Walden University | Issues Securing a Preceptor

[christinefeld, BSN, RN]

Hello!

I am a MSN (Nurse ED) graduate student and am reaching out to see if anyone else has had issues securing a preceptor for the NURS 6341 course. It took 3 months to go through the list of 'affiliated' clinical sites, and every setting within 30 miles either gave me an answer of "NO," or "NO, we are no longer taking students," or ghosted me after I mentioned that I was a Walden University student. Mind you, these facilities already had a contract agreement, so I am thinking they must have gotten "burned" by Walden. I spent many hours reaching out, only to be turned down. Next, I contacted providers who didn't have a previous affiliation agreement.

One physician initially agreed to work with me, but saw all the extra requirements for meetings, Meditrek logins, etc., and basically said "I'd really like to work with you, but this institution is expecting me to be the instructor and the doctor....I'm sorry, I am going to have to decline." Now I am back at 'square one' after spending 3 months of effort to try to secure at least one preceptor. I am facing having to take a LOA if I cannot secure someone in the next 2 weeks. The thing is, I have my NURS 6351 preceptor all lined up, but cannot start until I finish the 6341 clinical hours, which has been further delayed.

I reached out to Walden for help and they said "go to a roundtable session or have a coaching call" (which I have already had one, and have another tomorrow). Has anyone else had this struggle?  I just want to finish my degree. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

C :-)