Professional Practice
About Professional Practice
The McMaster BScN is committed to providing nursing students with clinical practice opportunities that prepare learners for transition to practice in today’s current healthcare context. Our program provides a strong foundation for students to participate in caring for patients from all age groups, life transitions and clinical contexts. Learners integrate theoretical concepts from concurrent course work to further strengthen knowledge and clinical reasoning for professional practice.
Our McMaster placement team prepares months in advance to organize placements for clinical courses. Students may be expected to travel to learning settings in the Hamilton and surrounding area, including but not limited to Halton, Peel, Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk, Niagara and Wellington Regions. Students are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from learning settings and for covering any costs incurred.
Northern and International clinical placements may be possible in the Fall term of Level 4. As these placement opportunities are varied, it may be helpful for students to consider taking Nursing 3NI3 – Introduction to Concepts in Northern and International Health.
The BScN Program has 3 distinct program streams. Click below to learn more about Professional Practice by Level.
Expandable List
BASIC (A) STREAM STUDENTS
Professional practice learning begins with NURSING 1I02 as students are introduced to patient assessment, communication, and intervention skills in the clinical laboratory. Students begin to develop an understanding of the role of the nurse, the scope of nursing practice, and explore the nursing profession. In NURSING 1J02, students continue to build the foundation for professional practice developing skills in health assessment (including head to toe assessment of the healthy individual), obtaining a health history, and documenting findings. Students must demonstrate the skills necessary to deliver safe, professional nursing care to healthy, stable clients in the clinical laboratory.
BASIC (A) STREAM STUDENTS
In NURSING 2L03 and NURSING 2P03 students engage in professional practice to develop an understanding of self as a nurse. The principles of evidence-informed decision making provide the foundation for development of basic care skills. While participating in labs, simulation and professional practice experiences, students explore and apply relevant concepts and theories and begin to understand the influence of diversity on patient care. Students have an opportunity to apply critical inquiry skills and engage in the beginning stages of clinical reasoning/clinical judgment skills in the care of their patients. In the professional practice setting, students develop professional relationships with patients, families and other health care professionals. Students begin to appreciate ethical issues within professional practice and explore how the knowledge learned in supporting courses can be applied to patient care.
The placement options for Level II occur in inpatient settings, including medical and surgical wards.
BASIC (A) STREAM, BASIC-ACCELERATED (F) STREAM, AND POST-RPN (E) STREAM STUDENTS
Nursing 3X04 and 3Y04 are professional nursing practice courses that provide the opportunity to implement clinical reasoning in care of individuals using a person centered approach that integrates concepts and theory from nursing, biological, behavioural and social sciences. With a focus on nursing interventions, theses courses address a broad range of clinical skills including scientific and humanistic caring, clinical and ethical decision making, critical thinking and inter-professional communication and practice. Responsibility for own professional growth through self-direction and self-evaluation is demonstrated through analysis of own role and function as a learner, caregiver and professional in the broader health care system.
The placement options for Level III fall into two broad categories:
- Medical/Surgical
- Varied Nursing Contexts
Where possible, a student who is assigned to a placement from the first category in Term 1 will then be placed in a setting from the second category for Term 2, and vice versa.
It is important to note that while in a Medical/Surgical, Maternal Child, or Mental Health setting, students are supervised directly by their Clinical Tutor. In other Varied Nursing Context settings, however, students may have a Preceptor (a staff nurse employed by the placement setting). In the latter case, students meet regularly with their Professional Practice Tutor to review their progress with respect to achieving the course objectives.
BASIC (A) STREAM, BASIC-ACCELERATED (F) STREAM, AND POST-RPN (E) STREAM STUDENTS
Consistent with the goal of the BScN Program to provide a general baccalaureate education to prepare nurses for a variety of professional practice settings, the theme of Level 4 is enactment of the nursing role. The emphasis is placed upon the student’s clinical competencies and professional accountability and responsibilities as a member of a health care team.
