MSN Nurse Administrator Preceptor Handbook
Arkansas State University
School of Nursing
Graduate Program
MSN Nurse Administrator
and
Nursing Administrator Graduate Certificate Preceptor Manual
Disclaimer Statement: These guidelines have been prepared to inform you of the selected policies, procedures, and activities within Arkansas State University’s MSN Administrator option.
As registered nurses, graduate students must adhere to all rules and regulations in the Nurse Practice Act in your state.
Preceptor Letter
COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS
School of Nursing | P.O. Box 910, State University, AR 72467 | P: 870-972-3074 | F: 870-972-2954
Dear Preceptor,
A nursing administrator student’s preceptor has a crucial role in preparing the student for a future in nursing administration. We are very grateful for your willingness to share your expertise and professional time with our graduate students.
The guidelines presented in this Preceptor Handbook are designed to provide you with supporting information for the course, NURS 6873 Practicum in Nursing Administration. The MSN-Nurse Administrator program consists of five courses (NURS 6762, NURS 6323, NURS 6353, HP 5113 with NURS 6873 as the final course for the program). This final course is a practicum course that provides the arena for the practical culmination of the other four courses.
Practicum hours focus on the areas associated with nursing administration in a variety of settings. A university/college and facility contract must also be secured and approved prior to the student beginning their Practicum experience. Your role as a preceptor is to guide the students as they learn the role of the nurse administrator. The student does not always have to be with you physically. You can identify meetings and experiences that may be beneficial to student learning and support your student’s entry into the role of nurse administrator.
We cannot express our appreciation enough for the time our preceptors take to mentor and guide our students. This clinical practice is such a valuable experience for students because it provides them the opportunity to learn the role of the nurse administrator and apply what they have learned in coursework to prepare them for the future role.
Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or even ideas for program improvement. Nursing is a team effort and we value your contribution to the student’s educational experience!
Sincerely,
Dr. Cindy B. Crum, RN
Cindy B. Crum, Ed.D., M.Ed., MSN, RN
MSN Administrator Program Coordinator
870-972-3230
CONTACTS
Dr. Stacy Walz, PhD, MS, MLS(ASCP)
Interim Dean of the College of Nursing and Health
Professions Office: CNHP 201C
Office #: 870-972-3112
Email: swalz@astate.edu
Dr. Kathryn Flannigan, EdD, MSN, RN
Director, School of Nursing
Associate Professor
Office: CNHP 203B
Office #: 870-972-3074
Email: kflannigan@astate.edu
Dr. Caroline Jarrett, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC
MSN Program Director
Office: CNHP 603A
Office #: 573-316-1544
Email: cpillow@astate.edu
Arkansas State University
School of Nursing
MSN Nurse Administrator Practicum
Guidelines for Academic Setting
Preceptor Role Definition: A nurse administrator in a nursing program who agrees to provide support and guidance for an MSN student completing a nurse administrator practicum. The preceptor must be an administrator with an MSN or higher (ex. PhD, DNP, MD, OD) degree with a minimum of 3 years’ experience with 5 years’ experience preferred.
Final grading of A-State course assignments will be completed by course faculty.
Preceptor Agreement: The Preceptor is asked to complete an A-State School of Nursing Preceptor Agreement and submit it to the A-State Graduate Clinical Coordinator.
PRECEPTOR EXPECTATIONS
After the preceptor agreement has been signed and the preceptor’s curriculum vitae have been sent to the Clinical Coordinator, below are the expectations of the preceptor for the beginning, during, and end of the Practicum.
Preceptor Activities Prior to or at the Beginning of Practicum:
- Orient student to nursing administrator role and negotiate placement details
- Tour clinical facility and discuss clinical supervision protocols
- Share with student nurse administrator needs
- Share helpful contacts within the facility
- Clarify information on key components of this practicum course:
- Course syllabus, description and objectives with these topics in mind;
- Decision-making in the provision of team coordination and accountability for health care delivery
- Budgeting and finance
- Staffing (scheduling, hiring, interviewing, firing, job performance appraisals)
- Recruitment and retention
- Team meetings/committees (preparing and conducting)
- Quality Improvement measures
- Legal and ethical issues
- Course procedure
- Course assignment due dates
- Practicum feedback and evaluation tools
- Course syllabus, description and objectives with these topics in mind;
Preceptor Activities during the Practicum:
- Collaborate on planning and assessment of assignments
- Assist in selecting a topic for the student’s change project.
