• All nursing students who would like to complete an academic (student) project at UW Health for academic credit must follow the steps listed below.
• This process applies to all nursing students. These steps must be followed regardless of what school is attended or UW Health employment status.
• The steps outlined here are requirements for UW Health, there may be additional requirements from the academic institution.

What are the steps to complete before starting my school project?

Step 1.    Student notifies Clinical Placement Coordinator

• The nursing student needs to start this process by notifying their Clinical Placement Coordinator to let them know the desire to complete the student project at UW Health.
• Note: The Clinical Placement Coordinator must ensure that an Affiliation Agreement is in place between the academic institution and UW Health. If an Affiliation Agreement is not in place, it may take 3 to 6 months for that to be completed. Therefore, it is recommended that the student ask about this detail.

Step 2.    Student identifies UW Health sponsor

• The nursing student must establish support for their project by identifying a UW Health employee who will serve as a sponsor. 
• Review the sponsor role to be sure that you select someone who meets their needs
• If no sponsor is known, let your Clinical Placement Coordinator know, they will help with that process.

Note for UW Health employees about sponsor selection and project planning (per UW Health legal):

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

Step 3.    Student requests sponsor signature

• After the student and the sponsor discuss the student’s project and an agreement is made, the student must provide the sponsor the UW Health Sponsor Role and Agreement form to review in detail and sign.
• Important: This form must be signed before you move onto Step 4

Step 4.    Complete the Nursing Student’s Academic Project Submission Form

• Complete each section of the submission form.
• Attach the signed UW Health sponsor form to this submission form. Students will not be able to complete their submission without that uploaded.

Step 5.    Notify the Clinical Placement Coordinator that Steps 1 to 4 are completed

• Once Steps 1 thru 4 are complete, the student must notify the Clinical Placement Coordinator that they have been completed.
• When Steps 1-4 are complete, the student should also ask the Clinical Placement Coordinator to enter a rotation request be placed in My Clinical Exchange.

Step 6.    Upload documents on My Clinical Exchange

• Once your project rotation has been entered and approved, the student will receive an email prompting them to upload documents to My Clinical Exchange.
• Upload the required documentation to be compliant with the student requirements
• Remember that this step must be completed for all nursing students, regardless of what school is attended and whether or not they are employed by UW Health.
• Students will know they are compliant in My Clinical Exchange when they see the green thumbs up in the system.
• Steps 1- 6 must be complete at least 4 weeks before the planned start of the student project.

Step 7.    Obtain appropriate UW Health access

• UW Health will notify the student via email when approvals are in place.
  • Students should follow the directions received in the email to get a UW Health student ID badge.
  • If additional access has been requested (such as Health Link), follow the directions and verify appropriate access.
• When the student receives the email notification prompting the student ID and other appropriate access, this is the final step of this process and indicates that the student on-boarding process is complete.  With ongoing support for the project by the UW Health sponsor, the student may begin their project work.

How soon should I start this process?

• It is recommended to start the process at least 8 to 12 weeks before students are to begin their project.
• Steps 1 thru 6 will take up to 4 weeks to complete and must be completed 4 weeks before the first day of project work. For example, if the project is to start at the end of January, Steps 1-6 must be completed by the end of December; the student should start the process in October or November.
• Step 7 must be complete before the student can begin their project.

Are you a Nurse Practitioner (NP) student looking to do a clinical rotation at UW Health? Find more information on this webpage.

I have questions, who should I reach out to?

Questions should be directed to the student’s Clinical Placement Coordinator; they will reach out to UW Health key stakeholder as needed.  Student should remain in close communication with their school’s Clinical Placement Coordinator.