Faculty Clinical Site Visits in Nurse Practitioner Education

Abstract

Assessing student learning during a site visit in an advanced practice nursing course is important for academic success; however, a gap in the literature exists on students' perspectives of faculty site visits in nurse practitioner education. This article presents the results of a study on students' perceptions of the most useful aspects of the site visit, suggestions for improving site visits, and changes made in the practicum after the site visit.

The Effect of On-Site Visits From the Physical Therapy Clinical Instructor Perspective: A Mixed-Methods Approach

“…ese alternatives include phone calls, email, and virtual platforms for communication such as Zoom or Skype; 1 program described the use of local adjunct faculty to perform the visits on behalf of the academic institution. 17 Currently, there are limited studies in physical therapy literature to demonstrate the role of on-site visits on the academic-clinical partnership from the CI perspective. Studies in other graduate health science programs such as pharmacy, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and medicine have investigated preceptor opinions regarding on-site visits.…”

Factors Influencing Virtual Synchronous Site Visits in a Family Nurse Practitioner Program

“…Virtual synchronous site visits can offer increased flexibility in scheduling. This study followed the same theme as Bice and Parker, 2 Harris et al, 3 and Pericak et al, 6 in which connectivity issues were the largest barrier with virtual site visits. Both the preceptor and student expressed concerns over technology and connectivity issues with VSSV.…”

“…Internship site visits are useful for preceptors and faculty to communicate and evaluate students' competence 6 . Some worry that virtual means of communication could inhibit human interaction; however, two studies demonstrate an increased perception of social interaction in online-based learning 3,7 .…”

“…Internship site visits are useful for preceptors and faculty to communicate and evaluate students' competence. 6 Some worry that virtual means of communication could inhibit human interaction; however, two studies demonstrate an increased perception of social interaction in online-based learning. 3,7 In either site visit method, faculty presence is necessary for preceptors to remain connected with faculty and the university where their interns study.…”

“…6 Technology difficulties were a theme among the studies reviewed. 2,3,6 Connectivity issues were a barrier with VSSV, but increased satisfaction among students and preceptors outweighed these issues. 2,3 In a recent study by Harris and colleagues, 3 students and faculty reported that the virtual site visit was as good as an in-person site visit for evaluating students and still offered the opportunity to build relationships with the site.…”