Nurse Educator Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 42-44 Copyright * 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Nurse Educator
The Coordinator Role for a Nursing Online Graduate Practicum Dee McGonigle, PhD, RN, FAAN, CNE & Jennifer Alestock, BA & Valda Upenieks, PhD, RN Lois Hine, PhD, RN, CNE & Rebecca Sisk, PhD, RN, CNE Diana Meeks-Sjostrom, PhD, RN, CS, FNP-BC, CNE Although graduate students in nursing are adult learners and expert clinicians, they are often novices in the roles they seek upon graduation. Practicum experiences help students bridge the gap between theory learned in course work and beginning practice at the master’s level. However, finding practica for online nursing graduate students at great distances is often a challenge. The value of having a point person for the coordination of students’ practicum experiences in multiple settings is well known. What is less well known is how this coordination occurs across great distances in online courses that include a practicum component. The authors discuss the design and implementation of a practicum coordinator position in a graduate online program.
P
racticum experiences for online graduate students in nursing provide opportunities to assume future roles in a safe environment, combining academic knowledge with the requisite skills for practice.1 Finding meaningful experiences that help online students successfully navigate the relationships between theoretical knowledge and application in practice is a complex task that provides experiences related to the psychomotor and affective domain as well as the cognitive domain.2 As adult learners, online students in the online MSN program at our college of nursing (CON) are expected to find their own mentors and practicum sites. At the program’s inception, the dean of online programs assisted students with this task. As this task soon became burdensome, the need for a practicum coordinator (PC) was identified. Although the PC role was originally designed to provide assistance for the dean, the role that unfolded evolved into a support mechanism for students’ planning and implementation of their practica. The PC also assists mentors, who offer their time and expertise, and course faculty, who guide students to apply the theory and content from specialty track courses to the practicum experience. Author Affiliations: Professor (Drs McGonigle and Upenieks), Practicum Coordinator (Ms Alestock), Associate Professor (Drs Sisk and Meeks-Sjostrom), MSN Online Program, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Downers Grove, Illinois; Program Director RN-BSN (Dr Hine), Department of Nursing, Eagle Gate College, Salt Lake City, Utah. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Dr McGonigle, Chamberlain College of Nursing, 1350 Alum Creek Dr, Columbus, OH 43209 ([email protected]). Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.nurseeducatoronline.com). DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000014
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The Practicum Experience Our practicum experience is a team effort entailing collaboration and cooperation among the graduate student, mentor, practicum course faculty, and PC. Practica are designed for students in 4 different specialty tracks: nursing education, executive nursing, nursing informatics, and healthcare policy. The practicum is individualized, based on negotiations among students, mentors, and course faculty. It consists of 100 to 200 hours of practicum time, depending on the specialty track. Students identify individual learning objectives based on course outcomes and work with their mentors and course faculty to identify experiences designed to meet those objectives. For each practicum course, the maximum number of students is 15. This limit ensures quality in learning and a manageable faculty workload to coordinate mentor and student learning activities. The role of the PC is to support the course faculty, mentor, and student throughout the process. The synergy among members of the team provides a unique, supportive, nurturing, and engaging environment as students enact the roles they have prepared for.
The PC Role The PC is a full-time person who plays an integral, studentfocused role in the online practicum experience by partnering with students as they begin the process of identifying a potential practicum placement location. See Document, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which diagrams the PC’s workflow, http://links.lww.com/NE/A115, and Table 1, which displays the 10 major work responsibilities. To be successful as a PC, competency in many skill areas is needed, including customer service, multitasking, organizational, written, and verbal. A position summary is detailed in Document, Supplemental Digital Content 2, http://links.lww.com/NE/A116. Nurse Educator
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Table 1. PC Job Responsibilities 1. Provide information on practicum requirements so students can successfully identify a practicum site. 2. Help students complete the practicum application. 3. Provide students with information that can be used when negotiating with a mentor, including possible contractual agreements. 4. Work with course SMEs to answer student and mentor questions about the overall practicum experiences. 5. Review the student’s practicum application. 6. Review the mentor’s resume to ensure compliance with mentor qualifications outlined in the practicum handbook. 7. Obtain approval for the student’s practicum experience from the SME and program dean. 8. Facilitate the contracts between the CON and the practicum site. 9. Facilitate communication among various people involved with the practicum. 10. Facilitate practicum evaluations.
