Doctor of Nursing Handbook

Admission: Post-Masters
Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Specialty: Leadership
Schedule: Full Time Course Sequence
Semester start: Fall Admission

Full Time Course Rotation

Admission: Post-Baccalaureate
Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Track: Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Schedule: 3-year plan
Semester start: Fall Admission

Full Time Course Rotation

Admission: Post-Baccalaureate
Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Track: Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
Specialty: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Schedule: 3-year plan
Semester start: Fall Admission

Course Rotation

Admission: Post-Doctoral
Program: Certificate
Track: Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Schedule: Full Time Course Sequence
Semester start: Summer Admission
Start:
Pre/Co-Req:: Must complete NURS 752, 754, and 756 (or equivalents) prior to beginning NURS 760/761

Course Rotation

Admission: Post-Doctoral
Program: Certificate
Track: Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
Specialty: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Schedule: Full Time Course Sequence
Semester start: Summer Admission
Start:
Pre/Co-Req:: Must complete NURS 752, 754, and 756 (or equivalents) prior to beginning NURS 760/761

All direct patient care practicum hours will be under the direction of an approved, licensed, Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant (PA), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), or Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). The student must utilize at least one Nurse Practitioner while in the program to serve as their preceptor.

All direct patient care practicum hours will be under the direction of an approved, licensed, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Physician Assistant (PA) with a mental health/psychiatric certification, Doctor of Psychiatry (MD-psychiatrist), or approved, licensed Nurse Practitioner who additionally holds certification in an approved psychotherapy discipline.

A limited number of practicum hours can be under the direction of an approved psychotherapist that include the following disciplines: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Licensed Mental Health Professional Counselor (LMHPC), Licensed Psychology Associate (LPA), or a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in psychiatry. All psychotherapists must be fully licensed and not working at a provisional license level with a minimum of two years clinical experience post-graduate education.

The student must utilize at least one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner while in the program to serve as their preceptor.

The HSON has contracts with over 450 health care facilities. Students may choose a site that is not covered by existing contracts by working with the Clinical Site Specialist. It is the student’s responsibility to meet the facility’s requirement for students regarding immunizations, drug screens, OSHA competencies, BCLS, computer access, etc. Students should utilize the appropriate chain of command at the health care or educational facility, which may require contacting personnel responsible for approving and/or scheduling students at the facility. It is important that the facility is aware of who is using the facility for education purposes, even if it is their own employee. This is important for ensuring patient safety and for accreditation of their facility. GWU must have an active affiliation agreement with any and all facilities students enter as an APRN student. Students are responsible for meeting facility requirements of all facilities they enter as an APRN student.

The GWU Student name badge with picture identification and lab coat must be worn during practicum experiences to identify the student as a Nurse Practitioner student at Gardner-Webb University, even if the student is employed at the practicum facility. Identification as a GWU NP Student will allow others to more easily identify times when the student is in the GWU NP student role. Students are expected to adhere to the facility dress code.

Student clinical placement site and preceptor should be arranged based on course learning objectives. After receiving approval of their site and preceptor by the Clinical Site Specialist, students are expected to plan their clinical schedules with their preceptor/s in order to fulfill the time and experience requirements of the course. Information regarding the clinical course expectations and the types of clinical experiences needed to achieve the student learning objectives are provided to the student and preceptor in the course syllabus.

Students must complete/submit the following prior to beginning the practicum experience:

A. Review the DNP Student Handbook, and complete the Acknowledgement of HSON Program Student Handbook, Policies and Technical Standards form.

B. NP Intent to Precept Form

• This document is to be completed by the student and signed by the preceptor
• A copy of the preceptor’s resume and/or curriculum vitae (CV), as well as the signed Intent to Precept form must be given to the Clinical Site Specialist.

C. Preceptor and Clinical Site Request via Typhon

• Typhon NPST is a Clinical Documentation System utilized by the Hunt School of Nursing for Nurse Practitioner students. Students will be charged an $90 onetime fee for Typhon.
• NP Students must enter new Preceptor and Clinical Site Requests via Typhon NPST.
• The Clinical Site Specialist, Mrs. Susan Jenkins, should be contacted for any questions regarding these procedures at [email protected]

D. NP Clinical Passport Information – Required Annually Starting the Spring Semester Prior to Beginning Clinical

• All documents will be filed electronically via Typhon NPST.
• Criminal Background Check – See information below.
• 12 Panel Urine Drug Screen – Conducted on campus during Summer semester.
• Includes THC, Opiates, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, PCP, Barbiturates
• Tetanus Booster (within the past 10 years)
• Measles/Rubeola Immunization (or serologic confirmation of immunity)
• Rubella Immunization (or serologic confirmation of immunity)
• Mumps Immunization (or serologic confirmation of immunity)
• Varicella Immunization (or serologic confirmation of immunity)
• Hepatitis B Series of 3 Immunizations (or serologic confirmation of immunity) or Declination Form
• PPD (within the past 12 months) OR Chest X-Ray Results
• Influenza Vaccination or Declination Form
• OSHA/Bloodborne Pathogens Training
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• HIPAA Training

Students are required to monitor Typhon Clinical Passports and update any expired credentials. Students must confirm that a current Clinical Affiliation Agreement is in place between Gardner-Webb University and the practicum clinical facility (and any affiliates) prior to beginning clinical experiences.

