NURS4127 PLP Guidelines

NURS4127 PLP Guidelines

The George Washington University School of Nursing

PRECEPTORSHIP LEARNING PLAN (PLP) GUIDELINES

The purpose of the Preceptorship Learning Plan (PLP) is to identify where you are and where you want to be by the end of the preceptorship experience. Learning objectives and goals should be individualized to your own learning needs. Once you have identified your learning objectives, you should consider your plan (strategies) for meeting the objectives then determine your goals.

Considering that each student will have a unique practicum experience, it is important for objectives and goals to be personal to your needs. Your goals for your preceptorship experience will depend on the population you will be caring for, the experience you bring into this clinical, personal areas of improvement, and other unique factors. Thus, you will be responsible for identifying goals and evaluating your progress throughout your preceptorship experience.

PLP Goals:

While your PLP will not fully encompass the rich experiences of your clinical experience, it will serve as a purposeful guide for you to help meet your weekly goals and allow for your preceptor and faculty to support your successes. You will identify a minimum of six (6) learning objectives and SMART goals for the first half (60+/- hours) of your preceptorship experience. (Remember learning objectives describe what you will learn, not what you will do.) As you get further along in your clinical experience, your goals will shift and you should consider what you want to accomplish in the last half of your preceptorship.

Your learning objectives and goals will be based on the dimensions of the nursing practice and your personal learning needs. You will submit these to your clinical faculty who will provide feedback to ensure your objectives are appropriate for your scope of practice as a student and your goals are SMART. Students will revise goals as required and post to Blackboard using the correct assignment link for “Revision PLP Goals”.

PLP Weekly Progress Assessments:

Due to the autonomy of this clinical experience, addressing your preceptorship experience and learning plan progress through weekly reporting is an essential means of communication between students, preceptors, and clinical faculty. Every week, you will complete a unique reflection of your week and evaluate your objectives and goals to determine if you have been successful. As goals and/or learning objectives are met, you will set new objectives and/or goals for the following week. You will share these weekly objectives and goals with your preceptor so they can assist you in obtaining experiences to meet your goals.

All students will complete 5 total progress assessments: Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and a Final Progress Assessment after their final shift in week 5.

The “Goals” section of the Weekly Progress Assessments is a living document will continuously be added to as you update it weekly. As you meet goals/objectives, leave the completed areas on the document and add new rows/tables for your new objectives/goals. Your Final Progress Assessment should be a thorough record of accomplishments in your preceptorship experience!

Guidelines for Writing the Preceptorship Learning Plan

Step 1. Self-assessment of learning needs

Identify your strengths and areas that need to be improved or developed during your preceptorship experience.

Step 2. Write six (6) individualized Learning Objectives

Based on the areas identified as needing to be developed or improved, write your learning objectives for this clinical preceptorship experience based on your learning needs. The learning needs are written as objectives and must be: (1) realistic to your level of ability; (2) achievable within the preceptorship timeframe; and (3) relate to course objectives and/or clinical performance criteria found on the Clinical Performance Evaluation Form. A minimum of one (1) learning objective should be identified for each of the following dimensions of practice:

• Patient Assessment

• Patient Care Planning

• Medication Administration

• Communication (consider Interdisciplinary Team members as well as patient/families)

• Documentation/EHR System

• Personal Growth Ideas for personal growth objectives include: critical thinking, prioritization/organization, adaption to rotation shifts, self-care, or unit-specific goals, i.e. a Psych Unit might include leading groups, or an ICU might include learning to use complex equipment.

Step 3. Develop a minimum of four (4) strategies (plan) for meeting each learning objective.

List ways you plan to meet the learning objectives you have identified. What specific actions will you take? Are there resources available you could use? For example, if your learning objective is to improve leadership skills, who/what can help you achieve this objective? Consider your preceptor, charge nurse, shift supervisor, team leader, articles about leadership in the literature, evidence-based practice, continuing education workshops, conferences, seminars, etc. Note: Each learning objective must have at least 4 specific strategies (plan) to identify how it will be achieved.

Step 4. Develop at least one (1) SMART goal for each learning objective

Create a minimum of one (1) SMART goal for each learning objective based on your strategies/plan.

• Specific- Focused with a tangible outcome. (I want to get in shape vs. I will run 2 miles 3 x week)

• Measurable- Ask yourself: How will I know when I accomplished the goal? • Attainable- Reasonable to achieve it. • Relevant- Is this truly a priority focus for you? Is it worthwhile? • Time-based- Set your target date for a realistic time frame. Think about your initial goals

being set for what you want to accomplish in the first half of your preceptorship.

Step 5. Share, Evaluate, and Revise

Students will assess each learning objective every week by evaluating each SMART goal. This will be accomplished by utilizing the Weekly Progress Assessments templates.

Evaluating SMART goals: As you achieve your objectives and/or goals, you will want to continue your success by setting new ones! You should always have six learning objectives with a minimum of one active (in- progress) SMART goal for each objective throughout your clinical experience.

• If a goal is not met, students need to analyze and discuss what barriers existed, revise the goal, and discuss the new plan for achieving it. Ensure the revised goal is realistic based on existing barriers.

• If the goal is in-progress, give an update on what you did that week to get closer to meeting your goal.

• If the goal was met, describe how you achieved the goal and what your takeaway is.

Evaluating Learning Objectives: A learning objective can have one or many goals until it is met. If there are still active goals, then only an evaluation of the SMART goals is needed. However, if a learning objective was met, students will need to include an additional evaluation regarding how the achieved goals adequately met the learning objective, key takeaways, and how meeting this learning objective will be applied to their future practice. Your clinical faculty will grade your Weekly Progress Assessments using the rubric and will provide weekly feedback to ensure you are on the right track. In addition to submitting these assessments to your clinical faculty, you should share the PLP learning objectives and goals with your preceptor- not just at the beginning of your practicum- but throughout the clinical experience. Not only can the preceptor look for opportunities for you to meet your goal, but they can also offer guidance on keeping your goals realistic.

NURS4127 PLP Guidelines