Lakeland Community College does not establish clinical agreements with remote facilities where periodic supervision visits are not feasible. RNFA Interns are participating in a self-paced, self-designed independent internship not a clinical rotation.

Clinical agreements are only practical when faculty from the Perioperative Education division can monitor, supervise, and evaluate participant progress. Lakeland Community College and its faculty cannot assume liability for participant activities outside its range of supervision and control.

A sample form is attached below that can be used by the RNFA intern to set up the internship permission with the facility via the medical staff office. This form is a MS Word document and can be modified to suit the needs of the intern and the facility. It is a sample only. Lakeland does not retain copies of internship agreements.

Clinical Rotations are established under Clinical Agreements between Lakeland Community College and the facility. Clinical Rotations involve direct supervision of students by Lakeland Community College faculty and take place during succinct time parameters associated with semester grading periods. Students in Clinical Rotations have no specific credentials or licensure requirements and are not independent of clinical supervision. Faculty and students have specific liability coverage during college hours of operation. RNFA internships are not considered clinical rotations.

Independent Internships differ from Clinical Rotations because Independent Internships are arranged by a qualified registered nurse participant in agreement with his or her home facility under the mentorship of a surgeon without the intervention of Lakeland Community College. The qualified registered nurse participant is licensed in his or her state or province of practice, is certified in CPR (ACLS preferred), is certified in perioperative nursing or advanced practice (or certification eligible), and is required to carry individual professional liability insurance during the entire internship process.

The RNFA intern establishes a series of three learning contracts with a mentor-surgeon, who helps establish learning objectives and evaluates attainment of knowledge and skill. The surgeon signs the agreement before the RNFA intern submits the document for the record. This two-part document  is distributed during the RNFA diactic component.

This is how the learning agreement works:

1. Before each 40-hour segment begins, learning objectives are established between a surgeon and the intern.

2. Each RNFA intern will write two detailed case studies during the internship period. The case studies are detailed and expected to be worthy of a high score.

3. The attainment of the learning objectives is measured at the completion of each 40-hour segment by the surgeon and the intern on the first page. The surgeon evaluates the intern on a scale of 1 to 5 on the second page and signs the form.

4. Three learning contracts are completed by the intern and surgeon over a period of 120-hours in 40-hour increments. One learning contract and case log are submitted to the Perioperative Education Department after each 40-hour increment is completed. Please do not send all 120-hour materials at once. This causes a delay and backlog for departmental review.

5. Documentation of the internship learning contract and log is retained by the participant and a copy sent to the Perioperative Education Department at Lakeland Commuity College. Please do not send the originals. Document retention of logs and case studies is two years. All materials are sent in hard copy by postal mail. Do not send electronic copies. Credentialing materials are retained indefinitly in the director's office.

6. A certificate of completion is awarded by the Perioperative Education Department at Lakeland Community College upon fulfillment of all requirements, including passage of CNOR and internship hours.