During clinical practicum experiences students must:

1. Wear a GWU NP student ID badge and lab coat at all times. GWU Student ID badges can be obtained through Gardner-Webb University Campus Police.
2. Negotiate learning experiences with preceptor.
3. Seek advice and guidance from preceptor and faculty.
4. Meet with or contact the preceptor as needed to insure completion of objectives/access to site.
5. Record all practicum experience encounters and skills as delineated in the course syllabi.
6. Notify the clinical faculty and Clinical Site Specialist as early as possible of any difficulties experienced in the clinical rotation

Criminal background checks will be done once per program admission through American Databank, and may have to be repeated for:

• Per agency contractual agreement requirement
• Readmission
• Transfer from another school or from one program to another with the same school
• Students must notify school if there has been a change in status including charges or convictions within 5 days per academic policy.

GWU HSON reserves the right to conduct random urine drug screens or criminal background checks if indicated.

As a condition of participation in practicum educational experiences, each student will be required to submit a satisfactory urine drug screen and criminal record history for all states of residence for the past ten years. 

After the clinical site placements have been secured, the course leader will collaborate with the Clinical Site Specialist in communicating with the student’s preceptor to provide orientation to the preceptor regarding the course learning objectives, University contact information, and helpful preceptor information.

The course faculty member assumes overall responsibility for the clinical component of the clinical course and works closely with the students, course faculty, and preceptors to assist students in achieving the course objectives.

The faculty responsible for the course will continue to communicate with the student and clinical preceptors through phone conversations, emails and / or site visits. The frequency of contact will vary according to the needs of the students and the clinical site. Formative evaluations are ongoing throughout the semester and a final summative evaluation is completed at the end of each semester. The faculty member will make a minimum of one site visit (within 75-mile radius) to each student in the course during the semester.

The course faculty member will:

1. Confirm preceptor and site.
2. Collaborate with preceptor and student in provision and evaluation of clinical/practicum experiences.
3. Provide feedback in a timely manner as needed.
4. Provide oversight of the experience through site visits, telephone conferences and electronic communication with the preceptor and student.
5. Monitor student documentation of clinical experiences.
6. Communicate with the student and the preceptor regularly.
7. Evaluate the student’s overall performance in conjunction with the preceptor.

The preceptor validates the student’s ability to apply theoretical content in the clinical setting through student observation. The preceptor guides the student as they gradually become responsible for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, health care evaluation and monitoring, health promotion and counseling that form the basis of NP practice. Preceptor supervision of students includes direct observation, review of written documentation, and verbal review of clinical management decisions. In addition, ongoing and immediate informal feedback of the student’s performance in the clinical setting is helpful in addressing the student’s strengths and weaknesses in clinical skills and decision making required in advanced nursing practice.

Preceptors in clinical practicum for NP students must:

1. Be nationally certified as an advanced practice nurse, nurse midwife, physician assistant, or be a board eligible/certified physician.
   a. For PHMNP students only, a limited number of hours may be completed with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Licensed Mental Health Professional Counselor (LMHPC), Licensed Psychology Associate (LPA), or a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in psychiatry.
2. Hold current licensure as an advanced practice nurse, nurse midwife, physician assistant, physician, clinical social worker, mental health professional counsellor, psychology associate, or clinical nurse specialist in psychiatry in the state the practicum facility resides.
3. Possess at least one year of clinical experience following professional education as an advanced practice nurse, nurse midwife, physician assistant or physician. All psychotherapists must be fully licensed and not working at a provisional license level with a minimum of two years clinical experience post-graduate education.
4. Complete the NP Intent to Precept Form.
5. Provide current copies of Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
6. Assist student in securing facility permission for student’s clinical/practicum experience. Assure current Clinical Affiliation Agreement is in place between GWU and clinical agency prior to student beginning clinical practicum.
7. Provide student direction in meeting facility’s requirements for students.
8. Review course syllabus and learning objectives.
9. Provide students with opportunities to apply and advance their ability in health assessment, maintenance, and education, and assist with the care management of selected clients through coordination of learning experiences designed to meet course objectives and student learning objectives (outcomes) for practicum.
10. Act as a role-model in collaborative physician-advanced practice nurse practice.
11. Provide patient-student interaction while being available for consultation and review of patient history and physical examination, differential diagnosis, laboratory findings, working diagnoses and treatment plans.
12. Contact faculty regarding actual or potential problems, concerns or difficulties.
13. Provide validation/feedback regarding student assessment, clinical decision making and documentation of health care.
14. Collaborate with faculty and student in the provision of learning activities appropriate to the clinical objectives.
15. Provide ongoing feedback to the faculty member regarding student performance, progress, strengths and weaknesses and any modifications of learning experiences.
16. Complete the Clinical Practicum Evaluation via Typhon NPST.

When your preceptor agrees to serve as a preceptor, their demographic information and hours that they precept students are maintained by the Hunt School of Nursing. At the completion of the semester, your preceptor will receive a Certificate of Hours noting the number of clinical hours that they served as preceptor for the GWU Nurse Practitioner student. These documented preceptorship hours are often useful for recertification purposes for the preceptor. Preceptors may also be eligible for a Tuition Voucher from Gardner-Webb University.