- Communicate periodically with student on practicum progress and outcomes
- Notify faculty if the student is not progressing clinically or there is a breach in professionalism by the student
- Verify the student’s activity log weekly
Preceptor Activities at the end of Practicum:
- Complete the Preceptor’s Evaluation of Student based on course objectives (See Page 9)
Student Expectations for the Administrator Practicum Setting
Note: If you are currently in a nurse administrator role in the clinical setting of your practicum, it is important that you identify how the activities you are carrying out have objectives that clearly differentiated from your current administrative role.
Please contact the A-State course faculty for any questions or concerns. A-State course faculty will assign grades to assignments and consult administrator preceptor for any questions or concerns.
- The student contacts the Administrator Preceptor and sets up meeting to discuss clinical objectives and practicum expectations as well as course, content, and requirements per the syllabus and days/times of attendance in the clinical setting.
- The student works with course faculty or program coordinator to ensure preceptor agreements are signed. The student will obtain information from the assigned preceptor and email all required clinical documents to the Program Coordinator at ccrum@astate.edu and she will review documents and notify student if the clinical rotation is approved.
- The student will collaborate with the preceptor to develop a schedule and will work together with the faculty preceptor to determine how practicum hours will be achieved. The student is responsible for entering all practicum hours in the student portfolio.
- The student will adhere to the A-State Professionalism Policy for the course. The student will always conduct him or herself in a professional manner during the clinical preceptorship. Professional dress, including a white lab coat with the A-State School of Nursing patch and the A-State name badge, must always be worn.
As part of the practicum expectations students are to:
- Meet course/clinical objectives
- Document hours in the clinical log/portfolio
- Complete the Student Evaluation of Practicum Preceptor as well as the content and performance of the preceptorship
- Complete the Practicum Facility Evaluation
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Combine leadership concepts, skills, and decision
TITLE: NURS 6873 Practicum in Nursing Administration
COURSE DESCIPTION: This capstone clinical course in nursing administration utilizes management and leadership skills to develop practical, successful, and innovative solutions for problems in health care. Students focus on synthesizing theories, models, techniques, and strategies to solve multifaceted problems in nursing administration.
Practicum hours focuses on nursing administration and healthcare administration.
Course Student Learning Outcomes (Course Objectives):
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will have been given the opportunity to:
- Describe the scope of practice and responsibilities of the registered nurse, nurse executive and use professional communication, collaborative skills to deliver evidence-based, patient centered care
- Demonstrate nurse administrator competencies
- Combine leadership concepts, skills, and decision making in the provision of:
- Team coordination
- Accountability for health care delivery
- Quality nursing care
- Assess how health care is organized and financed
- Appraise leadership, communication, team building, priority setting, and delegation skills when managing a group of patients
- Synthesize professional standards of conduct
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
Clinical Experience
Objectives and clinical work must meet guidelines established by MSN faculty called student learning outcomes. The student is expected to have weekly learning activities that are to be shared with the preceptor and course faculty.
Dress Code adherence as that stated in the Nursing Student Handbook. All students are required to dress professionally. A white lab coat will be worn which is freshly laundered and ironed. The A-State picture ID will be worn identifying the student as an A-State student.
Class Participation (Discussion)
Students are expected to prepare for class by reading literature relevant to the course topics. Each student is expected to provide thoughtful and informed responses through participation on the course Discussion Board, with faculty through online and other written communication.
Reflective Journal/Clinical Portfolio
Students will develop a reflective journal of clinical activities that speak to course outcomes. Students are to focus on strategies used with their chosen clinical site (nursing students, practicing nurses, or patients). The journal encompasses the entire clinical experience, but will be submitted throughout the semester for feedback/partial credit. Corrected journals are to be submitted in Canvas each week by Monday at night, with the exception of the journal to be submitted in Week 7, which will be submitted no later than noon on Friday of Week 7. This process, including all clinical documentation is the clinical portfolio.
Students should keep a written log of clinical time (hours, minutes). Clinical time must be validated by preceptors within Medatrax; failure to validate clinical time will result in points deducted from clinical journal grade.
The Journal should be a written record of your clinical time and a reflection on your practice and moving toward an advanced educator role. Focus is on description of the activity, decision-making, environment, resources, collaboration, evidenced-based care, and measures/outcomes. The Journal should include your personal philosophy of teaching, learning, and evaluation.
The Reflective Journal can help graduate students develop higher-order cognitive skills and critical thinking. In addition to a summary of clinical activities and analysis of teaching/learning activities, guidelines for Reflective Journaling include (but not limited to):
- Identify an experience, situation, or information in your clinical experience that you find confusing, difficult, challenging, or interesting.
- What feelings, hunches, or questions are evoked? What is the meaning of the experience? What influenced the experience?
