Nurse Education MSN Clinical Planning FAQ

Students should begin planning and preparing for their clinical practicum experiences at the time of admission to the program. Check out our Clinical Planning page to get started in this process.

The preceptor plays a crucial role in mentoring and guiding students as they transition into the role of a nurse educator. The preceptor’s role includes:

• Role modeling and mentoring
• Providing guidance in clinical and educational settings
• Supporting skill development
• Providing feedback and evaluation
• Facilitating reflection and growth

Students enrolled in the Nursing Education MSN program must complete a minimum of 112 total hours consisting of both INDIRECT and DIRECT care practicum hours. The Nursing Education MSN courses requiring practicum hours are:

• NURS8092: Simulation-Based Education: Best Practice in Nursing Education, introduces the nurse educator to the multi-faceted aspects of simulation-based education providing an evidence-based framework to develop, facilitate and evaluate simulation-based learning experiences in nursing education. A minimum of 56 INDIRECT care practicum (clock) hours are required.
  • Note: While the practicum hours for NURS8092 are intended to include INDIRECT care only, it is possible for a student to earn DIRECT care practicum hours during NURS8092. When this is the case, the student must work with the Program Director to obtain approval before beginning the course.
  
  
• NURS8088: Role of the Nurse Educator, focuses on the comprehensive investigation of the academic nursing role in higher education relative to administration, student issues, program requirements and faculty expectations. A minimum of 56 of both INDIRECT and DIRECT care practicum (clock) hours are required.

Please refer to the clinical requirements document to gather additional information related to the clinical experience.

INDIRECT and DIRECT care practicum hours refer to different types of experiential learning that contribute to a nurse's development as an educator. 

• INDIRECT CARE practicum hours involve behind-the-scenes or education-related activities that prepare or evaluate educational experiences with a population of students/learners. They DO NOT REQUIRE face-to-face (e.g., in-person) or real-time (e.g., telehealth) interactions with patients, families and/or community populations. These experiences help students strengthen planning, assessment and analytical skills necessary for effective education. 

• Examples include:
  • Developing lesson plans or curricula
  • Creating learning assessments or evaluation tools
  • Attending meetings about educational planning
  • Participating in professional development related to education
  • Reviewing evidence-based teaching practice

  
  ANY INDIRECT care practicum hours with a preceptor that is NOT an assigned UC College of Nursing faculty member are REQUIRED to follow the UC College of Nursing process for approval of the site and preceptor.

• DIRECT CARE practicum hours require face-to-face (e.g., in-person) or real-time (e.g., telehealth) interactions with patients, families and/or community populations and are      intended to achieve specific health goals and outcomes. These experiences are designed to advance the students’ knowledge and expertise in a clinical area of practice empowering patients, families and/or a community population to participate in their care and enable shared decision making. DIRECT care practicum hours will build hands-on clinical teaching and communication skills.  They must include assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation with a target population (patients, families and/or community population). 

• Examples include:
  
  • Leading simulation sessions for patients, families and/or community populations
  • Providing education to patient, families and/or community populations related to appropriate healthcare topics.
• Examples of what are NOT considered DIRECT care practicum experiences:
  • 100% simulation, including virtual or standardized patient encounters.
  • Teach students/learners or work with faculty who supervise students/learners.
  • Participate in staff development activities.
  • Didactic content in the APRN core and/or the integrated 3 Ps course (Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Advanced Physical Assessment), including assessing case studies.

ALL DIRECT care practicum hours are REQUIRED to follow the UC College of Nursing process for approval of the site and preceptor.

Per the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Nursing Education programs are expected to “provide students the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge and expertise in a particular area of nursing that includes graduate-level clinical practice content and experiences. If a student does not have this in-depth preparation in an area of nursing practice, then the student will not be prepared to teach beyond what was learned as part of his/her entry-level preparation. Therefore, the focus of the clinical practice experience should not solely be on ‘education.’”

Per the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the accrediting body for the University of Cincinnati, “the curriculum includes planned clinical experiences that enable students to integrate new knowledge and demonstrate attainment of program outcome; and are evaluated by faculty”.

The CCNE also states “Clinical practice experiences for nurse educator students are designed to provide:

• Expertise in a particular are of clinical nursing practice
• Graduate-level clinical practice content
• Knowledge and skills to teach beyond own entry-level preparation."

The number of DIRECT care practicum hours will be dependent upon the practicum experiences and associated student project, as there is not a set minimum criterion outlined by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the accrediting body for the University of Cincinnati. The student project must demonstrate that the number of DIRECT care hours provide a sufficient DIRECT care practicum experience at an advanced level.

Students should begin planning for their DIRECT care practicum hours and experience at the beginning of their Nursing Education MSN program.

If students have questions related to the appropriate project and/or DIRECT care practicum experiences, they should contact the Program Director. 

Yes, preceptors are required for both INDIRECT and DIRECT practicum hours.

• Preceptor requirements for INDIRECT practicum hours:
  • Be a faculty member at an accredited college or school of nursing
  • Hold at least an MSN or a BSN and a master's degree in another discipline (i.e.: MEd)
  • Must be at least one level/track above the student in the organization

In each of the practicum courses (NURS8088 and NURS8092), a UC College of Nursing faculty member will be assigned as your preceptor for INDIRECT care practicum hours. Students who choose to pursue a different preceptor for INDIRECT care practicum hours are REQUIRED to follow the UC College of Nursing approval process for the site and preceptor.

• Preceptor requirements for DIRECT practicum hours:
  
  • Hold at least an MSN or a BSN and a master's degree in another discipline (i.e.: MEd)
  • Must be at least one level/track above the student in the organization

Students will identify a DIRECT care practicum preceptor at a clinical site where they will perform DIRECT care practicum hours. The UC College of Nursing Clinical Site Coordinator can offer students assistance with identifying DIRECT care practicum preceptors/sites.

NOTE: Dependent upon the preceptor's academic and clinical role/experience, it is possible that the same person could serve as a preceptor for both INDIRECT and DIRECT practicum hours. This DOES NOT APPLY to the assigned UC College of Nursing faculty member, who will only provide INDIRECT care practicum hours. 

Students can reach out to the program director if questions on appropriate next steps arise.

Reflect upon your areas of prior clinical expertise and current interests.

• INDIRECT care practicum hours: Students will work with their assigned INDIRECT care practicum preceptor to define and determine their practicum focus and experience.

• DIRECT care practicum hours: Students will work with their DIRECT care practicum preceptor to ensure their DIRECT care practicum experience includes an opportunity to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interaction(s) with patients, families and/or community populations that are intended to achieve specific health goals and outcomes within the target population (patients, families, and/or community population).

Collaborate with your preceptor, staff, nurse managers and other team members to understand the specific needs of the target population. Let those needs guide the focus of your project.  An example may include, identifying a need for a small educational project that you can develop, implement (provide to the patient, family and/or community population) and evaluate.