Nursing PhD Clinical Fieldwork/Research Practicum Course

• All nursing graduate students (regardless of UW Health employment status) who would like to request a PhD Clinical Field Experience /Research Practicum for academic credit must follow the steps listed below. If you have questions, please email NursingStudentsProjectsRotations@uwhealth.org.
• The steps outlined here are requirements for UW Health. There may be additional requirements from the student’s academic institution. It is the student’s responsibility to find out about additional requirements from their academic institution.
• All the steps must be completed before the nursing student can start participating in UW Health activities as a student. These steps ensure the student is onboarded and has completed the required competencies.

Step 1. Nursing student notifies their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator

• The nursing student needs to start this process by notifying their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator to let them know of their desire to complete the experience at UW Health.
• The academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator will ensure that an Affiliation Agreement is in place between the student’s academic institution and UW Health. If an Affiliation Agreement is not in place, it is the responsibility of the academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator to complete this process. For additional guidance with this process, the school’s Clinical Placement Coordinator should reach out to NursingStudentsProjectsRotations@uwhealth.org.
  • Affiliation Agreements may take 3 to 6 months to complete. It is strongly recommended that the student inquire about this detail early in the process.
  • Signing a new Affiliation Agreement is at the discretion of UW Health.

Step 2. Student identifies UW Health sponsor

• Once the nursing student receives verification that there is an Affiliation Agreement between the academic institution and UW Health, they should then find a UW Health sponsor. The student should discuss their sponsor identification with the academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator and the course instructor to determine appropriateness.
• The student should work with their sponsor and discuss the student’s academic requirements for the course to ensure the sponsor and organization can meet their needs. The student and sponsor should create a plan to complete the research practicum activities.
• The student should review the requirements and restrictions below to be sure that they select a sponsor who meets their needs.
• If the student cannot identify a sponsor, the student should email NursingStudentAcademicProjects@uwhealth.org for help.
• Although the requirements of all academic institutions may vary, a sponsor must meet the following minimum requirements:
  • A bachelor’s degree in nursing*
  • Must be in a UW Health position that requires an RN as a minimum qualification*
• *If the student is completing their clinical field experience outside nursing, a non-nurse sponsor may be permitted. The sponsor should confirm their appropriateness with the UWH Clinical Placement Office by emailing NursingStudentProjectsRoations@uwhealth.org

Restrictions for UW Health Employees

• The UW Health sponsor cannot be the employee’s paid supervisor or manager
• The student’s clinical field experience cannot take place at the same location where the student is a paid employee
• The student cannot complete their clinical field experience during work hours; student work must be completed on unpaid time

Step 3. Student works with their Academic Institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator

• Once Steps 1 and 2 are complete, the student should inform their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator so that they can place a request in myClinicalExchange (MCE).

Step 4. Upload documents on myClinicalExchange

• Are the other locations affiliated with UW Health?
• Once the student request has been entered by the academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator and approved by the UW Health Clinical Placement Office, they will receive an email prompting them to upload documents into myClinicalExchange.
• The student must complete the required documentation upload and training to be compliant with the student requirements.
• Remember that this step must be completed for all nursing students, regardless of what academic institution the student attends and whether they are employed by UW Health.
• Students will know that they are compliant in myClinicalExchange when they see the green thumbs up in the system.
• Steps 1 thru 4 must be completed at least 4 weeks before the student’s planned start date.

Step 5. Obtain appropriate UW Health identification (if appropriate)

• Students will receive emails from their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator and myClinicalExchange about a UW Health student ID badge, if appropriate. Once the student receives this email notification, this is the final step of this process and indicates that the student on-boarding process is complete.
• Students should wear their student ID badge (if appropriate) when performing student specific work.

How soon should students start this process?

• It is recommended to start the process at least 8 to 12 weeks before students are to begin their course.
• Steps 1 thru 5 must be completed 4 weeks before the first day the student beings the experience. For example, if the experience is to start at the end of January, Steps 1 thru 5 must be completed by the end of December. Therefore, the student should start the process in October or November.
• Step 5 must be completed before the nursing student can begin spending hours with their sponsor or participating in UW Health activities as a student.

If students have questions, who should they reach out to?

Questions should be directed to their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator who will reach out to UW Health key partners as needed. Students should remain in close communication with their academic institution’s Clinical Placement Coordinator.