Faculty advisors will assist the student in securing the desired immersion experiences. Examples may include but are not limited to: leadership meetings, state policy meetings, experiences using EBP skills, working with senior executives on health care issues or exposure to premier patient care teams.
Formal contracts are necessary for placements in healthcare or health-related agencies. DNP students may complete their immersion experiences within their place of employment, as long as the experiences differ from their standard employee 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 on 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 and are encouraged to negotiate experiences outside of their regular place of employment. A valid clinical contract between the healthcare site and the CON must be in place prior to the beginning of the first immersion course. Faculty advisors assist the student in meeting arrangements for these desired experiences. The directors of the DNP programs 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 immersion sites 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.