Any educators have...

Specialties Educators

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any educators work at a facility with a clinical site agreement that might be able to help me out? I am in my capstone of the MSN ED program and I can't submit my research paper because I need a hospital to sign my clinical site agreement form.

The assignment was just online peer reviewed research (im nearly done with) and I will never set foot or need access to the facility. Unfortunately, I can't find a hospital with an agreement in place (process can take 6-12 months) or anyone that is able to sign this form.

At this point I am begging a hospital educator to sign it.....any help or info would be appreciated.

(please don't move to WGU thread. This is for hospital educators)

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

What resources have you asked about from the school itself? They may be able to guide you to a facility with an agreement in place.

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I have a "health placement coordinator" that has yet to answer her phone and it took about 3 to 4 weeks and multiple complaints to a manager to get her to contact me back. She is supposedly working on some form, but at this point if it takes her month to even respond.....I don't trust it will get done.

I have asked MULTIPLE faculty about the purpose of the clinical site agreement when I don't need a clinical site and they literally said "I don't know." But I'm supposed to explain the form to hospital directors and educators and hope they will sign it

:(

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Interesting ... we have had students go to and their faculty have told them they DON'T need any kind of affiliation agreement to complete their assignments. However, we have recently looked at some of the stuff our staff members who are students there are writing and decided that we DO need an agreement.

It sounds to me as if there is some inconsistency or at least confusion on WGU's part about such agreements. I'll be interested in what other people have to say about this.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I graduated from for my MSN in education. Our entire capstone project was supposed to be collaborative with an MSN prepared nurse on site at work. Is the person you can't get to call you back the individual who was partnering with you on this? If the individual who was supposed to be partnering with you as a clinical contact for your Capstone project isn't responding, find another MSN prepared nurse in your hospital who is willing to review it and sign it.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I graduated from WGU for my MSN in education. Our entire capstone project was supposed to be collaborative with an MSN prepared nurse on site at work. Is the person you can't get to call you back the individual who was partnering with you on this? If the individual who was supposed to be partnering with you as a clinical contact for your Capstone project isn't responding, find another MSN prepared nurse in your hospital who is willing to review it and sign it.

This is what left me confused - isn't there a practicum/project as part of 's program? Wouldn't that person be able to help you out? Best of luck, OP! I am currently weeding through the site agreement info where I work and will do a DNP project, it's tedious.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Home Health, EMR, Nurse Educator.

Were you grandfathered in for the capstone to be able to complete it outside of an educational setting per the new March requirement? The capstone should be facility specific, so how did you write it without facility information? Without using some sort of facility specific information I can't imagine it would pass so you will need some information and cooperation from whoever agrees to precept and host you besides just a signature. This is to count as clinical hours so that you've actually participated in an education setting prior to getting an education degree. Finding someone who will "just sign a paper" sounds cheap, although I do understand how it could feel that way. But I would not approach anyone with a MSN using that approach. Sorry.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Yes I was grandfathered in because of my start date. I was left with the option of doing academia or hospital education. When I tried to do my project in the academia setting, I was told it could take 9 months to process the agreement. The project is not facility specific. It is online peer reviewed research about a knowledge gap. You can easily do research and find trends and knowledge gaps that apply to several hospitals. I did work with a preceptor to come up with a topic and write my paper. I have discussed this in length with my instructors and mentors from and I am definitely on the right track with my assignment. Having said that, I still do not understand the purpose of the clinical site agreement. As I stated before, neither do they. I do not need access to HIPPA protected data, I will not be present at the hospital, and I will not be carrying out the project with the nursing staff. It does not count for clinical hours either. So essentially, yes it is..."just sign the paper." This is why I have yet to get it signed. It makes zero sense and (I agree with you) is just not professional. Anyhow, I am waiting to hear back from the placement coordinator and hopefully figure something out.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Well what state are you in? I had to find my own Capstone and cold called until I found a location.

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Specializes in Nursing Faculty, ER Nurse.

I just finished my MSN Ed capstone with . I had my dept director sign the organizational agreement and we both agreed that an affiliation agreement was not needed because I was not doing anything clinical. The organizational agreement is not the same as an affiliation agreement and WGU doesnt need a clinical affiliation agreement if your hospital doesnt require you to have it

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