finding preceptors

allnurses Guide · Aug 29, 2014

Join your state and national NP association. You may find some good leads there!

lhflanurseNP, APRN · Aug 29, 2014

I had a cover letter, information on the school, the course objective and rotation requirements for the specific rotation, and my resume. I put everything in a nice little "binder" and would try to get with the office manager. My cover letter was basically an intro of what I was doing and why I was choosing that particular site for a rotation (you have a great reputation.....).

anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 29, 2014

I called most of the clinics because I'm in a smaller town and about 80% of the docs are all associated with the same clinic (but the office lady was FAR from helpful...I figure because I wasn't a student with the local PA program at the private Christian college but instead *gasp* a NP student at a public school! Many of our docs have allegiance to this private Christian school).

Anyway I worked weekdays during office hours so it was hard to stop by during, well, office hours. I would call and ask if they accept students. If they did and were free they usually accepted me. I will also say that not many local places would accept me do I had to branch out. The nearest decent sizes towns anywhere else were 20-40 miles away and I couldn't drive all around to these places or all if the rural clinics. Plus I hated just stopping by cause I didn't want to interrupt anyone's day.

I then typed up a single page paper listing my contact info, program director info, semester outline (focus, start and end date, etc) and would give it to them. After meeting with them to discuss scheduling unless it was pretty obvious what days were going to work best I would go home and print out monthly calendars listing clinical days (and I made sure my name and phone number were at the top in case something happened).

I saw a few refer to that calendar throughout my time with them.

I see some perks to finding your own preceptor (you can choose more, customize your experience) but it's getting harder to find preceptors. I kind of wish they would set it up for us more like "rotations" and with specialists too. Maybe a week with cardio, week with nephro, ortho, ER, etc. we were only allowed 2 preceptors per semester and 40 hrs of specialty. I was never able to choose so just kept with family practice.

Good luck!

allnurses Guide · Aug 29, 2014

I called most of the clinics because I'm in a smaller town and about 80% of the docs are all associated with the same clinic (but the office lady was FAR from helpful...I figure because I wasn't a student with the local PA program at the private Christian college but instead *gasp* a NP student at a public school! Many of our docs have allegiance to this private Christian school).

Remember that providers get paid 1500-3500 every six weeks to have PA students.

anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 29, 2014

I knew some docs get paid for students but never really knew how much and such. As I said, though, many do still have allegiance to that school and the PA program (they're about to start a FNP program so things should get interesting). When I say allegiance I me a their new practice field is named after one of the docs and he has 2 sons in a different specialty in the same clinic. And one of the private practice docs teaches in the program, and one of the local urgent cares has a "local" PA who sets up the students so I never even got a chance there even months before I needed to start....that's if I even got a call or email back.

Pilot2FNP · Sep 1, 2014

I think it's unconscionable for schools to make students go out and find their own preceptors. There is not a single medical school here in the US that makes it's students do that. Why on Earth would a NP program make their students go out and find their own preceptors and arrange all their own clinicals? We pay the schools for a reason. They should be arranging everthing for us. And if they can't do it, for whatever reason, they shouldn't be in business. This goes for online schools as well as traditional brick-and-mortar schools. It makes our industry look so cheap and unprofessional. Doctors would never have put up with this sort of thing! Why should nurses put up with it? Just venting.

Lonlai84 · Sep 1, 2014

I did the same thing . I would put on my professional attire and go out around 8am and leave my resume cover letter and the preceptor agreement form with the office manager and It worked in the end . I was able to obtain 2 preceptors this way . Go for it.....

Simplyroses · Sep 1, 2014

Or.... you can switch programs to one that vets your preceptors for you. I did.

I see how intentional my school faculty is about finding the right preceptor for each rotation. They screen for experience in teaching, as well. It is well worth the tuition to have a professional nursing school do what they are paid to do, which is to ensure the student has an opportunity for a proper education.