Lane Community College - Health Professions - Nursing - Perceptor Program

LCC Nursing Preceptor Program
Frequently Asked Questions

Co-op Education is an additional optional course students can take at almost any point in nursing school to get more experiences. Julia Munkvold now supervises all Co-op students
Preceptor is a required clinical course. Only students in their last quarter before graduation do preceptorships. It is organized and supervised more tightly because it is their clinical course. Preceptor has specific clinical objectives, and is required to be passed to graduate. Second year faculty supervise the preceptorships, and monitor the completion of these clinical objectives.

Current Oregon RN licensure
A minimum of two years full-time or three years of part-time direct care experience
Current employment as a direct care RN working a minimum of 24 hours per week
Possible additional qualification criteria from the hospital/agency.
Agreement from Nurse Manager for preceptor involvement.

Students submit a preference sheet. They identify preference of agency, shift, and unit. The preference sheets are arranged in order of Registration number sequence for that term. The faculty assign students to areas and preceptors considering student preference AND faculty consideration of preceptor/student/unit compatibility.

If you know of a student or two you would enjoy working with, please include their name(s) on your Participation Form. Faculty will honor your request if at all possible. However, faculty cannot violate registration procedures to enable that match. Should you request a student who low in registration sequence, faculty cannot pass over the preferences of students higher in the registration sequence for your unit and shift. In such a case, you would be notified of our inability to provide your requested match. You would have the option to withdraw your participation agreement, or work with a student with the better registration number. Faculty ask that you do not request students with whom you have a personal connection since it can compromise the evaluation process.

Doing so would create a situation that would encourage a large number of students from September through March (or maybe even first year) to petition staff nurses for preceptor placement. It would put a large burden on staff.
It would be unfair to the more timid students who might not ask early, or often enough.
Lane Registration process must be upheld. Students are assigned in order of the registration number sequence for that term. In the past, preceptor students have usually been placed in a prefered clinical site.

Use the online Participation Form
Trifold Participation Forms are available on most units - refold and mail to Lane (postage provided). Or hand it to any Lane instructor. Or FAX it to 463-4151.
Email Sue Roders or leave a voicemail message at 463-3199 to request a Participation Form, or to leave participation information on voicemail.

NEW Preceptors that have not participated in the Lane Preceptor Program before are strongly requested to attend an orientation session. Should scheduling on those days be very difficult, faculty will make independent arrangements with you. The conferences are short (usually 60-80 minutes), you are paid by your agency, and you can meet with your student and establish a schedule all at the same time. You will receive a Preceptor Notebook with all details of the program included.
Orientation meeting dates and times are listed on the trifold Participation Form, on the Online Form, and on the link above
Previous LCC Preceptors will meet with their student independently during the week of March 12-16. Please see that option on the Participation Form. You will select the option to:
- have the student contact you (gives Lane permission to give that one student your phone number) or
- contact the student yourself (Lane would provide you with student name and phone number.
Your faculty liaison will meet with you to discuss your role as an LCC preceptor.

Yes. Please contact Sue Roders by email, roderss@lanecc.edu, voicemail - (541) 463-3199 or FAX - (541) 463-4151 of the change. Faculty will then be able to notify the student to attend the correct orientation session.

The student picks shifts (approx 15-17) from your schedule, hopefully 3 per week. Students know they are expected to work weekends. Preceptors and faculty monitor to make sure they have some weekends, and sequences of shifts. Isolated, single shifts are not the best learning for the student. You will receive a written copy of the schedule they create. It always adapts slightly as the preceptorship begins. The student is responsible for updating preceptor and faculty regarding changes in schedule.

Faculty have been advised that this is true for all nurses regardless if they have received Peacehealth Preceptor training or not. Please see your Nurse Manager or Educator for details.

If a preceptor works less than 28 hours per week, students can have difficulty getting enough hours, and/or to have sequenced shifts. Nurses who work 24 hours often volunteer to be Secondary Preceptors for the precept students assigned to their unit and shift. Students will contact the secondary preceptor and request shifts from his/her schedule when the primary preceptor is unavailable. Secondary preceptors are similar to "substitute teachers". They need to collaborate with the primary, and provide evaluative data (usually verbally) to the primary.
The option to be Co-Preceptors is available if two nurses with opposite schedules want to join forces to both work with one student. Responsibility for collaboration in evaluation would rest with both preceptors.

Yes, but not the same shift. The evaluation process is compromised if done by co-workers.

Changes of assignment can, and occasionally do, occur. Faculty will assist nurse and student in communication interfaces to resolve issues. Preceptors with concerns regarding the preceptor student should speak of these feelings and concerns early in the rotation.