- Do the feelings, hunches, or questions connect with the past or present? What are the implications? What is the significance?
- Are there connections between what you are describing and what is indicated in the research and theory? What are some possible solutions? What approach or solution would you choose and why? What is the effectiveness of this approach?
Change Project:
The student will identify, along with his/her preceptor, a problem/change needed to increase quality of patient care/satisfaction, staff satisfaction/productivity, or some other need in the area where the student will be conducting clinical hours. This will include research of evidence-based practice and possible solutions.
Should there be direct human subjects research, the A-State Institution Review Board approval will need to be obtained
Preceptor Evauations
Preceptor evaluations will be used to reflect student performance as an educator. The number of points awarded is 100 for this activity. The score will be determined by numeric and written feedback from preceptors and completed at the discretion of the faculty member for this course.
COURSE SCHEDULE
NURS 6873 COURSE SCHEDULE
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Activity |
Due Date |
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Week 1 |
1.1 Conduct email/phone call/Zoom conference with course faculty to orient student to nursing administrator practicum 1.2 Submit SMART goals for clinical practicum experience 1.3 Submit completed Preceptor CV & Affiliation Agreement to Clinical Coordinator |
1.1 First day of class before midnight
1.2 First day of class before midnight 1.3 First day of class before midnight |
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Week 2 |
2.1 Submit Project Proposal 2.2 Submit Clinical Log Installment #1 |
2.1 Due Monday after week 2 starts 2.2 Due Monday after week 2 starts |
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Week 3 |
3.1 Submit Literature Review Matrix 3.2 Submit Clinical Log Installment #2 |
3.1 Due Monday after week 3 starts 3.2 Due Monday after week 3 starts |
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Week 4 |
4.1 Submit Clinical Log Installment #3 |
4.1 Due Monday after week 4 starts |
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Week 5 |
5.1 Submit Nursing Administrator Interview 5.2 Submit Clinical Log Installment #4 |
5.1 Due Monday after week 5 starts 5.2 Due Monday after week 5 starts |
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Week 6 |
6.1 Submit Change Management Paper & Presentation 6.2 Submit Clinical Log Installment #5 |
6.1 Due Monday after week 6 starts 6.2 Due Monday after week 6 starts |
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Week 7 |
7.1 Submit Clinical Preceptor of Student Evaluation (Must be emailed by the preceptor directly to the course instructor) 7.2 Submit Clinical Site Evaluation 7.3 Submit Clinical Preceptor Evaluation 7.4 Submit Clinical Log Installment #6 |
7.1 Due Monday after week 7 starts 7.2 Due Monday after week 7 starts 7.3 Due Monday after week 7 starts 7.4 Due Monday after week 7 starts |
Activity Logs, Student Evaluation of Preceptor, and Preceptor Evaluation of Student to be submitted via Medatrax. All other assignments submitted in Canvas.
CLINICAL PRECEPTOR VERIFICATION FORM
Directions: Identify a nurse or healthcare administrator that has a minimum of an MSN or doctoral degree who is willing to coach/mentor you in your efforts to complete your Capstone Management Change project. Ask them to complete this form. Once completed, electronically submit this form saved as
Lastname.FirstName.FacForm.doc (ex. Nancy Nurse’s form would look like Nurse.Sally.FacForm.doc.
Upload this document in Canvas in the Clinical Facilitator’s Information Sheet tab.
Note: Illegible forms will be returned to the student.
Clinical Preceptor’s Name & Credentials: _____________________________________
Clinical Preceptor’s Title/position: ___________________________________________
Clinical Preceptor’s Employer: _____________________________________________
Clinical Preceptor’s Employer’s Address: _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Brief Summary of Clinical Facilitator’s positions held as an MSN level RN or doctorate degree: _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Clinical Preceptor’s Contact Information:
Email: __________________________________________________________
Telephone Number ________________________________________________
Mailing Address ___________________________________________________
RN or higher license number (including state) ____________________________
This information is required by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing
Arkansas State University
College of Nursing and Health Profession
School of Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing
Nurse Administrator Option
Preceptor Evaluation of Student
Student Name: _____________________________ Inclusive Dates: _____________________
Preceptor: _________________________________________________
Thank you for the opportunities that you provided for the student during the course of the semester. This is a opportunity for you to share your view on the student’s performance. Please share your perceptions by rating the student on the following items and adding any comments you desire. Your input is valued and appreciated. Please mail or email completed evaluation directly to the instructor. DO NOT give the completed form to the student.
