(1) Nursing preceptors, interdisciplinary preceptors, and proctors may be used to enhance clinical or practice learning experiences after a student has received instruction and orientation from program faculty who confirm the student is adequately prepared for the clinical or practice experience. For the purpose of this section:
(a) A nursing preceptor means a practicing licensed nurse who provides personal instruction, training, and supervision to any nursing student, and meets all requirements of subsection (4) of this section.
(b) An interdisciplinary preceptor means a practicing health care provider who is not a licensed nurse, but provides personal instruction, training, and supervision to any nursing student, and meets all requirements of subsection (5) of this section.
(c) A proctor means an individual who holds an active credential in one of the professions identified in RCW
18.130.040 who monitors students during an examination, skill, or practice delivery, and meets all requirements of subsection (6) of this section.
(2) Nursing education faculty are responsible for the overall supervision and evaluation of the student and must confer with each primary nursing and interdisciplinary preceptor, and student at least once during each phase of the student learning experience:
(a) Beginning;
(b) Midpoint; and
(c) End.
(3) A nursing preceptor or an interdisciplinary preceptor shall not precept more than two students at any one time.
(4) A nursing preceptor may be used in nursing education programs when the nursing preceptor:
(a) Has an active, unencumbered nursing license at or above the level for which the student is preparing;
(b) Has at least one year of clinical or practice experience as a licensed nurse at or above the level for which the student is preparing;
(c) Is oriented to the written course and student learning objectives prior to beginning the preceptorship;
(d) Is oriented to the written role expectations of faculty, preceptor, and student prior to beginning the preceptorship; and
(e) Is not a member of the student's immediate family, as defined in RCW
42.17A.005(27); or have a financial, business, or professional relationship that is in conflict with the proper discharge of the preceptor's duties to impartially supervise and evaluate the nurse.
(5) An interdisciplinary preceptor may be used in nursing education programs when the interdisciplinary preceptor:
(a) Has an active, unencumbered license in the area of practice appropriate to the nursing education faculty planned student learning objectives;
(b) Has the educational preparation and at least one year of clinical or practice experience appropriate to the nursing education faculty planned student learning objectives;
(c) Is oriented to the written course and student learning objectives prior to beginning the preceptorship;
(d) Is oriented to the written role expectations of faculty, preceptor, and student prior to beginning the preceptorship; and
(e) Is not a member of the student's immediate family, as defined in RCW
42.17A.005(27); or have a financial, business, or professional relationship that is in conflict with the proper discharge of the preceptor's duties to impartially supervise and evaluate the nurse.
(6) A proctor who monitors, teaches, and supervises students during the performance of a task or skill must:
(a) Have the educational and experiential preparation for the task or skill being proctored;
(b) Have an active, unencumbered credential in one of the professions identified in RCW
18.130.040;
(c) Only be used on rare, short-term occasions to proctor students when a faculty member has determined that it is safe for a student to receive direct supervision from the proctor for the performance of a particular task or skill that is within the scope of practice for the nursing student; and
(d) Is not a member of the student's immediate family, as defined in RCW
42.17A.005(27); or have a financial, business, or professional relationship that is in conflict with the proper discharge of the preceptor's duties to impartially supervise and evaluate the nurse.
(7) A practice/academic partnership model may be used to permit practice hours as a nursing technician, as defined in WAC
246-840-010(30), to be credited toward direct care nursing program clinical hours, and academic credit. Use of this model must include:
(a) Endorsement by the nurse administrator placed in the student's file that:
(i) Traditional clinical experiences in a required area of study are limited or not available to the program; or
(ii) Circumstances are present in which the student will gain greater educational benefit from the nursing student-employee role;
(b) A nursing preceptor or nursing supervisor who has experience and educational preparation appropriate to the faculty-planned student learning experience. The nursing preceptor or nursing supervisor must be responsible for ensuring the requirements of WAC
246-840-880 are met;
(c) Nursing program faculty that work with health care facility representatives to align clinical skills and competencies with the nursing student-employee work role/responsibilities;
(d) Nursing student-employees with faculty-planned clinical practice experiences that enable the student to attain new knowledge, develop clinical reasoning/judgment abilities, and demonstrate achievement of clinical objectives and final learning outcomes of the nursing program if the nursing student-employee is in the final nursing course;
(e) The nursing student-employee use of reflection on the development or achievement of clinical objectives and final learning outcomes as designed by nursing education faculty;
(f) Nursing education faculty responsible for the overall supervision and evaluation of the nursing student-employee on a weekly basis;
(g) Evaluation by nursing education faculty to include documentation of the nursing student-employee achievement of clinical objectives and final learning outcomes and competencies of the nursing program; and
(h) Nursing technicians be enrolled in a commission-approved nursing program and be in good standing to receive academic credit.
