Graduate Clinical Placement Center | Department of Nursing

Welcome to the Graduate Clinical Placement Center! This webpage has been developed to assist you in understanding the Graduate Clinical Placement Process which involves uploading your clinical requirements and obtaining a preceptor.

Important Information

Review daily, taking note of the calendar events and/or deadline dates for the process.

Nursing Clinical Placement Calendar	Important Dates
	Program Orientation – September 29th Medatrax Orientation- via GoToMeeting – September 29th Compliance Due Date – Jan 3rd Attestation Form Due – October 2nd Preceptor Search Dates and submit required documentation by Feb 2 for Summer, May 2 for Fall, and Oct 2 for Spring. Order Uniform at Flynn & O’Hara Due – February 1st – Click Here Did You Know ? An email and calendar event will be created when the orientation is scheduled. Login and password credentials will be sent via email from Medatrax prior to the orientation. If you miss the scheduled orientation, you need to complete the recorded Medatrax Orientation. All Preceptor Requests submitted early would be reviewed at the next meeting as long as submitted ahead of deadline dates.
TO-DO CHECKLIST –
Visit the Graduate Clinical Placement Center daily especially the Calendar and the Important Dates section. Complete the Program and Medatrax Orientation. Upload completion certificate for the Medatrax Orientation into Medatrax. Complete and upload all clinical compliance documents into the Medatrax system by the first day of the start of the semester when you take your first clinical course (NURS 633 Advanced Holistic Health Assessment). Complete NP Student Clinical Placement Attestation Form and upload it to Medatrax.	Proceed to the Request a Preceptor Process ONLY AFTER receiving your clearance email from the Clinical Site Coordinator (CSC) confirming you are cleared to proceed forward. Meet with your advisor about appropriate clinical sites, appropriate preceptors, population focus, and number of clinical hours needed. Search for Preceptors by using the Clinical Placement Effort Form – remember one form per site. Submit your email with the approved or final Clinical Placement Effort Form to nursing@tcnj.edu by the deadline dates (found on the calendar) Feb 2 for Summer, May 2 for Fall, and Oct 2 for Spring.

>> Click here to download the Student Clinical Placement Process Flowchart PDF<<

First Step – Compliance

After attending the Program/Medatrax Orientation, make sure to complete and upload all documents into Medatrax system by the first day of the start of the semester where you take your first clinical course (NURS 633: Advanced Holistic Health Assessment). The following clinical compliance documents are required:

Attestation Form – Click Here to download fillable form

COVID 19 Requirements

To maintain compliance with our hospital affiliates it is mandatory for each student to get the COVID-19 vaccine to attend clinical. Click here to review all the information and make sure you upload your COVID-19 vaccine card into Medatrax.

CPR Certification (BLS or ACLS)

Student must complete CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training from the American Heart Association and provide a copy of a current CPR certification card. The American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers CPR training program is required. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and maintain CPR certification. Individual clinical instructors may randomly request to see a student’s CPR card. A student whose CPR certification is not received or expired will be prohibited from clinical education. NOTE: Students are required to complete the CPR requirement over the summer. The American Heart Association – Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers CPR training program may be offered during the summer and the first week of classes. Please check email notifications from the Nursing office.

Criminal Background Check and Fingerprinting

Standard HR 1.20 promulgated in 2004 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals: Official Handbook requires hospitals to verify the criminal background of students and volunteers as well as hospital staff. Pursuant to Standard HR 1.20, a criminal background check is required in order for each student to participate in clinical experiences with clinical affiliates.

A background check is a yearly requirement. Follow this procedure:

Click here for more information. Use service code: 2F1BJG – Click NJ Criminal Background Check –

Scroll down to Personal Record Request
Take note of the Contributor Case Number which is PRR. because students will be asked for this later on in the application for scheduling an appointment
Click Service Code: 2F1BJG
Click Schedule or Manage Appointment

Current PA and NJ License – both must be uploaded into Medatrax. Students have been able to get a PA license within 24 hours by choosing the Temporary License option at PA Temporary Practice Permit.

Drug Testing

Capital Health-Corporate Health -1401 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Suite 220 – Hamilton, NJ 08619 – Cost- Reduced rate $95 (rate subject to change) – Money Order only – Call 609-689-5756 at least 1 week prior to schedule appointment.

