Commonly Asked Capstone Questions

COMMONLY ASKED CAPSTONE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS REGARDING HOURS

 How many hours are required for capstone? For ADN? For BSN? ADN students need 180 hours BSN students need 150 hours

 Can I do night shifts for my capstone? According to the student policy handbook, clinical shifts may vary and may include nights, weekends, holidays, and over the two week break.

 Is there a timeframe in which I have to complete my capstone hours? You have the entire quarter to complete your capstone hours. On rare occasion, you may need to complete one or two shifts after graduation. You will still be able to attend graduation and walk to be pinned.

 Will I have time to work while I’m in my capstone quarter? The student policy handbook on working states that students are not permitted to work during the 10 hours immediately preceding their clinical experience. If a student is discovered to be working within the 10 hour window, this will result in the dismissal from the clinical for the day and will need to be made up. If this is discovered after the fact, the student will need to repeat a clinical for each day of the infraction.

 If I work at a hospital/facility/etc., can I still clock in and get paid for my capstone hours? No, you may not collect pay for capstone hours if you are doing the practicum at the site where you work.

CAPSTONE PROCESS

 What is the process of capstone like? At the beginning of the 6th quarter for BSN and 5th quarter for ADN, you will receive instructions in one of your classrooms the first week. The Clinical Facilitator for capstone will explain the process of speaking with her individually to discuss site preference and specialty. Once the site has been determined, you will be notified with the information. PLEASE DO NOT contact the site directly as this is against school policy. (See student policy handbook).  Can I set up my own capstone? The student policy handbook states “According to Alliance for Clinical Education and the Clinical Placement Platform policies, non-compliance with the rule can result in disciplinary action against the college including removal from participation in the Clinical Placement Platform. Students are NOT permitted to obtain clinical rotations through friends, knowing someone at the facility or arrangements with a co-assigned nurse.” Students who arrange their own clinical are subject to disciplinary action that could culminate in dismissal.

 If we know people at a site, in the field, etc., and they are willing to be our preceptor at this site, how can this work? Without stepping on toes? Please see above.

 What can we do to help ourselves out? Make the process easier? How can we help the clinical office help us? Providing the clinical office with the site you are interested in and the main phone number will be beneficial. If you have the name of a staff nurse willing to precept, please provide that. It will be helpful to let the capstone clinical facilitator know if you would be willing to participate in a group capstone IF they are available.

 What is the process of choosing people for sites? How are people picked for desirable spots? If you work at a site, you will be given preference for that site if there is availability. Certain sites will also give preference for volunteers. If multiple students are interested in the same site, names are picked out of a hat. Certain sites require the student to submit a resume and essay and then the site selects the student.

 If I work at a hospital, can I do my capstone at the same place? On the same unit? You may request to do your capstone at the hospital where you work. This is not a guarantee due to availability of slots. It is the up to the site to determine if you can do your capstone on the same unit where you work. Many times, the site will place you on a different unit.

 Who do I talk to in the clinical office about my capstone? There is an assigned Clinical Facilitator responsible for capstone placements. All requests must go through her.  If I work at a hospital/facility/etc., but DSN does not have a contract with them, can I still do my capstone there? This will be dependent on whether the site can accommodate the student for their required hours and if they will accept a single student contract.

 If we don’t get a capstone we want, can we take an incomplete until we get a placement we want? No. The school will be able to place you in a capstone but cannot guarantee it is your preference. Changes to another site cannot be accommodated and if you refuse, you will need to wait a quarter to finish school. Preference will be given to the students entering their capstone quarter.

 If I am upset about my capstone placement, what can be done about it? Can I refuse? The school will be able to place you in a capstone but cannot guarantee it is your preference. You are discouraged from refusing a clinical site as you will need to wait a quarter to finish school. Preference will be given to the students entering their capstone quarter.

OVERSIGHT

 Will I have a site visit from the clinical office at my capstone? If you are local, oversight will be provided. For those students out of town or out of state, oversight will be provided via phone or email.

OUT OF STATE

 What states besides CO can we do capstone in? Are certain states off limits? Please see the clinical office as states do change policies. A current list is available in the clinical office.  If there are not enough capstone places here (in CO?) what are we going to do? You may not be assigned to your preference, but everyone is assigned a capstone. . You also have the option to volunteer for a group capstone if they are available. The cost is covered by the student as these may be out of town.

 Does DSN pay for accommodations if capstone is out of state? (Non-elective or electively) DSN is not financially responsible for out of state or out of town capstones. AHEC is an organization that may be able to provide scholarships to assist with housing.

 If I go out of state, what happens to HESI and Kaplan review? If you are able to be placed out of state, you will need to contact Academic support to reschedule your HESI exams. There is no fee for this reschedule. Capstones are scheduled to end the week before Kaplan. If you do need to fulfill requirements during the week of Kaplan, you will need to make arrangements with your preceptor.

PLACEMENTS

 How likely are we able to get the spot that we want? Capstone slots are assigned to the school through the ACE platform. Preference is given to students who work at the site. Given the number of requests for hospitals, names are drawn from a hat for the practicum positions.

 If I am experiencing problems during my capstone (with my preceptor, etc.) is there any way to change it? The clinical office will be notified of any issues arising during capstone. It will be the decision of the clinical site and the school to determine if a new placement or preceptor is necessary.

 Can I split up my capstone between 2 places if I am interested in more than 1 thing? This is usually not feasible due to the limited number of capstone slots. A request may be made, but there is no guarantee it can be fulfilled.  What can I do to increase my likelihood of getting the capstone that I want? Students who work at a site or volunteer are given preference to those slots. Otherwise, placement is based on request for specialty, availability of slots, and then names are pulled from a hat.

QUESTIONS

 Do I wear DSN scrubs every day to my capstone? DSN scrubs will be worn unless the site has a different dress code. Certain sites may have students wear their uniform or other appropriate attire. If you are required to wear the site uniform or other appropriate attire, adherence to the dress code policy must still be adhere to..

 What paperwork do I need to complete for my capstone? Paperwork is dependent on the clinical site. You may be required to do an online orientation, provide a resume or essay or both, or an in-person interview.

 Do capstone placements typically offer students a job after the rotation is over? This is dependent on the site. Students have received job offers after capstone, but this is not a guarantee and does not always happen.