Clinical Placements for Students

About the Program

The Clinical Placement Program at Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas aims to provide robust clinical and non-clinical experiences for students from all healthcare related disciplines in the inpatient and outpatient settings. We provide opportunities for group-focused clinicals with an onsite instructor and one-on-one preceptorships. We do not provide observation experiences.

Student placement for clinical hours is guided by organizational policies and procedures requiring an affiliation agreement with the school and certain types of competency education (e.g., HIPAA, Safety, Privacy), immunization requirements (e.g., influenza, Covid-19), titer assessments (e.g., MMR, Varicella), tuberculosis screening, as well as a background check, drug screen, and proof of liability and health insurance. These items are required for every student. All clinical and training opportunities are tracked by staff in the Training and Education Department.

*Please Note: Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas does not offer observation or shadowing opportunities.

Next Steps

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Training and Requirements

Affiliation Agreement with Each School: All academic partners must have a current affiliation agreement in place. Please contact Kelly.Anderson@LPNT.net for assistance with Affiliation Agreements.
Forms and Documents: All documents will be verified before the placement is approved.
1. 1. Affiliate Student Checklist: This document is to aid the student and/or placement coordinator to track items that have been completed. This form does not need to be submitted.
  2. BLS Card: AHA only and current
  3. Facility Specific Confidentiality and HIPAA Form: All students must complete these three forms:
Screening / Verification Checks
1. 1. Background Check: All students must have a background check on file with the school. Any red flags must be sent to the Clinical Placement Coordinator at Highpoint Health by the academic partner’s placement coordinator, faculty, or course leader with student information de-identified. Red flags will be reviewed by our Director of People Services (formerly Human Resources) and approvals/denials will be sent back to the school after the review.
  2. Drug Screen: A minimum of a 7-panel drug screen is required and should include: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates.
  3. Liability/Malpractice Insurance
  4. Health Insurance
  5. Primary License Verification (if already a licensed healthcare provider - i.e., onsite clinical instructors and students completing advanced degrees): This step is required for all undergraduate, group-based clinical instructors.
  6. TB Test: If test is positive or if it cannot be done, then a chest x-ray and TB Screening form is required. QuantiFERON Gold results may be substituted for the TB Skin Test
  7. Vaccines/Immunizations (or declination letters where appropriate): All declination letters must be reviewed and approved by our Director of People Services
    1. 1. Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
      2. Tetanus, Diphtheria, & Pertussis (T-Dap)
      3. Hepatitis B
      4. Varicella
      5. Influenza
      6. Covid-19

Placement Opportunities

Experiences can be requested at the following locations:

Highpoint Health – Sumner (located in Gallatin, TN)
- Emergency Department – Undergraduate nursing, EMT, paramedic, advanced practice (i.e., NP, PA, DO, and MD programs) as one-on-one preceptorships. Group clinicals are not permitted in this setting.
- Inpatient Units – Group clinicals and one-on-one preceptorships are available in the following areas, except as noted:
  - - A6 – This area is a general medical-surgical unit and includes focused care of the person with orthopedic, general surgery, and neurology (spine) disorders.
    - A5 – This area is a general medical-surgical unit and includes focused care of the person with cardiac, telemetry, neurology (head) disorders. Instructor-led group clinicals are limited to 4 students on this unit on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Preceptorships are not available on A5 until January 2025.
    - A4 – This area is a general medical-surgical unit and includes focused care of the person with respiratory disorders.
    - B2 – This area is a general medical-surgical unit and includes focused care of the person with gastrointestinal and genitourinary disorders.
    - Critical Care Unit (CCU) – This area includes care of the person with life-threatening injury or illness. Instructor-led group clinicals are limited to 3 students in this setting.
    - Women’s Health – This area includes care of the person in the labor and delivery, newborn nursery, and general gynecology settings.
- Affiliated Physician Practices and Outpatient Departments
  - - Primary Care – This group includes all general practitioners located at Gallatin Family Wellness, Hunt Club and Gordonsville Family Wellness. These sites are limited to LPN, MA, NP, PA, DO, MD.
      
      HIGHPOINT FAMILY WELLNESS - GALLATIN – all providers in this location are focused on primary care
      
      Justin Reno, MD
      
      Ilysa Bartol, PA
      
      HIGHPOINT FAMILY WELLNESS - HUNT CLUB – all providers in this location are focused on primary care
      
      Jordan Shirley, DO (also specialized in weight management)
      
      HIGHPOINT FAMILY WELLNESS – GORDONSVILLE – No student placement opportunities at this location
    - Specialty – This group includes Highpoint Foot and Ankle, Highpoint Gastroenterology and Liver, Pain Clinic, Endocrinology, General Surgery and Bariatrics, Orthopedics, and Neurology. General Surgery and Gynecology services are also provided at the Carthage Family Wellness location.
      
