About Clinical Precepting & Experience
The UW School of Nursing is fortunate to have a network of dedicated clinical preceptors. These individuals, passionate about nursing education and excellence in practice, play a vital role in shaping the next generation of advanced practice nurses and population health experts.
Our students require high-quality, precepted clinical experiences on a quarterly basis as part of their education. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students spend four quarters in clinical placements, and one to three days per week each quarter, depending on the track and stage of their education. Through clinical placements, our graduate students have an extraordinary opportunity to learn and work alongside skilled mentors-preceptors through immersive clinical rotations.
Clinical placements can take place in a variety of settings:
- Hospitals
- Community clinics
- Nonprofit settings
- Private practice
- School wellness centers
Precepting DNP students
The UW DNP prepares advanced practice nurse practitioners and graduate-level nurses in accordance with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. The UW School of Nursing is a leader with a longstanding commitment to advanced practice preparation. We are pioneers in DNP education and launched the DNP program in 2007. UW was among the first 50 schools in the country to move to the DNP. DNP students learn to synthesize and expand their knowledge and skills about advanced practice, leadership, and practice inquiry. Learn more about the history of the DNP program at the UW School of Nursing.
DNP final projects
DNP degrees are distinguished by the completion of a final project. These projects emanate from clinical agencies, community settings or systems. They are systematic investigations of questions about practice and therapies that evaluate and translate all forms of evidence into practice. Each student collaborates with an agency to address a real-world clinical problem or health issue. Most often, a student will be engaged in only one phase or aspect of translating evidence into practice.