Contact: Jodi Frascella-Operations, Supervisor – Jfrascella@Capitalhealth.org – 609-689-5751 ( Direct line ) 609-689-5750 ( Main line )

You can also have your 5-Panel Non-DOT urine drug test performed by a health care provider of your choice
Have results sent directly to: Deborah King, The College of New Jersey, Department of Nursing, PO Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

Health Insurance

Students are responsible for ensuring they are covered by health insurance (either through TCNJ or privately) throughout through their progression in the Nursing program until graduation. Students are responsible for paying the annual premium to maintain insurance and must submit documentation of a valid insurance card by the deadline and annually thereafter. Full time students are automatically enrolled in the TCNJ health insurance plan unless they decline can obtain on-line information at https://studenthealthinsurance.tcnj.edu/ You may contact Student Health Services at health@tcnj.edu or 609-771-2889 with questions.

Health Requirements

Health Requirements – Click here for more information about these requirements:

a) Physical Examination	b) Two-Step Mantoux Test (PPD/ TB)	c) Hepatitis B Vaccination Series
d) MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccination	e) Varicella (chickenpox)	f) Tetanus and Pertussis vaccination

Remember you can download your information from the OWL system at https://tcnj.medicatconnect.com/ – log into the portal, OWL – Online Wellness Link to obtain your documents.

Influenza Vaccination (Flu Shot)

Proof of annual Influenza vaccination is now required. Students must be vaccinated by the October 1st deadline. Do NOT get the flu shot before September 1, as your vaccination will not be valid for the entire flu season.

Personal Liability Insurance

In keeping with the New Jersey Board of Nursing regulations, all nursing students must obtain their own professional liability insurance and submit a copy of a valid personal professional liability proof of insurance document from their insurer. Students who do not have the required insurance shall be prohibited from participating in any nursing course having a clinical component. Student liability insurance is available for a nominal fee through the Student Nurses’ Association. Students may also visit contact the Healthcare Providers Service Organization and Nurses Service Organization for more information. Students are responsible for annually renewing their insurance by paying the annual premium and submitting a valid proof of insurance document to the Nursing department to ensure coverage throughout each year of clinical education until graduation.

Second Step – Clinical Placement

Before proceeding to the Finding a Preceptor process, a Clear to Proceed email from the Clinical Site Coordinator (CSC) must be received by the students. Do not proceed with this process if you have not received the Clear to Proceed email.

Finding Your Own Preceptor

After all compliance documents have been uploaded and verified and you are cleared to continue to the Request a Preceptor Process. All NP students are required to actively search for clinical placements for each clinical course. This is the best way to ensure that you can start your clinical practicum in a timely manner. Obtaining preceptors is the responsibility of the student.

Make sure you use the Clinical Placement Effort Form to record your effort when contacting preceptor/sites. Before or on the deadline date (found on the calendar – tab 1), and when you have reached 100 sites or you have obtained a site before contacting 100 sites, you must email nursing@tcnj.edu and advise of your progress. If you have obtained a preceptor/site you will need to upload the final Clinical Placement Effort Form PDF as an attachment to your email. Once the preceptor/site has been approved by the Clinical Placement Committee, you will be notified and requested to upload the Preceptor Request form into Medatrax.

DO NOT CALL OR CONTACT THESE SITES OR PROVIDERS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

Placement Review

The Clinical Placement Committee strongly recommends:

- - you make sufficient effort;
  - you do not miss the deadline for the Preceptor Request Form;
  - you do not miss the deadline for the Clinical Placement Effort Form;
  - you keep your clinical compliance current;
  - you submit/upload your Preceptor Request form into Medatrax.

Once the Clinical Site Coordinator reviews all forms, validates preceptor/site information, the Clinical Placement Committee meets to review and approve placements in February, May, and October. When the placement has been approved, the Clinical Site Coordinator creates and sends the Preceptor Letter of Agreement to the Preceptor. The student is notified through email to upload their Preceptor Request form into Medatrax. The course instructor is also notified of the placement status.

What Should You Do If You Cannot Locate A Preceptor?

Make sure that you have completed your Clinical Placement Effort Form for each site you have contacted by the due date to prove your search effort and your clinical compliance is up-to-date. In the event, you have made every effort to find your own placement and still cannot locate a willing preceptor, please see your advisor immediately. Please note in these situations, a placement may not be found by the start of the semester, your clinical start date may be delayed, and ultimately, your course progression and/or graduation date may be delayed. You must agree to accept a placement within 90-minute driving time of the TCNJ campus.

Resources

Process Forms –

Site Related Forms –