Overview
NURS 539: NP Clinical Practicum IV is part of the Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner (MN-NP) degree and the Post-Masters Diploma: Nurse Practitioner (PMD-NP) program.
In NURS 539, you will complete 200 hours of supervised clinical practicum to support attainment of the Entry-Level Competencies for Nurse Practitioners (College of Registered Nurses of Alberta [CRNA], 2023). This is the final clinical practicum and final course in the program.
Having completed 600 clinical practicum hours prior to this course, you are expected to demonstrate competence at the level of an entry-level nurse practitioner. This practicum focuses on consolidation of clinical expertise, integration of knowledge and skills, and transition to independent practice.
Emphasis is placed on consistent, safe, and efficient practice. You will demonstrate the ability to independently complete comprehensive and focused assessments, apply differential diagnosis processes, select and implement appropriate interventions, including diagnostic tests, medications, and referrals, and document care effectively in client health records.
You are also expected to demonstrate leadership, professionalism, and accountability in practice. This includes critical analysis of organizational and system-level factors that influence scope of practice, professional responsibilities, and client outcomes, as well as effective collaboration within interprofessional teams.
Outline
NURS 539 is a paced course delivered over 13 weeks using a blended learning approach that combines asynchronous online learning and regular synchronous virtual sessions. The course consists of the following components:
- Clinical practicum (200 hours)
You will complete 200 hours of supervised clinical practicum in a setting that supports your learning goals. Clinical faculty (licensed nurse practitioners) who support evaluation of clinical performance and role development and will engage with you during clinical seminar sessions.
Details regarding the clinical practicum experience are provided in the NP Clinical Practicum Guide available in your Brightspace course.
- Clinical learning seminars
Synchronous clinical learning seminars will be held via Microsoft Teams.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources to formulate diagnoses and to create a shared management plan;
- Perform invasive and non-invasive interventions according to standards of practice;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the management plan and modify as necessary;
- Document clinical data, diagnoses, collaborations, communications and treatments, monitoring, and follow-up;
- Demonstrate progressive role development and leadership competencies, including effective communication and interprofessional collaboration.
Evaluation
The assessment structure for NURS 539 is based on the following course activities. The final grade for the course is a pass/fail mark based on your performance on these course activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Participation activities | Pass/Fail |
| Clinical learning plan | Pass/Fail |
| Progressive clinical evaluation | Pass/Fail |
| Final clinical evaluation | Pass/Fail |
Materials
Digital course materials
Textbooks and readings from other Nurse Practitioner courses will be used as appropriate.