The capstone project is a culminating experience for nursing students near the end of their academic program where they demonstrate their mastery of program outcomes through the planning and implementation of an original scholarly project. Both a faculty advisor and a clinical preceptor play pivotal roles in guiding students through this important process.

The capstone preceptor is a practicing nurse or other healthcare professional who serves as a mentor and guide for the student as they complete their capstone project within a real-world clinical setting. As an expert in their field, the preceptor oversees the students’ clinical experiences and assists them in identifying an evidence-based issue, problem, or process to address in their project that is relevant to their clinical practice area. Throughout the process, the preceptor acts as a resource, providing guidance, feedback, and supporting the student through all phases of project implementation. They play a key role in facilitating the students’ clinical experiences and skill application related to their capstone work. The preceptor also ensures the project addresses a needs area and is feasible given resource constraints within their practice setting. At the conclusion, the preceptor evaluates the students’ clinical work, professional attributes, and overall success completing their capstone experience.

While the clinical preceptor focuses more on the applied, practice aspects of the capstone, the faculty advisor takes on more of an academic role. The faculty advisor works closely with each individual student from the beginning planning phases throughout completion of their scholarly project. They assist students in refining their capstone topic and formulating focused clinical questions to drive their evidence-based projects. The faculty advisor ensures projects meet the academic requirements and program student learning outcomes for a culminating nursing experience. They provide guidance on elements like developing an appropriate literature review, choosing an appropriate methodology, collecting and analyzing data, and structuring the final written report. The faculty advisor also works with students on drafting and finalizing various components of their project proposal for necessary institutional approvals before implementation. During the capstone experience, the faculty advisor remains available for regular consultation and feedback to help problem-solve any issues that arise. They also evaluate the final written report and oral presentation of results.

Both the clinical preceptor and faculty advisor foster the students’ professional development and progression to become self-directed, lifelong learners who engage in evidence-based practice. The preceptor supports real-world integration and application of knowledge while the faculty advisor focuses on academic rigor and critical thinking. Through their complementary roles, these individuals ensure students gain maximum benefit from the capstone experience in demonstrating increased levels of clinical judgement, leadership, research & science, care coordination and collaboration – all essential skills for advanced nursing practice. Regular communication between the preceptor, faculty advisor and student maintains continuity and facilitates ongoing formative evaluation to optimize each student’s unique capstone experience and project outcomes. Both play key roles in facilitating a successful final demonstration of students’ increased abilities to address an identified clinical problem and improve healthcare practice or delivery through the completion of an evidence-based scholarly project.

The capstone preceptor and faculty advisor share the responsibility of guiding nursing students through their culminating academic experience, but each bring a distinct perspective focused on the clinical practice and academic elements, respectively. Through their complementary yet differentiated roles, these individuals work closely together to optimize students’ capstone experience and help them complete an impactful project that demonstrates their mastery of program competencies to be highly qualified nurses capable of driving best practices and improving patient and population health outcomes.