Identifying a Practicum Site The PC maintains a handbook for the graduate nursing online program that outlines requirements of the student, mentor, and course faculty. Practicum sites must be healthcare or nursing education institutions and mentors must have 2 years’ educational experience and at least a master’s degree in nursing. The PC and student discuss potential mentors and practicum sites at least 120 days before the practicum. The PC maintains a database of former or recommended mentors and practicum sites and provides the information on those opportunities to the approximately 15% of the students who do not have a confirmed mentor and site. In addition, the PC refers the student to a CON faculty who could serve as a practicum mentor. The PC’s understanding of the practicum requirements is important in helping the student select the most appropriate practicum site possible. When there is any question about the suitability of a site or mentor, the PC can consult the course subject matter expert (SME) and program dean.
tions, the PC collaborates with the student to begin the search for another qualified mentor. If needed, a similar process is used for locating an appropriate practicum site. Although the practicum site location can have some variation, it must meet the needs of the student as well as course outcomes. If it does not, the PC communicates with the student so the search for another qualified practicum site location can begin.
Gaining Approval for the Mentor and Practicum Site Because a nursing background is not required for the PC role, the next step is to gain the approval of the specialty practicum course SME and dean. The PC e-mails the student’s practicum application to the course SME. The SME either approves, rejects, or questions the PC about the application. For example, if it is unclear how the potential mentor meets the qualification for mentorship, the SME or dean seeks clarification from the PC. Otherwise, they approve the practicum site and notify the PC of their decision.
Obtaining CON and Practicum Site Agreement The completion of practicum contracts and compliance documents is another area involving PC communication with many persons throughout the process, especially making students aware of the practicum site requirements before the practicum start. This can be a time-consuming and challenging task, facilitated with established policies and procedures. The PC contacts the practicum site to verify if an agreement is needed and, if so, obtains, reviews, and provides a copy to the school’s compliance team for their review. The PC then works with the compliance team and practicum site personnel to complete any outstanding items and obtain appropriate signatures.
Facilitating Communication
As adult learners, students are expected to contact potential mentors and negotiate their practicum activities. Students and mentors discuss mutual goals for the experience as well as tentative scheduling of practicum hours. They also discuss possible course projects; these typically are the beginning of capstone projects that are developed in the final course of the graduate curriculum. Throughout the process, the PC is available to answer questions or assist students and potential mentors communicate with practicum course SMEs to discuss course requirements.
The PC also acts as a facilitator among the practicum course faculty, mentors, and students. When faculty members have concerns or questions regarding a mentor or practicum location, the PC contacts the student to gain clarification. When potential mentors have questions about their responsibilities, the PC facilitates a discussion between the mentor and a faculty member who teaches the course. Similarly, the PC provides the course faculty contact information for the students and mentors to facilitate early discussions about students’ objectives and ability to gain the knowledge, skills and practice necessary to become safe, competent practitioners. In addition, the admissions and advising teams at the college are able to contact the PC at any time to have their practicum- and student-related questions answered promptly, which is always appreciated.
Reviewing the Practicum Application
Evaluating the Practicum
The final confirmation that the mentor and site meet all requirements is completed through the PC’s review of the practicum application and accompanying mentor resume. Faculty members in each specialty track confirm mentor qualifications. If a mentor does not meet the qualifica-
The PC sends out evaluation surveys to both mentors and students at the end of the practicum experience. Students provide comments and ratings on the overall practicum experience as well as their mentors. Mentors evaluate the mentoring experience and the performance of their students
Negotiating the Practicum With the Potential Mentor
Nurse Educator
Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/February 2014
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
43
through surveys sent out by the PC. Both the student and mentor offer recommendations on improving the practicum experiences. These results are compiled with all identifying data removed and provided to the CON course faculty and administrative staff for their review and recommendation.
Conclusion The practicum experience is a team effort involving the coordination, collaboration, and cooperation of the student, mentor, course faculty, and PC. The PC acts as a student advocate and plays an integral, student-focused role in the online practicum experience by partnering with students from the time they begin the process. Students appreciate a contact person, who advocates for them as they examine their goals and carry them out with the help of a supportive mentor. The PC is always available to find solutions for any issues that emerge in the practicum experience. The PC interacts with individuals from diverse backgrounds and needs to possess strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. The PC has a critical
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Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/February 2014
communication role throughout the school and the student practicum experience. The development of this role has provided a collaborative point of contact that facilitates communication between practicum site personnel and CON faculty, staff, and students. The addition of the PC role has been instrumental to graduate student practicum experience success. The PC resolves issues and facilitates, organizes, and manages the practicum process while being the student’s advocate, orienting the mentor, and supporting the practicum course faculty.
References 1. Drennan J, Hyde A. The fragmented discourse of the ‘‘knowledgeable doer’’: nursing academics’ and nurse managers’ perspectives on a masters education for nurses. Adv Health Sci Educ. 2009;14:173-186. doi:10.1007/s10459-008-9102-x. 2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The essentials of master’s education in nursing. 2011. Available at http://www .aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf. Accessed November 4, 2013.
