Student Clinical Experiences Policy

Responsible Unit: Provost Office | Executive lead: Provost 
Created: 03/28/2018 | Reviewed/Revised: 01/2021, 09/29/2023, 2/16/2024 | Effective: 3/15/2024
Compliance: NWCCU 1.C.9; COCA 5.4, 6.9, and 6.11 
Approving Body: PPC | Classification: Local: Students 

Policy:
Clinical education field experiences such as internships, rotations, clerkships, or other sanctioned clinical education field activities shall be supervised by health care providers who have been credentialed following University or program policy and procedure. All clinical education field experiences shall be scheduled or otherwise organized following respective University, program, or accreditation body policies and procedures; and are done so as part of the academic program curriculum. Any other clinical experiences, either active or observational, outside this scope shall not be considered part of the academic curriculum, will not receive academic credit, will not be covered by PNWU’s liability insurance, and students participating in such will not represent PNWU with logoed attire. 

To ensure all students achieve similar program outcomes based on program clinical educational learning objectives, clinical curriculum educational experiences shall be comparable, and methods of assessment shall be equivalent regardless of location of the clinical educational site where students learn. 

The educational program shall define the types of patients and clinical conditions that students are required to encounter, the skills to be performed by the students, the appropriate clinical setting for these experiences, and the expected levels of student responsibilities. The educational program will also work with clinical preceptors to ensure that the educational expectations of the clinical field experience are fulfilled.   

The clinical experience must be authorized or approved by the appropriate state agencies. 

Definitions:  
Credentialing: Formal examination, review, and validation of documents that support the training, experiences, or demonstrated ability required to teach in an academic setting.  

Clinical education field experience: Health care education conducted in health care facilities, outpatient clinics, emergency centers, hospitals, or private offices, under the supervision of a qualified practitioner or teaching staff.

Procedures: 
N/A 

Related Documents: 
Faculty Credentialing Policy 

Policy Resources

For assistance with policies and procedures contact:

Lori Fulton
lfulton@pnwu.edu