Clinical Planning

The documents below help our students secure and prepare to complete clinical activity.

• Clinical Planning Checklist (PDF): includes all tasks associated with clinical planning so you can adequately prepare for your clinical activity.

• Networking Tips & Strategies (PDF): provides recommendations as you network to secure a clinical preceptor. Suggested questions to navigate conversations with potential preceptors are included.
  
  
• Preceptor Outreach Scripts: offer sample language for emails and phone calls to preceptors.
  • Email (PDF)
    
  • Phone (PDF)
     
• Preceptor Tracker (Excel): helps you keep track of all the preceptors you have contacted in a spreadsheet.
  

It is imperative that you are proactive about finding a preceptor for each clinical setting. Depending on the health care institution, it can take up to six months to secure your site. You cannot begin clinical until your Preceptor Application Packet is processed and the preceptor and site are approved. Submitting the packet after the deadline or even closer to the end of the semester may result in your site not being confirmed by the beginning of your first semester of clinical.

You will have to complete this process every semester you have a practicum course. Every term has its own deadline. Please refer to the documents located under your program specialty (listed below) for specific requirements for your clinical courses. You are highly encouraged to begin looking for a preceptor now.

• Preceptor Application
  • The application now includes a student information section that must be completed by the student before submission.
    
• Preceptor Clinical Handbook

Students in California and North Dakota must fill out additional documentation for state authorization. This must be completed and submitted separate from the preceptor application.

Please note:

• BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program will receive additional information related to clinical requirements in their welcome information as they prepare to start the program.
• To meet accreditation standards, those serving as a preceptor for a Nurse Midwifery student must submit both the preceptor application and a current professional resume/curriculum vitae.
• For PhD students, clinical planning is not needed.

A number of clinical sites have specific processes and procedures for clinical placement. If you are considering a clinical placement at any of the below listed sites, please contact your respective clinical site coordinator prior to engaging in activities to secure a preceptor at these sites so your coordinator can provide guidance and details related to the site's individual processes and procedures for clinical placement.

Sites include:

• Allina Health, Minnesota (You must be an Allina Health employee and admitted in the Spring '23 semester or prior to complete clinical activity at Allina Health.)
  
• Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
• Essentia Health, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota
  
• Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio
• Norton Healthcare, Kentucky
  
• The Little Clinic, Ohio
• Stanford Health Care, California
• Summa Health, Ohio
  
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pennsylvania

There are sites that assess a fee related to completing clinical activity within their organization. This fee does not go to the preceptor. It is related to administrative processing only. The Cleveland Clinic (Ohio) and Atrium Health (AKA Charlotte-Mecklenberg Hospital, North Carolina) are examples of sites that address this fee in their affiliation agreement. UC College of Nursing is required to work in collaboration with these aforementioned sites to obtain fee payment from the student and provide to the site. However, there could be other sites that assess a clinical fee directly to the student. Fee structure for clinical activity is determined by the site. Please take this into consideration as you prepare for clinical activity.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has created a Facebook group (ANCC: PreceptorMatch.com Group) to assist in making connections between students and potential preceptors. By joining this group, you can both post information related to your preceptor needs and monitor posts of persons who are willing to serve as a preceptor. You can join the ANCC: PreceptorMatch.com Group by following this link: bit.ly/PreceptorMatchFBGroup . This resource is most beneficial to post preceptor needs after students have:

• Networked through healthcare systems/colleagues and professional organizations to identify an appropriate and available clinical site/preceptor; and
  
• Connected with their respective clinical site coordinator to further discuss other resources to assist in the preceptor search, including information on former preceptors and alumni who reside in their state.  

Joining this Facebook group is just one avenue for you to network. It is truly a supplement as you actively engage in securing a preceptor.   

If the above networking strategies do not result in securing a preceptor, please work with your clinical site coordinator to discuss other possible options, which could ultimately be outside of your preferred geographical area and require travel. We look forward to working with you throughout your educational journey!    

The University of Cincinnati has been approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) initiative to offer online/distance learning programs to residents of most other SARA states.

In addition to the list of states that we do not have authorization or only have partial authorization granted by the respective state board of nursing, there are other limitations regarding clinical activity outside of the approved states that we wish to specifically highlight:

• Students cannot complete clinical activity within a U.S. Territory.
• Students cannot complete clinical activity at a U.S. Embassy.
• Students cannot complete clinical activity in a country outside of the U.S. (unless residing on a military base while the student (or a partner) is serving in the military; additional guidance provided in the below:
  • Only persons serving in the military (or are a military partner) who reside on a military base can complete clinical requirements on the military base outside of the contiguous United States and abroad. The student serving in the military (or the military partner) should confirm that they will have the ability to complete clinical requirements on the military base. Military base contracts can take over 6 months to a year for approval (and approval is not guaranteed). If the military base and the University of Cincinnati are unable to establish a contract with the military base, students would have to delay clinical activity until they return to an approved U.S. state.

In addition to the preceptor application, California and North Dakota state boards of nursing require specific documentation to be submitted separately by preceptors of students engaging in clinical (practicum/internship) experiences in these states.

All documentation for your state should be thoroughly completed and sent to constateauth@uc.edu at least 1 week prior to the start of the semester in which clinical activity is slated to occur. For assistance related to state regulations and state board of nursing authorization, email constateauth@uc.edu.

• California State Authorization Form (PDF)
  
• North Dakota State Authorization Form (PDF)

Note: State authorization forms are a separate requirement from the preceptor application and must be submitted separate from the packet. Do not submit state authorization forms together with the preceptor application.

As mentioned above, clinical planning and practicum/internship experiences support involves cooperation from multiple team members and the student. Clinical course faculty, site coordinators and students have clear responsibilities for ensuring a successful collaborative relationship. The following document outlines the expectations and responsibilities of clinical course faculty, site coordinators and students. Also included is a list of frequently asked questions with the appropriate contact person(s) for those specific inquiries.

• Clinical Course Expectations and Responsibilities (PDF)