NU298CL Unit 1 Capstone Clinical Learning Contract Example

Course	NU298CL Capstone Clinical
Unit	Unit 1
Paper type	Learning contract
Length	About 570 words, 5 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BSN (prelicensure)
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NU298CL Unit 1

Four Goals, Each With a Date and a Document: The Writer's Half of a Learning Contract for a Composite Night-Shift Immersion on a 30-Bed Medical Unit, Laid Out in Knowles's Five Columns With the Preceptor's Half Left Blank

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NU298CL: Capstone Clinical

Unit 1 Learning Contract

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The student, unit and preceptor are composite; goals are written in general terms, the preceptor's section is intentionally blank, and student scope follows the unit's policies and the program's rules.

What this part is doingEvery goal carries all five columns, so each can be checked against a document rather than a feeling.

The Format

Knowles described learning contracts as agreements in which the learner states what will be learned, how, by when, what will show it and how that evidence will be judged (Knowles, 1986). Each goal below follows those five columns.

Goal 1: From Three Patients to Five

Objective: carry a full assignment of five patients independently, with the preceptor available but not co-assigned. Resources and strategies: start with three patients on shifts 1 to 3, four on shifts 4 to 6, five from shift 7; a written shift plan for each night. Target date: shift [7]. Evidence: shift plans and the preceptor's end-of-shift notes for shifts 7 to 10. Validation: the preceptor confirms that all scheduled care was completed on time on at least [three] of shifts 7 to 10.

Goal 2: Admissions, Bedside Portion

Objective: complete the bedside portion of an admission, assessment, skin check, belongings, orientation to the room and fall precautions, within [one] hour of arrival. Resources: the unit's admission checklist; preceptor demonstration on the first admission. Target date: shift [6]. Evidence: admission checklists with times. Validation: reviewed with the preceptor for completeness.

Goal 3: A Script Before the Call

Objective: write a short SBAR script before every call to a provider and give the call myself, with the preceptor listening. Resources: an SBAR card based on the structured model for clinician communication (Haig et al., 2006); the preceptor's feedback after each call. Target date: shift [5]. Evidence: scripts kept in my notebook, with the provider's response noted. Validation: the preceptor judges whether each call gave the concern first and asked for something specific.

Goal 4: Charting Within the Shift

Objective: complete all charting before handoff, with assessments charted within [one] hour. Resources: a charting time block written into each shift plan. Target date: shift [8]. Evidence: charting timestamps reviewed with the preceptor. Validation: no assessment charted after handoff on shifts 8 to 10.

The final column holds shift numbers rather than hopes, because a goal without a date is only a wish.

What this part is doingValidation is stated for each goal, which makes it clear in advance how the preceptor will judge it.

Why These Four

Night shift on this unit means five patients, two to three admissions a night from the emergency department and calls to a covering provider who does not know the patients. Each goal targets one of those realities. The progression from three to five patients follows the gradual increase in responsibility that supports moving from novice toward competent practice (Benner, 1984).

How Progress Will Be Shared

Before report each night I plan to show the preceptor the contract and the goal I am working on that night, so feedback is aimed at it.

What the Contract Leaves Out

I will not take telephone orders alone, give blood products without a second nurse, or act on any task outside student scope. Those limits come from the unit's student policy.

Preceptor's Agreement

Preceptor's comments: ______ Preceptor's signature and date: ______ Faculty signature and date: ______

What this part is doingThe agreement block is left blank, because it belongs to the preceptor and faculty, not the student.

References

Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. Addison-Wesley.

Haig, K. M., Sutton, S., & Whittington, J. (2006). SBAR: A shared mental model for improving communication between clinicians. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 32(3), 167-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1553-7250(06)32022-3

Knowles, M. S. (1986). Using learning contracts: Practical approaches to individualizing and structuring learning. Jossey-Bass.

NU298CL Unit 1 instructions, in plain terms

The first unit of a capstone clinical immersion usually asks the student to draft a learning contract with the preceptor. Prompts commonly require a small set of goals tied to the unit's work, the strategies and resources for each, target dates, the evidence that will show progress and how that evidence will be validated. Instructors look for goals that build toward the work of a new graduate, such as a full assignment and admissions, with dates and documents rather than general intentions. Many programs use Knowles's contract format. Limits on student practice should be stated. Contracts usually fill one to two pages, citing Knowles and any framework that shapes the goals in APA 7.

How the NU 298CL Unit 1 example is put together

The contract opens by explaining Knowles's five columns. Four goals follow, each with objective, resources, target date, evidence and validation: a stepped increase from three to five patients, the bedside portion of admissions, SBAR scripts before provider calls, citing the structured communication paper, and charting within the shift. The highlighted sentence explains why the final column holds shift numbers, with a margin note on validation. A section explains why these four goals fit night shift on this unit, drawing on Benner. Another explains how progress will be shared each night. The contract lists what it leaves out and ends with empty preceptor and faculty blocks, with a margin note.

Where the points sit in the NU298CL Unit 1 rubric

Learning contract rubrics in NU 298CL tend to award points for relevance of goals to the setting, specificity, use of the contract format, measurable evidence, realistic timelines and professional boundaries. Relevance points depend on goals that match the unit's actual work, such as night admissions. Specificity points go to precise objectives. Format points reward all five columns filled for every goal. Evidence points are earned by naming documents that can be reviewed. Timeline points require dates spaced so progress can be seen. Boundary points go to limits taken from unit policy. Contracts that state in advance how the preceptor will validate each goal usually earn full marks. A contract that reads cleanly to a preceptor meeting the student for the first time also scores well.

NU298CL Unit 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Learning contracts often lose points with goals such as "gain confidence with time management," which cannot be checked by anyone. Another frequent weakness is leaving the evidence or validation column vague, so the preceptor has nothing to sign. Some students set all goals for the final week, which leaves no time to recover if one slips. Others fill in the preceptor's half themselves. Write goals that match the unit, fill every column, spread dates across the immersion, name documents as evidence, say how the preceptor will judge each one and leave the agreement block for the preceptor. Review the contract with the preceptor on the first shift.

Get an NU298CL Unit 1 example written to your instructions

Night shifts, day shifts, a critical care unit or a community setting: the immersion shapes every goal, so sketch it broadly before anything else. Add the Unit 1 prompt, the rubric and whatever contract template the program supplies, column names included. The first custom sample is free, arrives in 24-48h, and leaves every agreement line untouched. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More NU298CL papers and BSN samples

NU298CL Unit 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NU298CL Unit 1 sample paper?

The full NU298CL Unit 1 learning contract is here, with four night-shift goals in Knowles's five columns, evidence, validation and three sources. Share your unit and immersion details and we can help you draft goals that fit.

What are Knowles's learning contract columns?

Learning objectives, resources and strategies, target dates, evidence of accomplishment and the criteria or means for validating that evidence.

Why step up from three patients to five in NU298CL Unit 1?

A gradual increase lets the student build the planning and prioritizing a full assignment requires, with evidence at each step.

Why leave the preceptor's section blank?

The agreement and comments belong to the preceptor and faculty, so the student completes only their own half.

What should a capstone contract leave out?

Tasks outside student scope, such as taking telephone orders alone, stated according to the unit's student policy.