Section Table
Faculty Information
Introduction
Roles/Responsibilities
Evaluation
Clinical Competency Requirements
Forms
Glossary
LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
RESPIRATORY CARE PROGRAM
FACULTY
Norma Driscoll, BS, RRT
Program Director
Respiratory Care Program
Lane Community College
Phone: 541.463.3176
Kellee Rickerl, B.A., RRT
Director of Clinical Education
Respiratory Care Program
Lane Community College
541.463.5624
Mailing Address-
Respiratory Care Program ATTN:
Lane Community College
4000 E.30th Ave
Eugene, OR 97405
(Health Professions)
Main Campus, Building #4 Phone: 541-463-5617 Division Number | Fax: 541-463-4151
Introduction
Dear Respiratory Care Clinical Preceptor:
First, we would like to thank you for your participation in this extremely important phase of a respiratory care student’s education. Our students often remember their clinical hours as the highlight of their Respiratory Care training.
This handbook is designed to provide information about the Lane Community College Respiratory Care Program and to offer guidance and educational objectives for supervising and evaluating students during their clinical hours.
The Respiratory Care Program at Lane Community College (LCC) was established in 1969. With the start of the 2009 academic year, our program has transitioned from an “on campus, lecture program” to a hybrid program. Theory and concepts are provided through highly interactive online delivery. Laboratory activities are managed in small groups during on-campus sessions. Clinical rotations are managed and arranged by the program’s Director of Clinical Education in co-operation with fifteen clinical affiliates. The LCC Respiratory Care Program is a limited-entry two year program and accepts up to thirty new students each year. During this two year period, students have the clinical requirement of obtaining competency in approx. twenty five different skills in order to graduate. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
We appreciate your interest in our students and wish to make your task in mentoring them as easy as possible. It is with that purpose in mind that this handbook was created. Our clinical preceptors and clinical sites are an integral part of our success as an advanced practitioner respiratory care program and we could not serve our students without you. We have attempted to answer common questions you may have; however, please feel free to call our Clinical Coordinator, Kellee Rickerl at 541.463.5624
Thank you for your commitment to Respiratory Care Education.
Lane Community College Respiratory Care Program
PURPOSE OF THE CLINICAL PRECEPTOR PROGRAM
The clinical preceptor program is designed to assist the RT student succeed in gaining hands-on experience in patient care and competency in clinical skills under the supervision of an experienced Respiratory Therapist. Upon graduation the student will then be able to move from student role to the entry-level respiratory therapist role seamlessly. With the preceptors guidance the student can work on improving patient care skills and well as learn what it means to work and interact in a professional manner. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to provide the student with a realistic clinical experience and allow the student to:
· Care for various types of patients in the Clinical/Home Care setting
Geriatric
Adult
Pediatric
Neonatal
· Conduct care to include but not limited to
1. Oxygen Therapy
2. Humidity and Aerosol Therapy
3. Bronchial Hygiene Therapy
4. Volume Expansion Therapy
5. Non-invasive and Invasive Ventilation
6. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
7. Arterial Blood Gases
8. Pulmonary Function Testing
· Critical Thinking and Research Skill development through
1. Planning and organization of daily clinical activities
2. Hone decision making and priority-setting skills
3. Patient Assessment
4. Disease Process Research
5. Treatment Assessment
· Development of Independence
1. Independently suggest implementation of respiratory care procedures
2. Develop patient management skills
3. Time management skills.
4. Goal of becoming fully functioning therapist with RRT skill set.
GOALS OF CLINICAL PRECEPTOR PROGRAM
To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
The CLINICAL SITE ROLE:
The Clinical Sites are essential partners of any successful respiratory care program.
The clinical site contributes to the learning process of Lane’s Respiratory Care Program students by helping develop the professional and technical skill sets needed to become a respiratory therapist.
This helps ensure the preparation of competent entry level respiratory therapists. A win-win situation for when these students become entry level therapist entering the job market.
By electing to have students at your site participating faculty will have the opportunity for selected staff respiratory therapists to gain experience and competency in the role of preceptor/educator.
Provide clinical experience for selected students in the LCC Respiratory Care Program in accordance with contractual agreement between clinical site and LCC.
