Finding your own preceptor? (Frontier, TWU)

If you dig hard enough you will find that at Frontier you may not do clinicals where you already work. From what I understand (I do not attend Frontier, but have looked pretty thoroughly into their program), you are supposed to find your own preceptor, but if you are having trouble they will help out. They already have agreements in place with many sites, depending, of course, on where you are. They pay the preceptor for their services.

I know nothing about TWU

I'm wondering the same thing about Frontier. I have already been accepted to Simmons, who has a whole dept to find preceptors. I have also applied to Frontier and they would be my first choice if I was a little but more comfortable with the preceptor process.

Student Credentialing - FAQ | Frontier Nursing University This will answer some of your questions.

Clinical Site Location Process Timeline | Frontier Nursing University this is a helpful timeline that shows each step to finding a preceptor, just pick the program that you are interested in

Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate your help.

Sure thing! I am just about to begin an accelerated BSN program with the full knowledge that I will need to find a preceptor for grad school. One of my main goals is to find on during the next 16 months of school. At first I thought it seemed intimidating too, however I am looking at it as yet another reason to network. Good luck to you :)

I know nothing about TWU, but I have experience with FNU, so this post will be regarding FNU and how preceptors are identified.

FNU breaks the program into didactic and clinical portions. You have an advisor for the didactic portion and one for the clinical portion of the program. The advisor for your didactic portion is just what you would expect, only more helpful if you are struggling than any I have seen before. Many of my cohorts have had to get the advisor involved for various, typically personal issues that have impacted their ability to continue at certain points in time. The university appears to be very flexible and willing to work with individuals who present with needs due to emergencies.

The advisor for your clinicals will monitor your progress in all things clinicals related. They start by monitoring and assisting you in finding your preceptors and then continue that in the whole process of credentialing the preceptors, site visits while your in clinicals, etc. Their are many resources for you to use to help you find preceptors, including a database of past preceptors and facilities, guides on ways to network and help find preceptors. Typically, they won't do the leg work for you, but if they see you are trying they will do just about anything they can to help you. From my experience, the hardest part was to find the first one or two providers who were on your side and knew you. From there on, they will often introduce you to others who are usually willing to help since you were referred by a fellow provider. The first couple of providers I befriended on this journey have both moved to another state and county at this point, so they are no longer in my circle or able to help, but they quickly helped me to find other providers before they moved so now my network to ask for help is literally several dozen.

My regional clinical faculty (RCF) helped me to breakdown what types of visits each preceptor would likely be able to fulfill and as such helped me to make sure that my clinical practicum is going to meet not only the schools minimums in various categories but also is going to maximize what I want to learn during that time. And yes, most of my cohorts are using multiple preceptors, there aren't alot of practitioners who see the whole spectrum (prenatal, pediatric,.... geriatric) of patients. But again, once you have found one preceptor, I found that mine was very willing to help me line up other's for the areas of care that she did not provide in sufficient numbers for me to have a complete education.

As for specific question/comments earlier in the thread:

1) FNU does pay a stipend for the preceptors upon the student's completion of their clinical practicum, it's not all that much, but it is enough to help you when you are competing with other's for preceptors, at least that's what I'm told. FNU also provides several other benefits to preceptors if they want them.

2) I have never heard of first hand knowledge where a student paid a preceptor, and I doubt FNU would accept that preceptor unless it was a under the table payment they did not know about. It is definitely more competitive and difficult to find preceptors, but I don't believe they would accept arrangements like that. Before I did that, I would work with my RCF and find a preceptor in a neighboring town for that term.

3) My experience as a FNU student is nothing like the horror stories I see on this forum. I would recommend you talk to actual students at the actual programs in question before assuming that all or even any of the stories on this forum are germane to that program and you.

4) Precept where you are employed. FNU does not allow you to precept in your "unit", but will allow you to precept in another "unit". The definition of unit is a little fungible I believe. Basically, they don't want role confusion, where your a bedside RN yesterday and a APRN writing the orders the next day in the same unit or with the same coworkers. However, let's say you work for a hospital that owns several clinics in town. You definitely would not be able to precept in your unit in the hospital, but FNU would probably be fine with you precepting at the clinics. Other units in your hospital, I would guess would be a no unless you could show that those people didn't deal with you in your unit.

5) Simmons vs FNU for assistance with preceptors. From what I hear Simmon's has an excellent program as well. I can't compare the assistance provided by the two, as I don't have first hand knowledge with Simmons. As I mentioned above, FNU has several tools to help you network and identify potential preceptors, dedicated staff to coordinate the preceptor site and agreements, and faculty to manage the whole process as well as the clinical practicum as it takes place.

6) Mamagui, you hit the nail on the head, if you do a little networking consistently for the next 16 months, I would guess you will have an excellent network willing and able to help you when you enter grad school. Networking is the key, not only for finding your preceptor, but for finding your first and most jobs after school.

zmansc- Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of this. Especially #4, that alone has eased my anxiety tremendously. I haven't even applied yet, I have to enroll in the health assessment class. I will be a previous BS (non-nursing) student. I feel so much better now. My new anxiety is my GPA which is only a 3.27 . . . ooooh anxiety . . . it is the devil.

I really appreciate the informative replies!

Rhia - Your welcome. I'm told FNU takes into account your full application, so I would give it a go, write steller essays, get great references and go for it. People with 4.0 have not gotten accepted and people with lower gpas have.