The FIU preceptor folder and your first clinical day

Three things that must be done before day one

Your first clinical day sits behind three gates. A student who walks in early risks more than a wasted morning, because walking into a site before approval and a contract are in place is conduct the graduate handbook treats as a violation.

1. The site contractFIU's clinical department sets up the contract with the site, and no rotation begins before it is in place. Confirm the status with the Office of Clinical Education; the site contracts page explains the timing.
2. Approval of the site and preceptorYour faculty's signature goes on the Preceptor Request Form, and the clinical education office checks that the site and the preceptor have all their paperwork in order.
3. Your clearanceComplio (named FIU Express on the college's web pages) must show your background check, drug screen, immunizations and the other items complete before the rotation starts. The clearance page lists each one.

Writing your own learning objectives

The one item in the folder that comes from you is your learning objectives. FIU does not publish a template, so tie them to the course objectives and competencies in your syllabus and to the patients the site actually sees.

For NGR 6201L, one objective might be to take focused histories and exams for older adults with several chronic conditions and present a plan to the preceptor for each. For NGR 6301L, it might be to run well-child visits with the developmental screening each age calls for. Write each objective so a preceptor could say, at mid-rotation, whether you are meeting it.

FIU's handbook says faculty review your prior experience when judging which site suits you, so an objective that names a gap in that experience is worth writing down. It shows the preceptor where to push you.

The first day on site

Expect the site to have steps of its own. FIU's graduate handbook says you may need training on the site's electronic health record and must follow the site's policies, which can mean a badge photo, EHR training or an orientation module before you see a patient.

Be early. Anything past five minutes late is tardy under the handbook, and a tardy student may be sent home for the day. Use the first conversation to walk the preceptor through the folder, confirm the schedule you sent FIU and agree when the time sheet will be signed. Then log the day in Typhon promptly, because entries are due within 7 days. Before you leave, note the next clinical date on both calendars so the second day is as settled as the first.

Why FIU students start strong with us

We set up the first day before it arrives. Every preceptor we place has agreed to your days and times in advance, so the schedule you send your clinical faculty is real from week one. You get a folder checklist built on FIU's manual and a reminder of the faculty schedule deadline.

When a site has onboarding of its own, such as EHR training or its own clearance platform, we tell you early so it does not eat into your first week. If a date moves, we help you rebuild the schedule and tell you what your clinical faculty needs to see. The go-ahead for any site comes from FIU's Office of Clinical Education and your faculty, and we see that the file in front of them is whole and matches FIU's rules from the start. Use the form below to begin.