Practicum requirements

Practicum requirements

• PMHNP students complete 525 supervised practicum hours (75 hours in  summer, 225 hours in fall, and 225 hours in spring semesters) of direct patient care in the PMHNP role to satisfy requirements for graduation and certification eligibility.
• Students may have a few hours of observation to become oriented to the clinical site and preceptor's workflow. It is important for student and preceptor to understand that the best learning happens while doing, not observing.
• Students should present all patient cases to the preceptor including pertinent historical data, physical findings, differential diagnosis list, and plan.
• The student maintains accurate records of clinical hours in Indiana University's Electronic Clinical Tracking System (ECTS). The student completes a clinical log for every patient encounter. These are reviewed and approved by practicum faculty. Students should not enter ECTS data while in the practicum setting. Lunch is not included in clinical hours.
• The student will provide evaluation form(s) to the preceptor and submit form(s) by the due date(s).

During each student's practicum, the faculty/supervisor

1. Meets with the preceptor and student during the semester for evaluation in the practicum setting.
2. Provides consultation and support of the preceptor when problems are reported.
3. Acquires preceptor input regarding the student’s performance.
4. Evaluates and documents the student’s progress by grading clinical course assignments including data input into the Electronic Clinical Tracking System.