Collaborate with LCC in appointing the preceptors. Appoint alternate preceptor when needed, e.g. due to absence of assigned preceptor.
Orientation of student to the department and shift responsibilities.
Notify College program faculty within 24 hours of incidents/injuries that occur to either a patient and/or student a result of the student’s participation in a clinical activity. An incident in which a student may sustain some injury may require hospital treatment; however student health insurance will be billed for care.
THE LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLINICAL PRECEPTOR:
DEFINITION OF RESPIRATORY PRECEPTORSHIP
A respiratory preceptorship is a defined period of time in which two people (respiratory student and experienced respiratory therapist) work together so that student can learn and apply knowledge and skills in the clinical setting with supervision and guidance from the experienced therapist. This therapist acts as role model for skills as well as professionalism. A preceptor must have the ability to help with the growth and progression of the student/s into that of a professional therapist.
The RT must be willing to work with a student in this capacity. If the therapist is unwilling, it makes for an adversarial relationship and leads to a negative experience for both the student as well as the RT in question. This does not foster a nurturing learning environment.
PRECEPTOR SKILLS
The RT is assigned a preceptor role has demonstrated expertise in the delivery of respiratory care (as determined by the Hospital and in collaboration with the College Clinical Education Coordinator and or college representative). The Preceptor must be a CRT credentialed licensed practitioner. RRT credential and licensure is preferred.
The RT has demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and professionally with patients, faculty, students, staff, and physicians.
The RT can demonstrate student assessment skills. This is verified through the completion of the clinical preceptor modules developed by the college to maintain inter-rater reliability.
The RT demonstrates the ability to document student observation and skills in a timely manner.
The RT demonstrates that they are staying current on issues related to nationally standardized practices of care.
He/She makes a conscious effort to develop relationships with students that are:
-Conducive to a positive learning environment;
-mutually respectful;
-collaborative and supportive.
Preceptor Responsibilities
1. Directs student to clinical situations, which would provide student with opportunity to meet goals and objectives, increase skills and pass competency evaluations.
2. Act as a clinical resource person for the student.
3. Be a role model demonstrating responsible RT behavior.
4. Provide feedback concerning the student’s professional behavior through use of forms provided by LCC (Clinical proficiencies and evaluation forms).
5. Provide ongoing feedback to student regarding patient care and equipment use utilizing daily activity forms.
6. Be available to meet with RC program Clinical Education Coordinator and other LCC staff about students’ experience and progress during clinical educator’s site visit/s.
7. Facilitates the student’s progress towards accepting more and more of the patient care assignment and the development of good time-management skills to facilitate the education of capable graduate therapists.
8. Will treat the student as an adult learner in an educator-learner relationship.
9. Must review all students charting for accuracy and completeness.
10. Follows FERPA (See Glossary) Rules regarding student rights to privacy.
11. Communicate with Lane Community College clinical educator regarding observed student behaviors that are unacceptable for staff Respiratory Therapists such as:
A. -Content or skill weakness in a given area
B. -Inability to perform patient care procedures
C. -Lack of knowledge or inability to gain knowledge necessary for the implementation of patient care
D. -Lack of technical competence
E. -Any behavior, which is in the opinion of the clinical preceptor, is counterproductive to the Respiratory Care Program process. I.e. personal hygiene, tardiness being argumentative etc.
THE LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT:
Learning Outcomes
The graduate will:
· provide age-specific treatment, management, control, and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities associated with respiration.
· provide patients with therapeutic use of medical gases, air and oxygen administering apparatus.
· appropriately use environmental control systems, humidification and aerosols, medications, ventilatory control.
· provide pulmonary hygiene appropriate to patient’s condition
· perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and measures and maintenance of natural, artificial, and mechanical airways.
· use clinical decision skills to create appropriate patient care plans
· use appropriate library and information resources to research professional issues and support lifelong learning.
· formulate questions that can be addressed with data, and collect, organize and present relevant data to answer them.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Perform patient care under the supervision of a preceptor assuming an increasing level of responsibility on a daily basis.
2. Monitor their competency/skill list, discuss competency/skill list with clinical preceptor.
3. Identify competencies/skills yet to be completed and discuss with clinical preceptor.
4. Notify clinical affiliate and LCC clinical coordinator if going to be late or absent in a timely and appropriate manner as stated in the Student Handbook.
