Sawyer Initiative

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Aug 16, 2019

The Sawyer Initiative was an advocacy "movement" to make CCNE (the agency that accredits most NP programs) aware of the problem that many NP programs aren't providing clinical placements for students, and to challenge CCNE to change the language in its Standards to place accountability on NP programs.

The Sawyer Initiative was successful in that CCNE did change its language to say that the ultimate responsibility of finding clinical placement rests on the school, but unfortunately CCNE does not proactively investigate whether a school places every student into a clinical site. Hence, it relies on the NP students to file complaints to alert CCNE that their schools failed to secure clinical placement. The problem is, my guess is that most NP students don't file because they either don't know about the new Standards, or that they don't want to because they knew before hand that the schools don't provide preceptors.

Whether Sawyer initiative will be successful remains to be seen. Supposedly, PurdueGlobal (formerly Kaplan U., one of the bad for-profit names) now secures clinical placements, but this requires that NP students be flexible to travel far away. Meaning that if the school places you a couple hundred miles away from home, you'll have to pack up and go, or you find your own preceptors locally. This arrangement makes sense to me.

My recommendation is that unless you have preceptors in place, go to a program that guarantees preceptors.

bryanleo9 · Aug 17, 2019

As I have posted before, I called six Universities about this initiative. Each one, whether brick and mortar or online, all told me that the initiative was not a mandate and that the students still need to find their own preceptors aka (beg your way into a clinic).

Nothing will change until ALL the students report the schools to the accreditation body. The programs think the Sawyer initiative is a joke at this point.

bryanleo9 · Aug 17, 2019

^ some of the schools had never even heard of the initiative. After I explained it and the background behind it I got "yeah, that's not going to happen" answers.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Aug 17, 2019

Sawyer initiative was a good effort, but I'm also not hopeful that crappy NP programs will go away anytime soon. Too many RNs choose convenience and easy entry over quality. Students can't complain about schools not finding preceptors if they knew about it in advance and still applied and enrolled.

glass_houseRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 12, 2020

Any update with this? Has anyone had any luck filing a complaint? My school is doing the same thing...acting like this initiative is not a thing. I was able to look it up on the CCNE standards and it is indeed a thing.

https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/CCNE/PDF/Standards-Final-2018.pdf

Guest1144461 · Apr 12, 2020

2 hours ago, njnRN said:
Any update with this? Has anyone had any luck filing a complaint? My school is doing the same thing...acting like this initiative is not a thing. I was able to look it up on the CCNE standards and it is indeed a thing.
https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/CCNE/PDF/Standards-Final-2018.pdf

Its a good idea, but nurses are unrealistic. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Nurses at this point basically expect that schools will cater to their every whim. Lets face it, lots of people get into NP school that have no business being there. In addition they expect super flexible programs that are distance/online or go at their own pace. This is unrealistic. Some online program program in Vermont is not going to be able to find relevant preceptors in Los Angeles. This is just reality.

Either schools (online or brick and mortar) tighten up their admission standards and find preceptors or students get a grip and just accept that it is what it is.

glass_houseRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 12, 2020

The admission standards for NP schools is a whole other issue that I heartily agree needs fixed. The way it is now we are accepting and turning out anyone and their mom who wants to be an NP. I agree admission standards need tightened. HOWEVER this does not negate the other side of the coin that schools should be responsible for assisting in securing preceptors, period. If they cannot do that, they have no business being accredited. I go to a “brick and mortar school” and everyone in my cohort is having difficulty finding placement in our area because other schools are finally wising up and securing contracts with preceptors.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Apr 12, 2020

2 hours ago, njnRN said:
Any update with this? Has anyone had any luck filing a complaint? My school is doing the same thing...acting like this initiative is not a thing. I was able to look it up on the CCNE standards and it is indeed a thing.

If your school doesn't think it's a thing, then file a complaint and encourage your classmates to do the same. There are complaint forms.

In addition, go up the chain of command beyond the "school of nursing."

glass_houseRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 12, 2020

Yes thank you I think we will! Remaining silent only continues to perpetuate the problem.

Guest1144461 · Apr 13, 2020

6 hours ago, njnRN said:
The admission standards for NP schools is a whole other issue that I heartily agree needs fixed. The way it is now we are accepting and turning out anyone and their mom who wants to be an NP. I agree admission standards need tightened. HOWEVER this does not negate the other side of the coin that schools should be responsible for assisting in securing preceptors, period. If they cannot do that, they have no business being accredited. I go to a “brick and mortar school” and everyone in my cohort is having difficulty finding placement in our area because other schools are finally wising up and securing contracts with preceptors.

Would you be okay with your school redoing the admission process right now but guaranteeing preceptors? The flip side is 50% of your cohort would probably not get admitted.

With the current format of the MAJORITY of NP schools being online, this model of guaranteeing preceptors is literally not possible. Brick and mortar schools that are on campus don't have as much of an excuse but I still believe they let in far too many students without proper vetting. Letting in too many makes guaranteeing preceptors also not possible.

Making NP school accessible to literally anyone comes with its drawbacks.

glass_houseRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 13, 2020

Well my cohort only has 4 students me included. So no, I don’t think being more selective would have cut our size down even more. My program is actually pretty difficult compared to others but complaining about the discrepancies doesn’t help.