NURSING 4J07 and NURSING 4K10 focus on the integration of research and application of theory and concepts to clinical practice, including the introduction to the leadership role in patient care. Students are individually placed in a variety of contexts, where they are actively involved in the enactment of the nursing role. These courses consist of professional practice with direct supervision by a clinical preceptor in a clinical setting with indirect supervision by a nursing faculty member.
Students have an opportunity to indicate preferences for professional practice placements but final clinical placement assignment will be determined by the BScN Program. Clinical placements are available in acute care, community (including public health), and specialized settings.
Preceptorship Program
Strengthening your role as a preceptor
The McMaster BScN program is pleased to host several Preceptorship Workshops. The Preceptor role is integral to student success in our level 4 clinical curriculum.
If you are new to the Preceptor role or simply wish to strengthen your learning and contribute to a community of practice discussion, consider attending the following, upcoming workshops:
1. Introduction to the BScN Preceptor Role
Preceptors will learn about the fundamentals of BScN preceptorship, emphasizing the roles and expectations of preceptors. Content will include some components of the BScN clinical curriculum and principles of clinical teaching, including learner assessment, effective coaching/feedback and an overview of the preceptor clinical evaluation tool.
Dates and Times
- Tuesday, January 14, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, February 11, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
2. Supporting Student Development in Clinical Performance
Preceptors will discuss teaching/learning situations where a learner may be struggling to be successful in a clinical course. Preceptors will learn strategies to manage these situations and resolve some of the challenges encountered as a preceptor. Documentation on the preceptor clinical evaluation tool will also be addressed.
Dates and Times
- Friday, January 24, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Friday, February 14, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
3. Teaching and Learning Strategies for Level 4 Learners in Today’s Health Contexts
Preceptors will learn about teaching and learning strategies to enhance confidence and competence in clinical settings. Striving for effective supervision and role-modeling is critical to student success.
Date and Time
- Monday, January 27, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
For questions and registration, email bscnad@mcmaster.ca or phone (905)-525-9140 ext. 22699.
MCMASTER BSCN PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM
- Preceptorship is a teaching-learning approach utilized in professional practice courses at the senior level, a time when learners are making the transition from the senior student role to that of a professional nurse.
- The BScN Program utilizes a Preceptorship Framework for teaching-learning in both Level IV professional practice courses.
- The conceptual foundation of this framework was developed by McMaster BScN Preceptorship Committee, 2015.
- Preceptorship is viewed within the context of professional nursing & 5 major domains: practice, education, research, administration & policy.
- Preceptorship is facilitated by the teaching-learning triad (student, preceptor & faculty tutor) & experiential learning is central to this educational collaboration
BScN Program Preceptorship Framework
PRECEPTORSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL NURSING
Within the preceptorship framework, several key concepts describe the role of professional nursing. These concepts are important for successful completion of senior practice courses:
- Competence & caring are fundamental expectations of professional practice experiences; students learn to perform the complex professional nursing role in ways that exemplify both competence and caring;
- Effective communication is foundational to the development & maintenance of the preceptorship triad, and it is also vital to the delivery of safe nursing care and enhanced teamwork;
- Conscience or ethical practice is critical to practice by all health professionals;
- Comportment refers to professional behaviours to which students are socialized (e.g., appropriate workplace attire, interaction with patients, families, and intra/inter-professional team);
- Commitment to the experience is made by all triad members: students commit to their educational development, striving to achieve entry-to-practice competencies; preceptors commit to acting as role models; and clinical teachers or faculty tutors commit to providing educational support and guidance to both preceptors and students during the preceptorship experience;
- Collaboration occurs both formally & informally; clinical agencies formally agree to collaborate in students’ professional practice learning & each triad informally agrees to form a partnership that meets the goals of the professional practice courses;
- As learners, each member of the triad assists one another in developing confidence in their respective educational roles;
- Preceptors make a critical educational contribution to the future health & health care of our citizens by shaping the profession, one nurse at a time.