DNP Program Requirements & Expectations

UF College of Nursing DNP Preceptor Role:

1. Provides a Resume for the College of Nursing to keep on file demonstrating the expertise of the preceptor
2. Directs overall goals and objectives for the practicum experience based on student outcomes objectives
3. Determines the student’s experiential learning needs in order to meet the course objective
4. Individualizes teaching methods to help the student meet their learning objectives
5. Evaluates whether the student’s objectives have been achieved
6. Provides the student with both formative and summative feedback
7. Demonstrates the ability to address multiple variables in the clinical setting while prioritizing the patient
8. Communicates with course faculty including coordinating the timing of the site visit (may be virtual or face-to-face)
9. Completes Exxat documentation via email notifications
   • Midterm Evaluation of Student
   • Final Evaluation of Student
   • Monthly approval of student’s clinical hours

UF College of Nursing Student Role:

Students will be held accountable for:

1. The quality of preparation, completion and performance of assignments.
2. Complying with the policies and procedures pertaining to the student’s admitted program of study and all affiliate sites. All responsibilities connected with the program defined at the time of enrollment in the program or made part of the educational experience during the period of enrollment are also the student’s responsibility.
3. Meeting with preceptors to determine a schedule for the semester.
4. Include their schedule within the Exxat system after a discussion with the preceptor.
5. Documentation of clinical experiences within Exxat.
6. Completing a self-evaluation mid-semester.
7. Completing a site/preceptor evaluation at the end of the semester.
8. Looking for opportunities to obtain clinical competencies.

The student should attend the required number of hours of clinical practicum that is consistent with the program requirements in alignment with the preceptor’s agreed-upon clinical schedule. Students are expected to schedule clinical time with the preceptor, consistent with the preceptor’s availability/schedule.

UF College of Nursing Track Coordinator Role:

It is the role of clinical supervising faculty to understand the student’s learning needs for the clinical experience, including the following responsibilities:

1. Faculty must clarify with students that differences in practice styles exist in clinical practice settings and may not always be consistent with what students have learned in the classroom.
2. Clinical supervising faculty should arrange a time with the preceptor for a site visit to observe the student providing direct care and thereby collaborating and corroborating the preceptor’s evaluation. The site visit may be in-person if the student is within 90 miles of the College of Nursing. Alternative evaluation methods for distance students will guide evaluation when a direct site visit is not feasible. For example, faculty-preceptor evaluation for distance learning preceptors can be performed using other technologies (e.g., video or teleconferencing). Faculty-student-preceptor conference calls may also serve as support to preceptors during the student’s clinical practicum and performance evaluation.
3. Faculty is a valuable resource to preceptors in weak, unsafe or unethical student performance situations. The clinical supervising faculty is responsible for a student’s final grade in a course and clinical practicum.

What qualifications are required for preceptors?

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• Track prepares graduates to provide independent and collaborative management of adult patients 17 years of age and above from diverse populations suffering from acute, critical or chronic illnesses. Under no circumstances should students on this track provide care to children, although they may observe care provided by others, such as their preceptor, on rare occasions.

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• Track prepares nurses for careers in comprehensive primary health care. The curriculum provides the basis to practice community-based, advanced nursing with children and adults within a family context. The emphasis of the program is on health promotion across the lifespan, as well as the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic health problems.  Students on this track may provide care to patients across their lifespan.

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• Pediatric acute care nurse practitioners care for acutely ill, critically ill and chronically ill children and their families in various practice settings, including but not limited to, inpatient and outpatient hospital settings, emergency departments and home care settings. Graduates of this program are prepared to provide expert clinical care to meet the specialized physiological and psychological needs of children and adolescents with complex acute, critical and chronic health conditions and/or urgent, emergent and life-threatening conditions. Under no circumstances should students on this track provide care to adults, although they may observe care provided by others, such as their preceptor, on rare occasions.

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• The pediatric primary care nurse practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse who provides health care to children from birth through 21 years of age. Pediatric primary care nurse practitioners provide comprehensive health care to children through assessment, diagnosis, management and evaluation of care. Pediatric primary care nurse practitioners provide a wide range of pediatric health care services in a variety of health care settings.  Under no circumstances should they provide care to adults, although they may observe care provided by others, such as their preceptor, on rare occasions.

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse whose clinical practice focuses on individuals, families or populations across the lifespan at risk for developing mental problems or having a psychiatric diagnosis.

• Licensed in the State of FL as MD, DO, NP
• Current Licensure/certification
• 1 year of clinical practice experience
• The dual pediatric acute and primary care track is designed to prepare students to deliver advanced levels of care to infants, children and adolescents in diverse pediatric health care settings. The program builds on the foundational knowledge of the primary care nurse practitioner in providing for the well-child, preventive care, health maintenance and treatment of common pediatric acute and chronic diseases. The program then extends to prepare the pediatric nurse practitioner to work in an acute care setting to care for children with acute, complex, critical and complex conditions. Under no circumstances should they provide care to adults, although they may observe care provided by others, such as their preceptor, on rare occasions.