Operating Framework

  • The major goals of MCNCPS are the development and use of a system that will facilitate the efficient placement of nursing students into clinical placements and the expansion of clinical sites for nursing students.
  • Collaboration and cooperation will guide all interactions.
  • The Massachusetts Board of Registration (BORN) Guidelines for Clinical Education Experience will serve as a framework for the Massachusetts Centralized Nursing Clinical Placement System model.

Operating Guidelines

  • Decisions
    • Decisions are made by consensus of each regional group, rather than majority rule
    • Discussions are important to the process. The focus, however, is on making decisions that facilitate the development of the MCNCPS.
    • From time to time, when the regional group deems it necessary, decisions will be made using a majority vote.
    • A region may elect to use a regional negotiation meeting to review and finalize its clinical placements.
  • Conflicts
    • Conflicts are resolved on a case-by-case, issue-by-issue basis. The process is one of discussion and consensus. All parties work to find an acceptable solution for each other. As conflicts arise, the nature and resolution of the conflict will be shared with the regional group so that the group may learn from the interaction.
  • Clinical Placement Process
    • All clinical placement requests are designed to be user-friendly and efficient. Health care organizations and nursing programs enter specific information about clinical education placements using web-based forms. The website’s forms and automated emails allow participants to post, edit and respond to clinical placement requests.
    • The health care organization is always the decision maker on who may be in their building, when they may be in the building and where they may go while in the building.
    • Nursing programs request a placement; health care organizations accept or reject that request. The regional groups determine an appropriate timeframe for clinical placement postings.
      • Contracts - The Massachusetts system does not require a contract between the nursing program and the health care organization until a clinical placement is negotiated and confirmed. Once a clinical placement is confirmed, the nursing program and/or the health care organization decide upon the contract form and parameters that they will use for their contract.
      • Documents - The documents section allows the regional groups a way to standardize the collection of necessary student and/or faculty data and implement student and/or faculty pre-clinical education programs.
      • Adding New Organizations - As organizations are entered into the system, current placements and/or relationships remain intact.
      • Access to Placements - The health care organization accepts or rejects requests for clinical placements.
      • Clinical Placement Opportunities - Once the MCNCPS is implemented in a region, health care organizations and nursing programs are encouraged to avoid any informal arranging of placements. All placements for regional participants need to be displayed on the grid/web site.
  • Commitments
    • All participating nursing programs and health care organizations are asked to honor the commitments they make.