Clinical and Preceptor Approvals Process

IMMUNIZATIONS and REQUIREMENTS: Students must ensure that all personal information, immunizations, RN licensure, and CPR must be up to date at all times with the School of Nursing. This currently includes an annual TB test or screening, and influenza vaccination must be current and administered between 9/1 and 10/25.  For Covid-19 vaccines, these are highly encouraged. If a student has submitted paperwork to attend a facility that requires the Covid-19 vaccine, the student must get the vaccine and upload evidence of it into the document tracking system to get approval to attend clinical. There are no exceptions in this situation. Students may not attend class, on campus class-intensives, or clinical rotations in any site or agency without all items up to date at all times during the program. Maintaining currency is the responsibility of the student and is expected at all times while enrolled in any class in the program, even when not enrolled in a clinical course. If a student’s immunizations, CPR, or other items expire during a term, the student must immediately stop clinical and cannot attend classes, on-campus intensives, or clinicals until resolved. After two weeks of being expired, the student must meet with the program director to discuss progression at are at risk of being dismissed. Any clinical hours completed with expired items will not count towards the hours required for the course. 

Students must FIRST start a DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL REVIEW with the Clinical Education Placement Coordinator (CEPC) and/or Graduate Program Director (GPD) when they first request to use a preceptor and/or clinical agency or site. This includes a review of the students' immunization, CPR, and TB/Flu status to ensure all are up to date. 

DEPARTMENT SITE APPROVAL: Then, at the department level, the site is either requested (if new) using a clinical site affiliation request form in the CANVAS Course named “Graduate Nursing Current Students”, or if the site is already established, work with the CEPC to ensure contract is still up to date with the SON.  To initiate a new site affiliation contract, do so by using the Affiliation Request Form, you will retrieve a copy of the site affiliation request form in the CANVAS Course “Graduate Nursing Current Students” site at https://canvas.txstate.edu/courses/1618068 in the Modules. Please note-this process can take 3-6 months for some sites. Please start as early as possible, preferably six months to a year in advanced.

DEPARTMENT PRECEPTOR APPROVAL: Preceptor approval forms require information obtained from the preceptor, including a current CV or resume, along with a preceptor signature before submitting the documents to the CEPC. The actual CV or resume is a requirement, as a website profile will not suffice. The student will submit the preceptor forms and resume directly to the CEPC using the following email  nurs_clnclplcmnt@txstate.edu. This allows the CEPC to start the initial review process. If there are concerns or licensing issues with the preliminary departmental level review, the CEPC or graduate program director will notify the student to let them know and copy the graduate program coordinator and/or faculty of record (if assigned at that time). The preceptor agreement and resume must have been received (sent to the CEPC or Graduate Program Coordinator) as part of the departmental level review. The preceptor license is reviewed to ensure there are no problems or sanctions on the license. Think of this as a “pre-screening” of the site and preceptor. To initiate a new preceptor, do so by using the Preceptor Approval Form, you will retrieve a copy of this form in the CANVAS Course “Graduate Nursing Current Students” site at https://canvas.txstate.edu/courses/1618068 in the Modules

The SECOND part of the approval process is the COURSE LEVEL REVIEW.  Once reviewed and notified by the Clinical Placement Coordinator or Graduate Program Coordinator or Director that the departmental review is complete, students may start the course level review and final approval process with their faculty. This requires students to upload a copy of the 1) preceptor agreement, 2) preceptor resumes, and 3) tentative schedule for faculty to review in the Practicum CANVAS course (in the appropriate assignment) after the course opens for that current term. Faculty will review the clinical site, preceptor’s license, years of experience, degree, and if the site/preceptor is appropriate for the specific course to meet objectives. After the review, if all items are in order, the student’s immunizations and CPR items are up to date, and there are no issues with the site or preceptor, the clinical faculty will provide written approval and date in the practicum course under the “preceptor approval” assignment area in the comments and submit a grade. Remember, the faculty will review the site and preceptor for appropriateness of fit based on clinical objectives and population setting for the particular course. Be mindful of this when selecting preceptors and sites for courses. Also, students are encouraged to review the preceptor’s license status prior to submitting forms to ensure no sanctions exist. Course level approval by the faculty is REQUIRED in writing in the CANVAS practicum course (assignments area comments) before a student can start rotations. Students may not start clinical without this written approval. Email and Text approvals are not allowed or accepted at any time. 

Faculty shall document approval and approved date to begin clinical rotations in the “PRECEPTOR AGREEMENT and RESUME ASSIGNMENT” comment area of the assignment in the CANVAS course.   If a student attends clinical prior to getting faculty approval, those hours will not count toward the required hours. Students must reschedule and make up those hours, however. If the student is unable to fulfill the required number of hours by the last approved clinical day in the given term (date published in the syllabus) the student will earn a clinical failure and must retake the course.

For students who want to continue clinical in the same site and preceptor in a new semester, a new preceptor approval form must be signed and submitted for each term that the student is with the preceptor. Each course stands alone and requires a new individual preceptor agreement form. A copy of the preceptor agreement for the new course must be submitted to the CEPC (via clinical placement email) and your course for faculty review (both department and course level reviews). Please remember your preceptor approval and tentative schedule assignments in canvas are set to allow multiple submissions for when a student has multiple sites, preceptors, and changes to schedules. Dates on the preceptor form must correlate with the current term rotation and rotation schedule. 

Students may not follow a preceptor’s colleague (any another provider in the same setting) without a preceptor agreement. Each provider in a facility that a student follows must have a preceptor approval (department and course levels), no exceptions. Following a preceptor’s colleague without approval will result in those hours unable to be counted. Additionally, if the preceptor sees patients in multiple clinics or facilities, every facility that the preceptor-student will see patients or manage care in must have an affiliation contract established with the SON and College of Health Professions. Please note: this type of rotation (preceptor traveling to multiple sites/facilities or contract type work) requires Graduate Program Director approval in addition to department and course level approvals. Typically, these type of providers/multiple sites will only be approved at 1 or 2 of the sites.

Students may not schedule or attend clinical during university breaks or holidays, including spring break. Students cannot work more than 10 hours in a day or 40 hours in a 7-day period. Students should log breaks and lunch times on their clinical hours record (think-clock in-clock out on the clinical hours record entries). For any clinical day over 6 hours, students must log at least one (1) thirty (30) minute lunch break. It is recommended that students should be taking a 1 hour lunch for shifts 8 hours or more.

Please NOTE:  All Clinical assignments must be submitted as a Word Doc or PDF Doc—Photos of ANY kind are not accepted or allowed.  Forms without required signatures and initials or missing course information will NOT be accepted and may result in a student not being able to count hours.  Be diligent in your paperwork.

PPS 02.03.13 12.2022