Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum III – NURS 838

CG • Section 16WK • 07/01/2018 to 12/31/2199 • Modified 05/10/2022

Course Description

This practicum course provides extensive experience to prepare the student to enter the professional role of a family nurse practitioner. Students will provide wellness exams, episodic, acute, and chronic care to individuals across the lifespan. The student will demonstrate evidence-based practice behaviors and adhere to standards of care to order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe therapeutics, and develop clinical prevention/health promotion and health maintenance plans. Students will be able to assess individuals and/or families and develop a plan of care in consultation with the preceptor. The student will provide physical, psychosocial, and spiritual care to individuals and families through the integration of ethnicity, culture, and community.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The FNP practicum courses provide the context and framework through which, upon completion of the post-BSN to DNP/FNP program, the nursing student will be prepared to enter the professional role of the Family Nurse Practitioner. This course helps to meet the required minimum of 1000 post-BSN clinical hours that include a minimum of 500 population-focused direct patient care hours in order to be eligible to sit for at least one nationally recognized certification (ANCC, 2006; NTF, 2012) and the Liberty University School of Nursing minimum of 616 FNP direct-patient care Family Nurse Practitioner practicum hours.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for the Discussion. The thread will be graded based on the depth and breadth of the discussion. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 classmates' threads. Each reply to the student's classmates and instructor must be robust and make substantial contributions to the overall discussion. This discussion affords the student the opportunity to analyze and apply solutions to FNP professional practice. Discussion topics may pertain to the FNP professional role, business, ethical and legal issues in FNP practice. Please see the Discussion Instructions, Prompts, and Rubrics for additional information. (CLO: A, F)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to develop a 30-second video recording of his/her elevator pitch or speech. The presentation should be professional and should contain a proper introduction including name and future credentials. An engaging background along with the student's display of his/her expertise and skills are required. The presentation should conclude with the student offering his/her resume or business card. The student will then reply to 2 peers. All feedback provided should be for the purpose of enhancing the elevator pitch of the student's peers. Each reply should be robust and should demonstrate thoughtful analysis. Excellent grammar and syntax are required along with 2 professional references (aside from course textbook).

The student's School of Nursing handbook provides essential information for the successful completion of the student's program requirements. This quiz will take the student to the link for his/her program handbook, and the student will be asked to agree to the School of Nursing Handbook Acknowledgement.

NURS 838 FNP Practicum adheres to the student performance and evaluation requirements set forth in the current Liberty University Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Handbook. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Practicum Hours: During NURS 838 FNP Practicum, the student is required to complete 280 hours providing direct patient care under the supervision of the practicum preceptor. NURS 838 FNP Practicum adheres to the practicum guidelines and requirements set forth in the current Liberty University Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Handbook. 

Practicum Schedule Assignment: The student is required to enter their practicum schedule into the InPlace Student Scheduling System. The student must maintain an up-to-date schedule.

Quiz: Practicum Tracking Record and Verification: The student is required to maintain a preceptor-verified log documenting practicum hours for each Practicum Course that will become a part of the student’s permanent academic record (DNP Practicum Tracking Record).

Note: Failure to maintain signed Practicum Tracking Record verifying practicum hours will result in an Incomplete for the Practicum Course and the student will not be permitted to progress to the subsequent Practicum Course. The signed Practicum Tracking Record is submitted to the submission link.

Submission of a practicum log for each patient encounter into the InPlace system is a mandatory expectation of the practicum experience. The student is responsible for maintaining his or her own practicum experience logs. All patient encounters, whether seen independently, in collaboration with preceptor, or as observation, require an entry into InPlace. Every entry will include demographic information for each patient. Patient encounters will be entered as clinical summaries.  Data must be entered within one week of the clinical experience. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

The Practicum Objective Assignments afford the student the opportunity to develop measurable practicum learning objectives that are consistent with the practicum focus. The purpose of Practicum Objectives is to guide the practicum experience and professional development as the student matriculates through the FNP Practicum experiences. The student will formulate learning objectives related to the practicum course and will incorporate the course objectives/competencies. The practicum learning objectives must meet the learning outcomes of the practicum course, the Liberty University Doctor of Nursing Program, and be consistent with DNP Essentials (AACN, 2006) Family Nurse Practitioner Competencies (NONPF, 2017). (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

The student will prepare a Practicum Reflection Presentation according to the assignment rubric to present during the scheduled Practicum Reflection Presentation meeting. The Practicum Reflection Presentation must be submitted to the assignment submission links. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

The portfolio will serve to demonstrate the FNP student’s ongoing professional development. The Portfolios can be used to provide FNP students an avenue to present their knowledge, expertise and experience when seeking employment or professional opportunities, providing evidence for regulatory bodies and for identification of areas for personal or professional growth. Portfolios may present information through text, video, electronic files, hyperlinks, images and other online resources. Each student will develop a professional portfolio as part of the professional development. For the Post-BSN to FNP/DNP student, the first part of portfolio development will take place this course. Please see the InPlace Portfolio Rubric in NURS 838 Course. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Each quiz contains 1 file upload and 1 true/false question, is limited to 30 minutes, and allows unlimited attempts, with the highest attempt counting towards the grade.

Throughout the course, the student will complete an online comprehensive Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Review Course. The student will receive online certification review course login information via email from the LUSON DNP Program. The student will begin the FNP Certification Review Course after completing the FNP Certification Pre-Predictor Exam. The student will upload a copy of the completion verification each week to the corresponding quiz link. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

The submission quizzes will consist of a varying number of file upload questions. The quizzes will have a 2-hour time limit and unlimited attempts with the highest attempt counting towards the grade.

The FNP Certification Pre-Predictor Exam (also known as a Diagnostic Readiness Test (DRT)) is a 100-question, 1 hour and 40-minute online exam that provides the student with a comprehensive score report to assist the student in pinpointing areas of strengths and weakness to remediate accordingly. A 45-minute review session immediately follows the exam. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)