Implementation of the court visitor program in a clinical nursing curriculum

The State of Texas has more than 19,000 individuals who lack the physical or mental ability to provide for their need for shelter, financial management, or physical care. These individuals have been designated as wards of the court and placed under guardianship. Texas probate courts appoint individuals known as court visitors to make annual visits to wards of the court to assess their well-being under guardianship. Although the 10 statutory probate courts have court visitor programs, many county courts do not. This article describes the details of a service-learning experience using an online distance educational program to train undergraduate nursing students in a mental health course to become court visitors. This information may be useful to others looking for nontraditional clinical experiences and service-learning opportunities for undergraduate nursing students.