Clinical Track Issues for
FNP Students

Clinical Placement - Dr. Carol Starling is the Clinical Placement Coordinator for all FNP students in PC I, II & III. Students may request experiences in specific family practice settings that meet the approval of the clinical course faculty coordinator. The final decision on where you go for clinical will be made by the course coordinator, not Carol Starling. Carol can make placements to accommodate class schedules; however, she can not accommodate work/family schedules.

Clinical Focus - The clinical focus will be primary care sites, not a specialty site (ie. oncology, cardiology, etc.). Students will have clinical experiences which expose them to the full age array of both male and female patients from birth to death. For FNP students in PC I, II, or III, priority placements will be in family practice sites with a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant for a preceptor. A different site will be used each semester to ensure a variety of preceptors and practices. If you desire a clinical site meeting these criteria, please make your request to Carol Starling in the semester prior to enrollment via e-mail cstarlin@kumc.edu.

Location - Sites may be anywhere within approximately an hour's drive. They are chosen to afford you the best possible educational experience. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from all clinical experiences. In general, clinical placements are available on Monday through Friday, from 8 to 5.  It is necessary for students to have at least one day a week (M, T, R, F) available for their clinical experiences in PC I & II.  Wednesday can not be used due to conflicting PC classes.

Current work site - We prefer that students not use clinical experiences for school at the same site where they are employed. This is unfair both to you and to your preceptor. It is difficult to function in the student role when the staff also expect you to do regular work duties.

Professional Conflicts of Interests - Please inform Carol Starling (cstarlin@kumc.edu) as early as possible if there is any clinical site or specific provider that would create significant conflicts for your clinical placement.

Preceptorship (PC III) - The final PC course is a capstone experience to pull together all earlier courses. Its purpose is to transition the student into the role of FNP; it is not designed for job orientation (although it can be a plus if the site offers you a job). This is a 5 credit hour clinical course (320 hours). You will be expected to work 5 days per week for 8 weeks during your final summer semester (June & July). Please begin planning for this time commitment now. We strongly suggest that you save money, vacation/leave time at your job for this course so that you can complete the required clinical without working.

Clinical Hours – The FNP program counts clinical hours as follows:

The minimum number of clinical hours required by American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the certifying exam organization and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) is 500. The Kansas Board of Nursing is considering setting the minimum at 500 hours also. We feel that you are getting a substantial amount.

ITV Classroom Rules – The PC I & II didactic courses will be held in an interactive television room. Absolutely no food or drink is to be consumed while in this classroom due to the very expensive electronic equipment. Please make your plans accordingly. Because you are “on camera” and every class is videotaped, you are expected to behave with consideration of others. Turn off cell phone ringers and set your pager to vibrate.  Avoid small talk with your neighbors as this interferes with other classmates hearing the lecture. Exaggerated movements are a distraction to people at the other sites. When asking a question or making a comment, you will need to “key” your mike. Always identify yourself and your site before stating your question or comment.