Piloting Virtual Clinical Site Visits in a Family Nurse Practitioner Program

In nurse practitioner (NP) programs, NP faculty are responsible for evaluating student progress via clinical site visits. The purpose of this pilot study revolved around investigating the following aims: virtual clinical site visit feasibility, faculty perspectives related to implementing virtual and face-to-face clinical site visits, and exploration of student learning and related experiences with both virtual and face-to-face site visits.

This mixed-methods pilot study included cross-sectional assessment of faculty and preceptor perspectives, as well as an open-ended qualitative descriptive survey for students.

Three themes of student experience were found: We Discussed Strengths and Weaknesses, I Had a Better Experience, and I Had Trouble. Faculty years in practice was significantly associated with preference of face-to-face visits and preference of observing preceptor teaching methods.

Student learning needs for clinical site visits are multifactorial. Virtual site visits are feasible, cost effective, and time efficient for faculty and nursing administration needs. [J Nurs Educ. 2014;53(3):160-164.].