5. Adhere to the Lane Community College Respiratory Care student dress / identification guidelines when in a clinical facility.
6. Review necessary theory and clinical content to maximize safety and performance.
7. Meet with Lane Community College Coordinator of Clinical Education for review meetings and/or symposiums and as needed to discuss experiences and concerns.
8. Participate in the evaluation of the preceptor program and clinical site.
9. Conform to all policies and procedures particular to the clinical facility, including;
10. On time for the start of shifts and end of breaks.
11. Follows all HIPPA rules with respect to patient confidentially and not use patient names or ID numbers if writing notes or preparing for a case presentation.
12. In addition, students will be very careful not to discuss specifics about patients or their care in public places where they can be overheard by third parties.
The student must make a conscious effort to develop a relationship with the Clinical Preceptor that is:
-formal
-mutually respectful;
-collaborative and supportive.
The student is responsible for entering observations and competency data into the clinical care notebook. Patient care tasks, observations and or care will never be declined in order to enter information in clinical notebook or to work on class assignments while the student is at the clinical site for a patient care shift.
Students MAY NOT make any changes in the prearranged clinical schedule without the approval of the LCC Clinical Coordinator.
The students need to be proactive at the clinical site and need to make contact with their assigned preceptor or the clinical lead before the start of the shift and introduce themselves.
The student, with the guidance of the preceptor, will complete appropriate hospital incident reports documenting incidents/injuries that occur to either patients and/or student as a result of the student’s participation in a clinical activity. An incident in which a student may sustain some injury may require hospital treatment; however student health insurance will be billed for care.
EVALUATION
Philosophy and Rationale: The clinical evaluation methodology employed at Lane Community College to assess students’ procedural proficiency and behavior has been formulated to reflect a competency-based, student centered philosophy of the Program; the faculty maintain that it is only through the implementation of reliable and valid measures of students’ clinical performance and proficiency that the ultimate goal of the program of learning, i.e., the training and provision of competent clinical practitioners capable of successfully assuming the roles and functions requisite to the delivery of quality respiratory care, can be realistically achieved.
Bases for Implementation: The policies and procedures upon which the evaluative system is built are consistent with the philosophy, goals, and grading policies of the College and are based upon the principle of equivalent clinical experience within the Program curriculum. The criteria utilized to assess learning outcomes have been derived from the current delineation of the roles and functions of the entry-level respiratory therapist.
Integration of the Evaluative System within the Curriculum: The evaluative system has been designed to provide documentation, assessment, feedback and remediation, which are relevant to the three key phases of the students’ clinical education.
· Peer Reviewed
· Lab/ Instructor Reviewed
· Clinical Site Reviewed
Clinical Education Evaluative Mechanism Used in the LCC Respiratory Care Program
During the learning and reinforcement phases of the LCC Respiratory Care Program, the clinical skill mastery sequence is actually initiated. Competence is assessed in the College Laboratory Sections by skills evaluations utilizing a “workbook” of skills checklists and observation. The checklist/rating scale approach is utilized to track practice, lab and finally clinical performance competencies. All performance elements, whether performed in the College laboratory or at the clinical affiliate site, are maintained on file in the LCC Respiratory Care Program student files at the end of each term. This process is computerized and tracked electronically. Depending upon the student’s performance of the skill and comprehension of the procedure, a status recommendation is made by the evaluator and recorded. Review of the student’s clinical skills notebook will be done at the end of each quarter by the Director of Clinical Education and as needed by the program faculty.
CLINICAL COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS
Clinical skills are divided into the syllabi of the clinical terms of the program such that they are presented in an ascending order of complexity. These skills are divided into two categories. First year skills focus on basic cardiopulmonary assessment and treatment modalities. Second year skills focus on advanced emergency and critical care modalities. Due to the fact that it is impossible to predict when certain therapies will be available for practice, it is possible for first-year students to work ahead on therapies that are scheduled for first year - winter through summer terms. The intention of this policy is that the students must attain a degree of mastery over the basic skills before moving on into the advanced skills presented in the second year of the program. The final portion of this list identifies those skills that the students is encouraged to observe and assist staff in their performance, but are not required to demonstrate independent competency.