Fair Good Excellent
- Integrates advanced nursing knowledge and
organizational theory. 1 2 3 4 5
- Proposes culturally appropriate solutions to
foster quality improvement and safe care 1 2 3 4 5
- Maintains professional relationships and
timely interaction with preceptor, staff and
patients/families/populations. 1 2 3 4 5
(collaborates and consults)
- Functions as a professional role model 1 2 3 4 5
- Demonstrates leadership skills through
effective planning, providing, and
managing healthcare 1 2 3 4 5
- Demonstrates initiative in identifying
opportunities for self-development 1 2 3 4 5
- Serves as a resource person by assisting
with problem identification and resolution,
including patient care technologies 1 2 3 4 5
Fair Good Excellent
- Assesses nursing administrative needs and
uses effective strategies when interacting
with nursing staff, healthcare administrators,
as well as, support services staff 1 2 3 4 5
- Utilizes ethical/legal guidelines which apply
to nursing role development 1 2 3 4 5
- Participates actively in the clinical environment 1 2 3 4 5
- Contributes to a positive work environment
(collaborates, consults, coordinates care) 1 2 3 4 5
- Maintains current knowledge in an evidence
based approach in decision making 1 2 3 4 5
- Dependable, motivated, responsible, and
demonstrates initiative 1 2 3 4 5
- Accepts constructive feedback and
incorporates it into practice as appropriate 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a valuable part of the evaluation of the student and we appreciate the time required to complete this section. Please use additional pages as necessary. Comments are especially important for any marginal or exceptional ratings.
Strengths:
Areas Needing Improvement or Work:
Preceptor will upload completed evaluation of student into Medatrax.
Terms of Agreement
I have read the Preceptor Orientation Handbook and commit to precept students for A-State’s School of Nursing. I am aware of the time and responsibility that is required to advance student learning in the clinical arena.
Preceptor Signature Date
Please Print Name
I am willing to precept the following terms. (This information is helpful when planning for future students.)
Fall 202__
Spring 202__
Summer 202__
Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Preceptor: ______________________________________________
Site: ______________________________________________
Completed by: ______________________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________
Instructions:
- Please mark an X in the most appropriate space after each statement below to provide summative feedback to the preceptor named above..
- Space is provided after each statement if you choose to add any written comments.
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Quality |
Seldom
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Sometimes |
Frequently |
N/A |
Comments |
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1) Is available to student.
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2) Demonstrates understanding of the Nurse Administrator Role.
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3) Utilizes student’s strengths and knowledge.
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4) Role model for Nurse Administrator Practice.
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5) Demonstrates effective rapport with colleagues.
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6) Encourages student to assume increasing responsibility during experience.
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7) Assists student in identifying goals and needs for experience.
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8) Considers student’s limits according to status in program.
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9) Provides immediate and adequate feedback to questions
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NURS 6873 Practicum in Nurse Administration
Student Evaluation of Facility
*This form is in the Medatrax software.
Preceptor Name: ____________________________ Semester: ___________________
Constructive evaluation is a valuable tool utilized by the faculty as a method for quality control of the curriculum. Student evaluations are viewed by the faculty and administration as one method for maintaining high, consistent levels of quality education in the School of Nursing/. As a professional nursing student, evaluation requires maturity and objectivity. This evaluation tool is the student’s opportunity to participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Please read each item carefully, then select the category that you feel correlates with your feelings about the statement.
Rating scale:
4 = Excellent
3 = Above average
2 = Average
1 = Needs improvement
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Practicum Applications
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4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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1. The practicum facility was appropriate and offered adequate learning opportunities. |
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2. The facility provided a diverse set of learning experiences including multi- disciplinary collaboration. |
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3. The facility accommodated student experiences with a wide variety of teaching/learning experiences. |
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4. The facility onboarding process (i.e., facility student orientation) was well- organized and easy to complete. |
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- What are the strengths of this facility to provide practicum experiences?
- What suggestions do you have for enhancing experiences at this facility?
Additional comments (your comments are appreciated and are used to ensure that clinical experiences are appropriate):
For more information regarding the Arkansas State University School of Nursing, click on the following link:
http://www.astate.edu/college/conhp/departments/nursing/index.dot
For more information regarding the MSN Options, click on the following link:
https://www.astate.edu/college/conhp/departments/nursing/degrees/
For more information regarding the MSN Nurse Administrator option, click on the following link:
For questions or concerns, please contact the program coordinator at:
Cindy Bagwell Crum, Ed.D., M.Ed., MSN, RN
MSN Nurse Administrator Program Coordinator
Arkansas State University
College of Nursing and Health Professions
School of Nursing
PO Box 910, State University, 72467
Email: ccrum@astate.edu
(870) 972-3230 (office)
(870) 830-9380 (cell)