Nurse Educator
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Nurse Educator
The Coordinator Role for a Nursing Online Graduate Practicum Dee McGonigle, PhD, RN, FAAN, CNE & Jennifer Alestock, BA & Valda Upenieks, PhD, RN Lois Hine, PhD, RN, CNE & Rebecca Sisk, PhD, RN, CNE Diana Meeks-Sjostrom, PhD, RN, CS, FNP-BC, CNE Although graduate students in nursing are adult learners and expert clinicians, they are often novices in the roles they seek upon graduation. Practicum experiences help students bridge the gap between theory learned in course work and beginning practice at the master’s level. However, finding practica for online nursing graduate students at great distances is often a challenge. The value of having a point person for the coordination of students’ practicum experiences in multiple settings is well known. What is less well known is how this coordination occurs across great distances in online courses that include a practicum component. The authors discuss the design and implementation of a practicum coordinator position in a graduate online program.
P
racticum experiences for online graduate students in nursing provide opportunities to assume future roles in a safe environment, combining academic knowledge with the requisite skills for practice.1 Finding meaningful experiences that help online students successfully navigate the relationships between theoretical knowledge and application in practice is a complex task that provides experiences related to the psychomotor and affective domain as well as the cognitive domain.2 As adult learners, online students in the online MSN program at our college of nursing (CON) are expected to find their own mentors and practicum sites. At the program’s inception, the dean of online programs assisted students with this task. As this task soon became burdensome, the need for a practicum coordinator (PC) was identified. Although the PC role was originally designed to provide assistance for the dean, the role that unfolded evolved into a support mechanism for students’ planning and implementation of their practica. The PC also assists mentors, who offer their time and expertise, and course faculty, who guide students to apply the theory and content from specialty track courses to the practicum experience. Author Affiliations: Professor (Drs McGonigle and Upenieks), Practicum Coordinator (Ms Alestock), Associate Professor (Drs Sisk and Meeks-Sjostrom), MSN Online Program, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Downers Grove, Illinois; Program Director RN-BSN (Dr Hine), Department of Nursing, Eagle Gate College, Salt Lake City, Utah. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Dr McGonigle, Chamberlain College of Nursing, 1350 Alum Creek Dr, Columbus, OH 43209 ([email protected]). Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.nurseeducatoronline.com). DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000014
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Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/February 2014
The Practicum Experience Our practicum experience is a team effort entailing collaboration and cooperation among the graduate student, mentor, practicum course faculty, and PC. Practica are designed for students in 4 different specialty tracks: nursing education, executive nursing, nursing informatics, and healthcare policy. The practicum is individualized, based on negotiations among students, mentors, and course faculty. It consists of 100 to 200 hours of practicum time, depending on the specialty track. Students identify individual learning objectives based on course outcomes and work with their mentors and course faculty to identify experiences designed to meet those objectives. For each practicum course, the maximum number of students is 15. This limit ensures quality in learning and a manageable faculty workload to coordinate mentor and student learning activities. The role of the PC is to support the course faculty, mentor, and student throughout the process. The synergy among members of the team provides a unique, supportive, nurturing, and engaging environment as students enact the roles they have prepared for.
The PC Role The PC is a full-time person who plays an integral, studentfocused role in the online practicum experience by partnering with students as they begin the process of identifying a potential practicum placement location. See Document, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which diagrams the PC’s workflow, http://links.lww.com/NE/A115, and Table 1, which displays the 10 major work responsibilities. To be successful as a PC, competency in many skill areas is needed, including customer service, multitasking, organizational, written, and verbal. A position summary is detailed in Document, Supplemental Digital Content 2, http://links.lww.com/NE/A116. Nurse Educator
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Table 1. PC Job Responsibilities 1. Provide information on practicum requirements so students can successfully identify a practicum site. 2. Help students complete the practicum application. 3. Provide students with information that can be used when negotiating with a mentor, including possible contractual agreements. 4. Work with course SMEs to answer student and mentor questions about the overall practicum experiences. 5. Review the student’s practicum application. 6. Review the mentor’s resume to ensure compliance with mentor qualifications outlined in the practicum handbook. 7. Obtain approval for the student’s practicum experience from the SME and program dean. 8. Facilitate the contracts between the CON and the practicum site. 9. Facilitate communication among various people involved with the practicum. 10. Facilitate practicum evaluations.