      HIGHPOINT FOOT AND ANKLE
      
      Graham Frazier, DO (podiatry, diabetic foot care)
      
      HIGHPOINT GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER
      
      Rafid Hussein, DO (General GI & Hepatology)
      
      HIGHPOINT PAIN CLINIC
      
      Robert Caughey, MD (Pain Management)
      
      HIGHPOINT ENDOCRINOLOGY ASSOCIATES
      
      Megan McCauley, MD (Diabetes, Thyroid, and other hormone-related conditions and diagnoses)
      
      HIGHPOINT SURGICAL ASSOCIATES
      
      Brian Reed, MD
      
      Jeffrey Hollis, MD
      
      Brandon Mewbourne, MD
      
      HIGHPOINT ORTHOPEDIC ASSOCIATES
      
      Kelly Barry, MD
      
      Nicholas Dantzker, MD
      
      Greg Glover, PA
      
      Antonio (Drew) Schefano, PA
      
      HIGHPOINT NEUROLOGY ASSOCIATES – No student placement opportunities for this location
- Other Services
  - - Laboratory Sciences
    - Nutrition Services - Dietitians
    - Occupational Therapy – This department is not hosting student placement opportunities currently.
    - Operative Services
    - Physical Therapy – This department is not hosting student placement opportunities currently.
    - Radiology
    - Respiratory Therapy
    - Speech Therapy
Highpoint Health – Sumner Station (located in Gallatin, TN)
- Emergency Department
- Outpatient Oncology
- Rehabilitation Services – Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy
- Radiology
- Affiliated Physician Practices and Outpatient Departments
  - - HIGHPOINT FAMILY WELLNESS – SUMNER STATION – No undergraduate students at this location. Approved for NP, PA, DO, MD students.
      
      Kaley Bevel, MD – pending confirmation
      
      Doris Appiah, MD
      
      Adam James, MD – pending confirmation
Highpoint Health – Riverview (located in Carthage, TN)
- Radiology – Our radiologic science team uses specialized imaging equipment to diagnose medical conditions. Precepted rotations are limited to radiology students.
  - - Sonography – limited to one student per day, Monday-Friday.
    - General Radiology – limited to two radiology technologist students per day, Monday-Friday
    - This rotation does not provide access to the electronic medical record
- Respiratory – Our respiratory science team uses standardized diagnostic testing methods to support and improve measurable lung function. Rotations are limited to respiratory therapy students.
  - - One student per day, 7a-7p, Monday-Friday. Weekend rotations are not provided currently.
- Medical-Surgical Unit – This is a general medical-surgical environment hosting nursing students for group clinicals and one-on-one preceptorships as noted below:
  - - Group Clinicals – Monday-Friday only, 7a-7p
    - One on one Preceptorships – Available Sunday-Saturday, two-student limit on day shift; two-student limit on night shift
- Obstetrics Unit – This is a low-census unit and, currently, is not hosting group clinical. One-to-one preceptorships are available 7a-3p Sunday-Saturday. If census is low, the student may be relocated to the medical-surgical unit.
- Behavioral Health Unit / Geriatric Psych – This unit focuses on the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders among the 55 years of age and older population. Group clinicals, limited to two or fewer students, are available Monday-Friday from 7am – 3pm.
- Emergency Department – Undergraduate nursing (LPN and RN programs), EMT, paramedic, and advanced practice (i.e., NP, PA, DO, and MD programs) as one-on-one preceptorships. Group clinicals are not permitted in this setting.
- Affiliated Physician Practices and Outpatient Departments
  - - HIGHPOINT FAMILY WELLNESS - CARTHAGE – all providers in this location are focused on primary care:
      
      Richard Rutherford, MD
      
      Lauren Cooper, DO
      
      Meagan Smith, MD
      
      Lauren Van Pelt, PA
      
      Alexandra White, NP
Highpoint Health – Trousdale (located in Hartsville, TN)
- Respiratory – Our respiratory science team uses standardized diagnostic testing methods to support and improve measurable lung function. Rotations are limited to respiratory therapy students.
  - - One student per day, 7a-7p, Monday-Friday. Weekend rotations are not provided currently.
- Radiology - Our radiologic sciences team uses specialized imaging equipment to diagnose medical conditions. Precepted rotations are limited to radiology students.
  - - General radiology – Limited to one student per day Monday – Friday, Saturday and Sunday placements are not available.
- Nursing Unit – This is a general medical-surgical environment hosting nursing students for group clinicals and one-on-one preceptorships as noted below:
  - - Group Clinicals – Monday-Friday, 7a-7p. Weekend rotations are not provided currently.
    - One-on-one preceptorships are not provided at this location.