Fieldwork - THLEAD 480

Fieldwork is only in Spring quarter, so it is important for students to plan accordingly. To prepare for fieldwork, students should attend the fieldwork orientation session offered in Spring Quarter of the academic year prior to their planned fieldwork. 

To enroll in fieldwork, students must meet the following mandatory deadlines. If these deadlines are not met, students will need to wait until the next academic year to enroll in the fieldwork course. 

1. In autumn quarter, Healthcare Leadership students will receive an internet-based survey from the Clinical Placement Manager, Kamryn Hughes, regarding interests and availability for fieldwork. Students must respond to the survey by the due date established. If the survey is not completed on time, students will be assigned a fieldwork site at the discretion of the UWT faculty. Once an assignment has been made, there is no opportunity for appealing or changing this placement. Students are not allowed to make their own fieldwork arrangements. Failure to respond to the survey will result in limited placement opportunities that may not be workable for students, and therefore may require students to wait until the following year to complete the course and graduate.
2. Clinical clearance forms need to be completed and submitted to CastleBranch by January 10. All clearance requirements are in the CastleBranch clinical requirements tracker, which students will have ordered after admission to the program. Students are asked to complete the requirements by the start of winter quarter to ensure a smooth placement process. Students who have not completed the clinical clearance process by the deadlines will not be able to register for fieldwork for that quarter.
3. Upon placement, some students may be required to complete additional training, paperwork, and medical testing for their specific fieldwork placement.

Participation in fieldwork is contingent on complying with all clinical clearance requirements. Students use the CastleBranch website in order to review and submit records for clearance purposes. Students are given instructions for establishing CastleBranch accounts upon admission.

Clearance requirements include:

• Immunization Requirements determined by Clinical Placements Northwest (CPNW). The requirements include records of specific immunizations and annual tests detailed in the CPNW Clinical Passport.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) - American Heart Association BLS card with expiration through end of fieldwork quarter. This certification must be uploaded to the appropriate item in the CastleBranch clinical requirements tracker.
• Current Washington State healthcare providers must provide proof of unrestricted license status (does not apply to non-licensed applicants). License must be unencumbered and current while enrolled with UW Tacoma SNHCL.
• Bloodborne Pathogens Policy Acknowledgement - UW bloodborne pathogens policy acknowledgement must be signed and submitted.
• Annual Background Check Authorization - students are required to complete forms required for implementation of the Washington State Child Abuse and Adult Abuse Information Law (CAAL) and related Department of Health regulations. This includes completion of a criminal background check, which UW Tacoma SNHCL will treat confidentially and process through the Washington State Patrol.
• Training with UW Compliance Learning Portal- students must complete assigned training in the CLP system. Training includes information on UW HIPAA and Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Policies. Link and instructions found in CastleBranch clinical requirements tracker.
• Consent to Release Records - UW form must signed and submitted. 
• CastleBranch Criminal Background Check - National and State background check conducted by CastleBranch. Acceptable results are required; background checks expire after two years. Continuing students will be asked to renew their background checks biennially until they graduate. 
• Annual Washington State Patrol Background Check (WATCH Report) - Included with initial CastleBranch order and required annually. Subsequent reports will be ordered by School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership and cost will be assessed to student accounts in quarter of fieldwork.
• Drug Screening - for some fieldwork placements, students will be required to have a negative drug screen test as part of clinical clearances.

In addition to the items listed above, students are STRONGLY ADVISED to have personal health insurance or join a healthcare plan to cover the expenses of their healthcare and treatments in case of a catastrophic illness or injury and/or the development of a serious chronic condition.

Newly admitted and continuing students

After admission to the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership you will be instructed to obtain required background checks using the online service, CastleBranch Inc. All students pay a fee for this service. If unable to purchase the background checks in a timely manner, contact SNHCL by phone at 253.692.4470 or email tnursing@uw.edu.

• Continuing Healthcare Leadership students must maintain a background check with acceptable results completed within the past 24 months throughout their enrollment with SNHCL. Students who delay graduation may be required to purchase another CastleBranch background check.

CastleBranch will provide the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership with required background check information for all states, so there is no need for those who have resided outside the state of Washington during the last three (3) years to provide this information separately.

No international background checks are required for international admits or domestic admits who have resided outside the U.S. during the past three (3) years. However, these admits will still need to complete the CastleBranch background check.

Students are required to complete the Background Check, Authorization for Repeat Checks, and Dissemination of Results form found in their CastleBranch Clinical Requirements Tracker. With that form, students disclose prior relevant criminal conviction information and authorize SNHCL to perform additional background checks, as required. Prior criminal conviction does not necessarily prevent students from completing their degree with SNHCL. Those students with a positive criminal history are encouraged to submit a written statement with their Background Check form explaining the circumstances. Criminal convictions that may prevent students from participating are listed in the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Secretary's Disqualifying List of Crimes and Negative Actions.

Some things to remember

• The UW Tacoma School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership will have online access to your completed CastleBranch background check report. Should your background check raise areas of concern related to your participation in the program, you will be contacted by a representative of the School.  
• The background check with acceptable results is REQUIRED in order to participate in practicum and fieldwork courses. You should submit the necessary information to CastleBranch in a timely manner so that your check can be reviewed and, if necessary, discussions about continued pursuit of SNHCL degree can take place. Background checks that provide evidence of a positive criminal history will be considered on a case by case basis. 
• We understand that the cost of running a background check can be burdensome, but the fee cannot be waived. Contact SNHCL if time is needed to budget for the expense.

For technical assistance while using the CastleBranch website (logging in, payment issues, etc.), go to https://discover.castlebranch.com/contact-us/ and click the button labeled "I need student support." You will be provided with means to contact CastleBranch customer service, including a phone number.

Time Commitment

Healthcare Leadership students are required to complete 60 fieldwork hours total over spring quarter. Hours for fieldwork are to be arranged with the preceptor, and may only be scheduled Monday through Friday during daytime hours. An additional 20 hours of class time, or 2 hours each week, brings the total time commitment to 80 hours for the quarter.

Transportation

Fieldwork placements are arranged throughout the region. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from fieldwork sites.

Attire

Students are expected to adhere to the dress requirement of the agency where they are assigned for fieldwork experiences.

UW Student ID (Husky Card)

All students are required to carry their UW student photo ID. Instructions for obtaining a UW ID can be found here.

Current Photo Identification

Students must have a current Washington State driver's license or a Washington State ID while at a fieldwork location.

Name Badge

A UW Tacoma student name badge must be worn at all times while a student is at the fieldwork site, but it should be worn only when you are functioning under the auspices of UW Tacoma. Students are required to purchase the name badge for a nominal fee that will be charged to their student accounts.

Kamryn Hughes, MEd, is the Clinical Placement Manager for the UW Tacoma School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership. She works to connect MN and BA in Healthcare Leadership students with clinical placement opportunities for their fieldwork courses. Contact Kamryn if you have questions about:

- Questions about placement opportunities

- Issues connecting with a preceptor

- Timeline for fieldwork placements

kamryneh@uw.edu