Identifying a Practicum Site The PC maintains a handbook for the graduate nursing online program that outlines requirements of the student, mentor, and course faculty. Practicum sites must be healthcare or nursing education institutions and mentors must have 2 years’ educational experience and at least a master’s degree in nursing. The PC and student discuss potential mentors and practicum sites at least 120 days before the practicum. The PC maintains a database of former or recommended mentors and practicum sites and provides the information on those opportunities to the approximately 15% of the students who do not have a confirmed mentor and site. In addition, the PC refers the student to a CON faculty who could serve as a practicum mentor. The PC’s understanding of the practicum requirements is important in helping the student select the most appropriate practicum site possible. When there is any question about the suitability of a site or mentor, the PC can consult the course subject matter expert (SME) and program dean.
tions, the PC collaborates with the student to begin the search for another qualified mentor. If needed, a similar process is used for locating an appropriate practicum site. Although the practicum site location can have some variation, it must meet the needs of the student as well as course outcomes. If it does not, the PC communicates with the student so the search for another qualified practicum site location can begin.
Gaining Approval for the Mentor and Practicum Site Because a nursing background is not required for the PC role, the next step is to gain the approval of the specialty practicum course SME and dean. The PC e-mails the student’s practicum application to the course SME. The SME either approves, rejects, or questions the PC about the application. For example, if it is unclear how the potential mentor meets the qualification for mentorship, the SME or dean seeks clarification from the PC. Otherwise, they approve the practicum site and notify the PC of their decision.
Obtaining CON and Practicum Site Agreement The completion of practicum contracts and compliance documents is another area involving PC communication with many persons throughout the process, especially making students aware of the practicum site requirements before the practicum start. This can be a time-consuming and challenging task, facilitated with established policies and procedures. The PC contacts the practicum site to verify if an agreement is needed and, if so, obtains, reviews, and provides a copy to the school’s compliance team for their review. The PC then works with the compliance team and practicum site personnel to complete any outstanding items and obtain appropriate signatures.
Facilitating Communication
As adult learners, students are expected to contact potential mentors and negotiate their practicum activities. Students and mentors discuss mutual goals for the experience as well as tentative scheduling of practicum hours. They also discuss possible course projects; these typically are the beginning of capstone projects that are developed in the final course of the graduate curriculum. Throughout the process, the PC is available to answer questions or assist students and potential mentors communicate with practicum course SMEs to discuss course requirements.
The PC also acts as a facilitator among the practicum course faculty, mentors, and students. When faculty members have concerns or questions regarding a mentor or practicum location, the PC contacts the student to gain clarification. When potential mentors have questions about their responsibilities, the PC facilitates a discussion between the mentor and a faculty member who teaches the course. Similarly, the PC provides the course faculty contact information for the students and mentors to facilitate early discussions about students’ objectives and ability to gain the knowledge, skills and practice necessary to become safe, competent practitioners. In addition, the admissions and advising teams at the college are able to contact the PC at any time to have their practicum- and student-related questions answered promptly, which is always appreciated.
Reviewing the Practicum Application
Evaluating the Practicum
The final confirmation that the mentor and site meet all requirements is completed through the PC’s review of the practicum application and accompanying mentor resume. Faculty members in each specialty track confirm mentor qualifications. If a mentor does not meet the qualifica-
The PC sends out evaluation surveys to both mentors and students at the end of the practicum experience. Students provide comments and ratings on the overall practicum experience as well as their mentors. Mentors evaluate the mentoring experience and the performance of their students
Negotiating the Practicum With the Potential Mentor
Nurse Educator
Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/February 2014
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
43
through surveys sent out by the PC. Both the student and mentor offer recommendations on improving the practicum experiences. These results are compiled with all identifying data removed and provided to the CON course faculty and administrative staff for their review and recommendation.
Conclusion The practicum experience is a team effort involving the coordination, collaboration, and cooperation of the student, mentor, course faculty, and PC. The PC acts as a student advocate and plays an integral, student-focused role in the online practicum experience by partnering with students from the time they begin the process. Students appreciate a contact person, who advocates for them as they examine their goals and carry them out with the help of a supportive mentor. The PC is always available to find solutions for any issues that emerge in the practicum experience. The PC interacts with individuals from diverse backgrounds and needs to possess strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. The PC has a critical
44
Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/February 2014
communication role throughout the school and the student practicum experience. The development of this role has provided a collaborative point of contact that facilitates communication between practicum site personnel and CON faculty, staff, and students. The addition of the PC role has been instrumental to graduate student practicum experience success. The PC resolves issues and facilitates, organizes, and manages the practicum process while being the student’s advocate, orienting the mentor, and supporting the practicum course faculty.
References 1. Drennan J, Hyde A. The fragmented discourse of the ‘‘knowledgeable doer’’: nursing academics’ and nurse managers’ perspectives on a masters education for nurses. Adv Health Sci Educ. 2009;14:173-186. doi:10.1007/s10459-008-9102-x. 2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The essentials of master’s education in nursing. 2011. Available at http://www .aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf. Accessed November 4, 2013.
Nurse Educator
Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
