Clinical Information

Overview of required hours and competencies

• Students in the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) nurse practitioner tracks and post-graduate APRN certificates complete supervised direct patient care hours as part of their curriculum. Certification organizations require a minimum of 500 supervised direct patient care hours in a population focus to sit for initial NP certification exams. If requirements change, updates will be communicated to you directly.
• Students in MSN Specialty Tracks — including Nurse Educator, Nursing Informatics, Nurse Leader, and Nurse Generalist — complete a built-in experience. These programs require a minimum of 135 practicum hours. For example, MSN Educator students complete 135 hours in both “direct care” and “indirect care” settings.

Instructions for submitting documentation

• Students can secure clinical placements in two ways: by arranging their own site and preceptor or by applying for WCU’s Clinical Placement Assistance. Whichever path you choose, all placements must be submitted for approval through a Site Prospector request in CORE for each course, term, and preceptor. Even if you plan to use the same preceptor across multiple courses, a separate request is still required.
• Note: Students gain access to the CORE system by the end of their first term at WCU.
• Students will also have a component that requires you to complete a clinical compliance process through Complio/American Databank, where you must finish several tasks prior to beginning your first clinical course. Although your first clinical course will not start until later in your program, it is important to order your account early so that we have plenty of time to work with you to gain compliance. Click here to learn more about your Complio/ADB account.

Timeframe for completing onboarding

• Requests for placement approval or placement assistance must be submitted 16 weeks before the start of your clinical course.

Clinical Information Center

• Students also have access to the Clinical Information Center which provides details about the clinical experience, including compliance, placement, processes, and systems.
• Students are invited to attend a one-hour Virtual Clinical Information Session to learn about the clinical experience at WCU. These sessions are hosted live once a month and students can register for the sessions inside the Clinical Orientation Module of the Clinical Information Center
• For general clinical questions, email WCUClinicalRelations@westcoastuniversity.edu.