being taught in the specific course and program.
2. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate management plan for common episodic, acute, chronic and rehabilitative health concerns for clients.
3. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate plan for health maintenance and health promotion of clients.
4. Show evidence of ability to integrate health promotion/disease prevention activities into each client encounter.
5. Provide evidence of advanced nursing activities to promote and maintain health of children.
6. Demonstrate ability to provide quality, culturally sensitive health care for individuals of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
7. Provide evidence of the ability to formulate and administer advanced nursing care and medical therapeutics in a variety of setting.
8. Integrate current research findings into the development and implementation of health care for children and their families.
9. Continue personal development of the various roles of the nurse practitioner as evidenced by didactic and clinical work.

General Preceptor Guidelines

• Students will complete an orientation to clinical/preceptor guidelines and processes during the last 5 weeks of NURS 5418 Advanced Health Assessment (prerequisite course for all clinical courses). At that time, specific information regarding additional clinical requirements (e.g. Drug Screen and Background Check) will be provided. Completing these requirements prior to beginning a course with clinical practice requirements is not needed, and if done too early, will need to be repeated.
• Preceptor forms and additional guidelines are available on Blackboard via the organization course: nurs: clinical coordinator. This course contains clinical experience information and guidelines for ALL Nurse Practitioner programs and includes valuable resources that are updated as changes occur. Students should use ONLY the preceptor forms and information on this site to support their preceptor agreements and clinical facility approvals.
• Preceptors and clinical sites must be approved by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty.
• All preceptors must sign a "Preceptor Agreement". The agreement must be sent to the Clinical Coordinator no later than the first day of the clinical experience.
• Clinical sites may require a written agreement or clinical contract with UTA College of Nursing. If an agreement or contract is required, the student may not begin clinical practice hours until the agreement has been approved by all parties in the agreement.