Guidelines for Completing a Request for Adult Practica Clinical Placements

Each student is required to complete a Request for Adult Practica Clinical Placements form in the semester just prior to when the clinical practicum is scheduled. The purpose of this form is provide the faculty with several areas of information which will facilitate more appropriate matches between individual students, clinical sites, and preceptors (see form which follows these guidelines).

Completed forms must be completed during preregistration advising. If this form is not filled out and submitted within the specified time frame, the student is not guaranteed a clinical placement for the next semester.

The Request for Adult Practica Clinical Placements form is only available online, on the Departmental Web site.

The following steps must be followed to assure that a student will be guaranteed an adult practica clinical placement:

Clinical assignments will be distributed during the orientation (first) class of the adult health practicum . (PLEASE NOTE: Many preceptors are unable to make a commitment to precept a student until just prior to the beginning of the semester. For this reason, it is not generally possible to disseminate information about clinical assignments prior to the first class of the semester). Completion and submission of this form does not guarantee automatic assignment of a specific site or preceptor to a particular student.

• View Guidelines for In-Town Students
• View Guidelines for Out of Town Students

(Note: After reading the guidelines, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the button to continue to the Clinical Placement form.)

Guidelines for Clinical Placement in Adult Health Practica for Out-of-Town Students
(more than 45 miles outside of Richmond)

1. Attend a fall meeting for out of town students, to discuss clinical placement issues and process. Bring to that meeting (or if unable to attend, bring to first advising appointment) the following information:
1. Overall goals/objectives in terms of clinical focus during program.
2. Names of potential preceptors and their agencies, including contact information (telephone #s including area code) and brief description of the site (types of patients seen, types of providers in the agency, etc.). Include a brief description of how this site will contribute to your goals/objectives.
2. It is desirable for us to have initial clinical placements closer to Richmond (unless we have an on-site faculty member in an out town location). If performance in initial clinical is less than satisfactory or if there are any problems, subsequent clinical placements will be moved to the Richmond area to allow closer faculty supervision of student.
3. VCU faculty will finalize all arrangements for clinical placements. Please do not contact preceptors directly or in any other way discuss or negotiate with preceptors your own clinical placement.
4. Clinical placements may only occur in sites with a formal contract with the VCU School of Nursing. It is the faculty’s responsibility to ensure that such contractual relationships are in place prior to making the clinical assignment.
5. The clinical placement process is initiated by your completion of the on-line form "Request for Clinical Placement". Forms must be submitted by the due date or a clinical placement is NOT assured.
6. Student clinical assignments will be distributed on the first day of class. Please do not call faculty in advance of this date. While the faculty recognize that some students must work while in school, we are not able to provide clinical placement information weeks in advance, to allow for planning of specific work dates during the semester in which clinicals are held. Students who must work are encouraged to negotiate an evening/weekend schedule at work.
7. Specific clinical days/hours are negotiated between student and preceptor. The preceptor must be on-site and available during student clinicals (for example, you may NOT do clinicals during a time when the preceptor is on vacation, has a scheduled day off, is not working during hours when you would like to do clinical, is not there due to illness, etc).
8. The following people should not serve as your preceptor:

   •Your personal health care provider
   •Your supervisor at work (anyone who completes your annual performance evaluation>
   •Personal friends or family members
   

Guidelines for Clinical Placement in Adult Health Practica for In-Town Students
(within 45 miles of Richmond)

1. VCU faculty will finalize all arrangements for clinical placements. Please do not contact preceptors directly or in any other way discuss or negotiate with preceptors your own clinical placement.
2. The following people should not serve as your preceptor:

   •Your personal health care provider
   •Your supervisor at work (anyone who completes your annual performance evaluation)
   •Personal friends or family members
   

3. Clinical placements may only occur in sites with a formal contract with the VCU School of Nursing. It is the faculty’s responsibility to ensure that such contractual relationships are in place.
4. The clinical placement process is initiated by your completion of the on-line form "Request for Clinical Placement". Forms must be submitted by the due date or a clinical placement is NOT assured.
5. Student clinical assignments will be distributed on the first day of class. Please do not call faculty in advance of this date. While the faculty recognize that some students must work while in school, we are not able to provide clinical placement information weeks in advance, to allow for planning of specific work dates during the semester in which clinicals are held. Students who must work are encouraged to negotiate an evening/weekend schedule at work.
6. Specific clinical days/hours are then negotiated between student and preceptor. The preceptor must be on-site and available during student clinicals (for example, you may NOT do clinicals during a time when the preceptor is on vacation, has a scheduled day off, is not working during hours when you would like to do clinical, is not there due to illness, etc).

Last modified October 6, 2001.