Week 8: Practicum Log

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity to document selected DNP competencies acquired through each project and practicum course.

Course Outcomes

This discussion enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:

CO 1: Demonstrate effective project management strategies (POs 2, 3, 6).

CO 4: Use project management processes to implement the DNP project (POs 4, 8).

Due Date

• By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday of Week 8
• Late Assignment Policy applies

Requirements

Enter your practicum hours using the following guidelines for entries. Post any questions about your log under the Q & A discussion topic or email your instructor.

1. Comments in each entry must be realistic and demonstrate the actual activity completed in the timeframe documented in the entry.
2. Provide practicum hour entries in no more than 4-hour blocks of time. Breaking up the timeframe allows for more accurate practicum activity documentation. You may record multiple entries for a single day based on your practicum activities.
3. Each entry must be aligned with the correct DNP Essential. Provide practicum hour entries in no more than 4-hour blocks of time. Breaking up the timeframe allows for more accurate practicum activity documentation. You may record multiple entries for a single day based on your practicum activities.
4. All notes must be in paragraph form and use standard English with correct sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and word usage.
5. All entries are complete and the quality of the notes validates the number of practicum hours claimed.
6. It is recommended that you enter your practicum experiences at the end of each activity or as soon as possible. All entries for your required hours must be completed and approved by the assignment due date.
7. Students are responsible for ensuring the total cumulative hours are entered and approved for each course. The cumulative hours include the required practicum hours the student entered plus the allocated hours that may have been provided for the student’s Master’s degree.

The final grade will be based on the cumulative approved hours at the end of each session, as follows:

8. The final grade will be based on achievement of the cumulative approved hours at the end of each Course. Submission of practicum hours per the guidelines is a requirement for the completion of each practicum course.

If you have received prior clinical hours from your MSN transcript review, these hours will be added to your log by the Registrar or Student Services. The hours granted for the master’s program are divided into 4 and a portion is allocated for each practicum course.    Students are required to enter the practicum hours required for each practicum class based on the total hours granted for their MSN program. For example, if a student received 512 hours for their Master’s degree, those hours are divided by 4 and a portion of those hours is allocated to each practicum course.  So, in NR702 the student has 128 hours allocated for NR702 and is required to enter 128 hours for NR702. The guide below should be used to estimate the hours to be logged in each course.  If no hours are granted for the Master’s program, the student is required to log 256 hours. All hours must be approved to be counted in the cumulative hours for the course.

Locate the letter following your course number to determine the approximate hours required to be logged in this course. 

Numbers above are based on the following:

A* students = 512 transfer experience credits from MSN

B* students = 256 transfer experience credits from MSN

C* students = 0 transfer experience credits from MSN

Practicum Hour Log

You will use a clinical practicum hour logging system to enter all of your practicum hours. The system tracks your practicum time as you enter the activities and time you complete for each practicum course. This becomes your proof of practicum hours for each course and for your DNP Portfolio in NR709.

Submission of practicum hours per the guidelines is a requirement for the completion of each practicum course. 

Refer to the Project & Practicum Resources section of the DNP Program Resources page for other resources regarding practicum hours.