Abstract
George Mason University School of Nursing has tried a variety of off-the-shelf commercial tracking products to collect, manage and communicate data associated with student clinical rotations. The products were each eventually removed from use because they did not meet the specific needs of either the faculty or students. Mason has developed an Excel-based clinical tracking program that facilitates rapid and accurate communication of the clinical experience and provides the flexibility to adapt across academic programs–at no cost to the students. This article describes the “Student Excel!” journal that was developed by Mason, how it is used by the School of Nursing and Health Informatics Program, response from students, and future implications.
Highlights
Every academic program struggles to balance frequently conflicting program requirements, not the least of which are those levied by the accrediting agency
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing [2] developed essentials for each level of nursing education-bachelors, masters, and doctoral- that serve as the foundational work of curriculum development, evaluation, and accreditation
The journal is based on Excel, which provides the capability required for the tracking, and supports the Mason goal of technology use, one of the fundamental themes threaded throughout the Mason graduate nursing programs
Summary
Every academic program struggles to balance frequently conflicting program requirements, not the least of which are those levied by the accrediting agency. Advancement of students toward the essentials and competencies is required to ensure both the quality of education and maintenance of accreditation standards, including tracking hours at clinical sites, skills practiced, and experiences encountered.
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