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Board flags University of Bridgeport/Bridgeport Hospital pilot for using 1 preceptor to 4 students; hospital says it will comply with 1:2 rule
Summary
The Department of Public Health and university/hospital representatives described a pilot placing multiple University of Bridgeport students at Bridgeport Hospital under an ACE-style instructor model. Board members said the observed 1:4 preceptor-to-student ratio violates the 1:2 regulation and requested DPH follow-up; hospital and university apologized and said spring placements will comply or seek waivers.
State Department of Public Health staff and University of Bridgeport and Bridgeport Hospital representatives briefed the Board of Examiners for Nursing on Dec. 18 about a clinical pilot that used an alternative instructor model.
Suzanne Cammarata, a nurse consultant with DPH, told the board that senior nursing students had been precepted at Bridgeport Hospital in fall 2024 at an observed ratio of 1 preceptor to 4 students — higher than the board’s cited regulation requiring one preceptor for every two students. The regulation number was referenced in the meeting transcript during board discussion as 20‑90‑48(2)(b).
Linda Wagner and hospital representatives described the program as an Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) pilot, adapted from a University of Maryland model. Wagner said the role was intended to be “somewhere in between preceptor and clinical adjunct faculty,” with additional oversight from doctorally prepared staff and nurse managers on-site. She apologized for not bringing the pilot to the board earlier and said the model had been used as a semester-long trial.
Board members pressed the hospital and university on regulatory compliance and patient safety. “The regs are there to protect the safety of the citizens of the state,” board member Mary Dieitman said during the meeting and called the 1:4 ratio “way outside the regs.” Chair Gina Reiners and others echoed concerns about the potential for patient safety and legal exposure if the model continued without formal approval.
Hospital and university representatives said they contacted DPH proactively for feedback and that the hospital intends to rotate students in spring so ratios will not exceed 1:2. Linda Wagner suggested the institutions could present waivers for review if they believed the ACE instructor role should be treated as clinical adjunct faculty rather than preceptors.
The board accepted the report as informational but requested follow-up from DPH and legal counsel and reminded hospitals and programs to consult DPH before implementing novel clinical models.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: hospital and university representatives were advised to consult with DPH about waivers or process changes, and the board requested a follow-up report prior to implementing the spring semester model.
