N449
Nursing Care of Persons and Families with
Complex Health Care Needs

Fall 2008

Sue Tipple, MSN, RN
Course Professor

N449 Clinical Site Schedule | Learn@UW

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Greetings, and welcome to N449!  Once again we will have students rank their preferences for N449 clinical sites. We will do everything possible to try and place each of you in a site that you strongly prefer! In order to view and print a copy of the N449 Clinical Sites Schedule, please click once to download a copy of this document (in PDF Format). There are a variety of hospital and community-based settings. Of particular note is the "Special Information" for each clinical lab. If days/hours for the clinical are not listed, or listed as "to be arranged," they will be scheduled to accommodate the unit and availability of the preceptor. Note that each site lists a "Contact Person" whom you may call if you have further questions about the clinical learning experiences that are available there.

SPECIFICS OF N449:

Once you receive notification of your lab assignment, you need to call the Clinical Instructor/Contact Person before you leave town for the summer. Remind the contact person that you have class on Mondays and Wednesdays and that they should keep that in mind as they select a preceptor for you.  Be sure to leave all applicable telephone numbers where you can be reached (home, work, cell phone, your parents' home [or wherever your destination for summer might be]. For additional information about the clinical sites you may contact Becky Bertram, our clinical coordinator, at 263-5261, or rbertram2@wisc.edu

We will meet as a class for the first time on Monday, September 8th, 1100-1150, in HSLC 1345, at which time you will receive an orientation to course requirements. The course syllabus will be available on Learn@UW N449 web site mid-August. As you know, the semester actually begins Tuesday, September 2nd, although we will not meet as a class until Monday, September 8th, you do not need to delay starting your clinical until then. Contact your clinical site and try to set up an orientation shift during the FIRST week of classes. N449 requires you to complete 180 hours of clinical practicum, so it is unwise to delay your start and get behind early in the semester.

UWHC STUDENTS ONLY:

Students assigned to clinical sites at University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics have additional orientation requirements.

• WISCRIT TRAINING
  If you have never had a clinical at UWHC, you will need to have completed WISCRIT training (computerized patient and lab data system). Most students did this in N219 (Fall 2007) or in N319 (Spring 2008). For WISCRIT training, Sue will submit a list of all students enrolled at UWHC clinical sites, and training coordinator, Kim Whisler, will check to be sure if you have received this training in the past (N219/319). If she determines that you need training (or updates), she will contact you via email regarding the scheduling of classes. Expect to be contacted sometime in early late August by Ms.Whisler if you must attend one of her training sessions.
  

• ACCU CHECK TRAINING
  Accu Chek (capillary glucose monitoring) training must be completed yearly. Sue Tipple will conduct a training session for those who need it, on Monday, September 15th, 2008 1100-1150, HSLC 1345.
  

• MEDS MANAGEMENT TRAINING
  (Health Link’s electronic medication system) Meds Management is a bar coded computerized medication administration system, and ALL UWHC clinical students must go through the Meds Management Computer-Based Training (CBT) before you begin your clinical hours.  Some of you will have already completed this training in N319, but you MUST complete the CBT even if you have used Meds Management in past clinicals, this is a policy of UWHC.  We hope this will be available for you on the computers in the HSLC Multi-Media Learning Lab. Specific information about the training will be sent to you early August. 

• ALL students are required to complete the proficiency test with his/her preceptor prior to passing meds independently. This should be completed in the first 3 weeks of the semester and turned in to Sue Tipple.
  

• PROXIMITY BADGE
  All students at UWHC must have an activated Proximity Badge (photo ID) and wear it all times while in clinical. If you do not have a badge, you will need to contact the course professor during the first week of classes to get paperwork to obtain one. On the first day of orientation, make sure your badge is activated.  Your badge is "activated" if you can successfully use it to gain entrance into either a medication and/or supply room on a unit at UWHC. If it does not open secure areas on the unit, please notify hospital security (located at the hospital entrance). Note that if you work at UWHC as a SNA, you should use the Proximity Badge issued to you by UWHC while doing your N449 clinical hours. The security system only allows you to have one active badge, so you will want to use your SNA badge instead of one issued by the SON (this will allow you to continue working, as well as to complete your N449 hours).

VA HOSPITAL STUDENTS ONLY:

In early August, an instruction sheet and several forms will be sent to you electronically for you to download and complete.  Please watch for the forms and return them by the designated DUE date.  A security check will also need to be completed prior to starting clinical. A nurse educator will be contacting you to set up an orientation/training date.

RANKING PROCESS:

• You were instructed to enroll in N449 when you were eligible to enroll in your Fall 2008 courses. At that time, however, you did not enroll for a specific clinical site. The following instructions describe the ranking process, to select your N449 clinical site.
  
  
• The ranking process will take place on-line via Learn@UW. This means that the clinical ranking information and the priority ranking form that you need to complete will be available to you anytime beginning Monday, April 21 through April 28.
  
  
• Once you have logged in to Learn@UW, you will see a box labeled My Madison Courses, in that box, click open the show box labeled ONGOING. A link labeled N449 - Clinical Site Ranking Information - Fall 2008 will be displayed. Click on that link and it will take you to the information regarding the ranking process and the ranking form.
  
  
• Carefully read all the instructions regarding the ranking process located on the Learn@UW web site.
  
  
• Students must submit their completed form no later than Monday, April 28, 2008. If you have not submitted your completed form by April 28, you will be assigned to whatever clinical sites remain open after the ranking process is completed. Your clinical site assignment will be posted on Learn@UW sometime late April or early May, an email notification will be sent to you as soon as assignments are posted.
  
  
• If you have course-related questions, please contact the N449 course professor, Sue Tipple; K6/318, office telephone 263-9512, or smtipple@wisc.edu (email).
  
  
• If you need assistance with the ranking process, please contact Deb Hopke at dbhopke@wisc.edu, or call 608-263-9109.
  
  

Students are NOT permitted to find their own clinical site or preceptor. This point cannot be emphasized enough! There are many intricacies involved in clinical placements of which students are unaware. Also, there are literally hundreds of nursing students from programs in this area who require clinical placements. If all of you began trying to arrange your own clinicals, preceptors would stop working with us entirely.

Please regularly check the online N449 Clinical Site Schedule for any updates.