Faculty advisors will assist the student in securing the desired clinical experiences. Examinationples may include but are not limited to: an intensive but brief period of time at the NIH hospitals, experiences with legislative aides in Washington, D.C., or visits to learn from premier patient care teams around the country or overseas.
Formal contracts are necessary for placements in clinical agencies. DNP students may complete their clinical experiences within their place of employment, as long as the experiences differ from their standard assignment. It is not permissible for students to be at risk for any actual or potential conflict of interest (COI) within academic and employment roles. A conflict of interest occurs when a student’s academic and employment interests may exert inappropriate influence either or both roles. For example, a direct report supervisor may have employment-based requirements for a supervisee who is also a DNP student, that may be inconsistent with the student’s academic goals or program requirements. Therefore students should have a preceptor who is not the student’s direct report supervisor within their place of employment.
Students may also negotiate experiences outside of their regular place of employment. A valid clinical contract between the clinical site and the CON must be in place prior to the beginning of the first practicum/immersion course. Faculty advisors assist the student in meeting demands for these desired experiences. The director of the DNP program and the specialty track directors work in conjunction with the contracts and compliance managers to assure that valid affiliation agreements for immersion/clinical experiences are in place, that students have met all compliance requirements in the agreements, and that receptors/placements continue to meet student learning outcomes. The CON Clinical Placement Director collaborates with the Office of Student Affairs Equity and Inclusion support staff and faculty in the implementation of procedures for assuring compliance requirements, including collecting the relevant documentation.