WSU COVID-19 Guidance for Rotations
Illness, Potential Illness & Contingency Planning
Absence Policy
WSU Student and Preceptor Manuals outline the absence policies. Students are allowed 4 excused absences for each APPE rotation, and 2 excused absences for IPPE rotations. All hours must be made-up. Those approaching the threshold should notify WSU Experiential Services (ES) to work through options.
General Illness & COVID-19 Exposures
Students who feel ill or have a known COVID-19 exposure should immediately notify their preceptor and may be required to notify a site’s employee health unit. Sites may require individuals to remain off-site pending COVID-19 testing (1-2 tests). Please refer to CDC guidance for COVID-19 exposure and illness for health care providers and quarantine or isolate as necessary.
Students will work with WSU ES and the preceptor to determine how to make-up for the missed experience.
Making up Hours & Staying on Track
For those exposed and awaiting results we encourage preceptors to assign remote work allowing students to stay on track. We encourage preceptors and students to plan for this contingency in advance and discuss how this would be handled at the beginning of a rotation. While many organizations have increased flexibility for remote work during and after the pandemic, we encourage preceptors to inquire with their own organization for rules related to students in advance.
Our goal is to enable students to safely continue to progress with their experiences. Students that must miss an excessive amount of time on a rotation will work with ES to determine options.
Remote Learning Tips
- Set expectations of rotation hours when remotely working
- Clarify access restrictions to patient data when off-site
- Move to remote patient care functions (phone interviews, answering drug information questions, patient care workup, remote journal club and team meetings, etc.)
- Assign projects that can be done from home
- Meet daily virtually (all WSU students have Zoom and Microsoft Teams accounts)
- Remind students professional attire is still expected when off-site
Helpful Preceptor Resources
- WSU’s Virtual Activity Packet. Available to preceptors in CORE ELMS under “Document Library” then “Additional Preceptor Resources.”
- ASHP Managing Remote Rotations Podcast
- ASHP Experiential Rotations and the Virtual Classroom Podcast
- CEI CE Course: “The New Normal: How to Develop and Deliver Remote Experiential Training.” Free, access via CORE ELMS under “External Resources”
- WISC Experiential Learning Blog
- CORE Readiness learning videos: All WSU students and preceptors have access to CORE Readiness via CORE ELMS. Preceptors can select, assign and monitor a custom playlist for students. Login to your CORE ELMS, click “Readiness” at the top right, then watch this video for more information.
Canceling Rotations
We understand that health system administration may dictate all rotation canceling or displacement of students during crisis. Rotation cancellation or removal from site can impact a student’s ability to graduate on time as reassigning a student elsewhere can be difficult.
Our students are health care providers in-training and our goal is to have them contribute, either in-person or remotely. We recommend preceptors consider remote options in advance to minimize disruption to both the practice site and learners.