Opportunities From: University of Colorado Colorado Springs Alumni & Friends Volunteer Program

About: Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) students complete a capstone project during their final semester.  Students work with a client in a public or nonprofit agency to identify a problem and then, using the knowledge and skills they have gained in the program, carry out a project resulting in a paper and presentation that address the problem. Projects take many different forms including program evaluations, surveys and interviews, business or marketing plans, etc. Capstone projects provide students with an opportunity to integrate what they have learned and apply their knowledge and skillset to a real-world problem. 

Volunteer expectations: Clients furnish applicable information, provide feedback over the course of the semester, and help evaluate the work. 

Time commitment: The time spent on a project can vary with the degree of project or data complexity and the amount of interaction.  The client begins defining and refining a project with a student and faculty member prior to the start of a semester and expectations culminate with feedback and evaluation after the project is complete.  Capstones are structured to be completed in a single semester (fall or spring).

Impact: Capstone clients are connecting students and academic learning with real world opportunities and are providing a forum to showcase their knowledge.  Capstones have resulted in published articles, board and conference presentations, and even new jobs.  

About: Are you a licensed APRN, MD, DO, or PA?  Are you a CNS or LCSW in mental health?  If so, you could volunteer to provide clinical experiences for our graduate nurse practitioner students as a preceptor. Our programs prepare nurse practitioners in primary care (Family, Adult/Gero, Psychiatric-Mental Health) and a student can have some specialty rotations.  For a student in the Psychiatric-Mental Health option, they can participate in inpatient care clinical experiences.     

Volunteer Expectations: Preceptors participate in interactive care in the management of patients in a primary care setting or some specialty areas to facilitate the achievement of the students’ clinical learning objectives.  

Time Commitment: Clinical rotations occur throughout the entire year and vary in length of time.  A student can plan clinical rotations that range from 30 to 225 hours and the student works individually with the preceptor and agency in planning the clinical hours for the experience. 

Minimum Qualifications: Preceptors must have a minimum of two years post-graduation experience and a current, unencumbered license to practice.

 

Impact on Students:

 Preceptors provide invaluable guidance and mentorship to our students as they develop their advanced nursing practice role.  Students complete an evaluation about their experiences and the impact of the preceptor on their role development is a common comment.  Some recent student comments, “the preceptor was engaging”, “the feedback provided was invaluable”, “my preceptor was amazing”, and “my experience gave me such confidence”.

 Volunteering Benefits Volunteers too!

 There are preceptor, agency, and professional practice benefits.  Preceptors receive documentation of their precepted hours and may be able to use these for re-certification of their credentials. 

 Preceptors are preparing our future advanced practice nurses to address the current shortages in primary care and may find new graduates to fill vacancies at their individual agencies.  

 Serving as a preceptor for UCCS provides opportunities to network with faculty and services at the University!

To learn more about our Master's in Nursing (MS Nursing) program click here

 

 

About: The UCCS College of Letters, Arts, & Sciences (LAS) is partnering with the UCCS Career Center on a new Career Conversations Series for LAS majors, and we need YOU!

The Career Conversations Series are virtual one-hour discussions with 4 panel members (Alumni) and our Director of Career Services (Jennifer Spice).  In this discussion we ask about career paths and options, questions about your professional field, and learn what advantages a student can get with a degree in the Liberal Arts.   Our target audience/viewers are current LAS majors or students exploring majors and careers.

Qualifications: Volunteer qualifications are determined by the specific career expertise needed for each panel. Preference will be given to volunteers who are are alumni of UCCS.

Please note: We cannot guarantee panelist positions if you sign-up for this opportunity. Signing up is the first step in the process.

Impact: Our students benefit tremendously when they are able to see and hear about how previous UCCS students use their liberal arts degrees. These career panels offer students a chance to see their degrees come to life in a variety of careers and helps them see where their degrees can take them.

We would love to have you involved if you feel this is something that you might want to do please hit the gold "Respond" button on the upper right side of the screen and we will be in touch with you soon.