NURS  4220/4221: Leadership Competencies in Nursing and Healthcare 

BSN Program Outcomes

At the end of the BSN program, students will be able to:

 

Apply leadership and informatics concepts in decision making to promote patient safety and quality care.

Use evidence that is based on the sciences, humanities, and research to guide nursing practice across the health-illness continuum in a variety of healthcare settings.

Evaluate the implications of policy on issues of access, equity, affordability, and social justice in healthcare delivery, including the health of vulnerable populations and healthcare disparities.

Demonstrate effective communication and collaboration skills to improve patient outcomes.

Implement individual and population-focused interventions to promote health and to prevent and manage disease and injuries.

Exhibit accountability for personal and professional behaviors in accordance with standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct with a commitment to continuous professional development.

Provide patient-centered nursing care based on a comprehensive and focused health assessment across the lifespan using sound clinical judgment, as well as developmentally and culturally appropriate approaches.

At the undergraduate level, the College of Nursing uses the following guidelines and standards to inform the curriculum and professional behavior:

 

The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008)

Public Health: Recommended Baccalaureate Competencies and Curricular Guidelines for Public Health Nursing (AACN, 2013)

Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretative Statements (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015)

Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2015)

Guide to Nursing’s Social Policy Statement (ANA, 2015)

Required Activities for Students

Students must satisfactorily complete all the requirements of their practicum courses in accordance with the information provided in the course Syllabus. Students complete the classroom portion of the program online and are not allowed to take multiple practicum courses concurrently. They must receive a passing grade for the practicum components in the courses that have integrated theory and practice components to successfully pass the course. Students earn 5 quarter credits and receive a letter grade on a 4.0-grading scale for each course.

 

The following activities count toward required practicum hours:

 

Activities that are directly related to the completion of practicum goals and objectives

Meetings about the potential project with professionals, in the community and work, or other practicum settings

Attendance at meetings related to the project in the community or other practicum settings

Meetings with preceptor to discuss project during course

Presentation of project to preceptor and other professionals during the practicum

Preparation of all materials directly related to completion of the practicum

Participating in course practicum Discussions with Faculty

Practicum hours are course and term specific. Practicum hours do not carry over to a different term or practicum course if a student withdraws, drops a course, or fails a course.

 

Identifying a Preceptor

“Identifying” a practicum site and a preceptor means that the student has received confirmation from a site and preceptor that the site is willing to host the practicum and the preceptor is willing to advise the student in the practicum during a specific term.

 

The role of the preceptor is to provide interaction, guidance, and professional role modeling for students, as well as assisting the student in exploring either a health issue in the community or a quality/safety issue at the site. The preceptor does not track your hours or grade this experience. A preceptor is a trusted advisor and coach. A preceptor is a professional with experience and knowledge who will help guide a student in exploring ideas and identify resources to help the student develop a project during the practicum courses.

 

Students must identify a potential preceptor for each practicum course and determine if the individual is interested in working with them. If so, students must find out whether this individual meets the qualifications to serve as a preceptor. Tips on how to identify a preceptor are provided below under the “Preceptor Requirements” heading.

 

Students should contact the nursing field experience coordinators as soon as they identify a possible preceptor, and no later than the start of their second term, to nominate the individual to serve as their preceptor. Students should evaluate potential preceptors early by emailing nursingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to obtain feedback about whether the nominee is an acceptable preceptor candidate.

 

Preceptor Requirements

Preceptors are professional colleagues with experience in areas needed for the practicum. Although preceptors do not approve practicums or monitor the time students engage in a practicum, preceptors provide feedback and additional ideas regarding potential practicums and can refer students to other professionals who can provide students with additional information. Preceptors will also provide midterm and final feedback to students.

 

Prior to approval, the preceptor’s license and certification (if applicable) are verified and the Preceptor Commitment Form is evaluated by the Office of Field Experience. Walden’s approval of the preceptor nominee is based on several criteria. The following are preceptor requirements:

 

Preceptor must hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a field related to the role.

Specific course requirements for preceptors include:

NURS 4210/4211: It is preferred that the preceptor be a nurse. If a nurse is not available, other qualified interdisciplinary professionals with a role in population health or public health would qualify. Examples of preceptors could include public health nurses, infectious disease nurses/physicians, public health staff, school nurses, nutritionists, health educators, diabetes educators, or other qualified interdisciplinary preceptors related to population health or public health. Note: The preceptor generally should not be employed in a hospital or clinic setting.

NURS 4220/4221: The preceptor must be a nurse with at minimum a bachelor’s degree. Examples of preceptors include chief nursing officer, directors, nurse managers, quality improvement nurses, nurse managers of a patient care unit, manager of quality improvement, nursing educators, infection control practitioners, charge nurses, unit managers, or other qualified nursing leaders.

If the preceptor nominee is an RN, the preceptor must hold an active, unencumbered license to practice professional nursing in the state where the practicum will occur.

Preceptor must have a minimum of 1 year of experience and a current job role that is relevant to the project. The 1 year of experience is based upon the original date of licensure for licensed practitioners.

Preceptor is able and willing to commit to the preceptor role for the duration of the practicum.

Preceptor is employed at the field site where the practicum takes place.

Preceptor cannot be a relative, family member, fiancé, roommate, significant other, personal friend, or primary care provider.

Preceptor may be the student’s direct or immediate supervisor.

Preceptor cannot be another BSN student.

If it is found that a student’s preceptor is a relative, family member, fiancé, roommate, significant, personal friend or primary care provider of the student, the practicum hours will be rejected and not counted toward the practicum hour requirement. If a student utilizes a preceptor inappropriately as noted above, this may lead to an academic integrity violation that could result in a sanction up to and including dismissal from the university. Students are responsible for nominating preceptors that fully meet all requirements for preceptors.

 

 

 

Identifying a Site

The practicums are project-based, which involves a Faculty supervised experience with a preceptor outside of the classroom setting. Students must identify a preceptor and a site for each practicum course.

 

“Identifying” a practicum setting and a preceptor means that the student has received confirmation from a site and preceptor that the site is willing to host the practicum and the preceptor is willing to advise the student in the practicum during a specific term.

 

Students should follow the appropriate procedure at the field site to secure a practicum and to understand the field site requirements prior to beginning the practicum.

 

Students who wish to conduct their practicum at their place of employment should be aware that the loss of employment during their practicum may interfere with their ability to complete their required practicum hours and experiences.

 

Course Specific Requirement

NURS 4220/4221 Leadership Competencies in Nursing and Healthcare or Tempo Learning LC 4001–4005

Didactic: 4 credit

Practicum: 1 credit

Note: NURS 4210/4211: Role of the Nurse Leader in Population Health must be successfully completed prior to NURS 4220/4221.

Note: 1 credit equals 72 practicum hours

RN students collaborate with an approved preceptor and other various professionals in a healthcare facility to develop a quality improvement project.

 

Prerequisites

 

RN BSN

 

NURS 3100: Issues and Trends in Nursing

NURS 3110: Information Management and Patient Care Technology

NURS 3150: Foundations of Nursing Research

NURS 4100: Quality and Safety Through Evidence-Based Practice

NURS 4105: Advocacy Through Healthcare Policy

NURS 4115: Role of the Nurse in Public and Global Health

NURS 4210: Role of the Nurse Leader in Population Health

RN BSN (AIM)

 

NURS 4005 (concurrent)

NURS 4210

NURS 4115

NURS 5050

NURS 5052

NURS 3150

NURS 5051

NURS 3100

RN MSN

 

NURS 4006 (concurrent)

NURS 4211

NURS 3151

NURS 3101