Nurse preceptor - incentive pay?

Sour Lemon · Jan 26, 2018

I was recently asked to be a preceptor to a nursing student. I eagerly accepted. I later was informed there is no compensation for the additional work. Is this common?
As I recall from being a nursing student, the preceptor takes on a lot of responsibility and extra work. They teach and teach and teach (hopefully) and watch as the student slowly administers medications, feeds, etc. It slows the shift duties considerably, and requires the RN to be continually interacting and explaining. In addition, there is a weekly feedback handout to complete.
I am fully ready to take this on, but realize how much work it will be, and how different my job will be.
For those who are or have been preceptors, were you compensated for the additional work? Is it appropriate to request an increase in hourly rate? Does it depend on what kind of facility you work in?
Thank you for any feedback!
Katie

I've always received some nominal amount ...like $1-2 extra, hourly. I've never heard of precepting a student, though. It's always been an actual graduate hired on to work at the hospital.

Wuzzie · Jan 26, 2018

I feel like I've precepted a billion students/new employees/new grads/what have you. I've never once been compensated in any way for the extra work involved. You can ask but don't be surprised if they offer you a $5 Starbucks card and call it even.

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 26, 2018

It is a bit like jury duty. It is expected that full-time staff pick up precepting, and there is no extra pay. Students are usually given to the nurses with a year or two of experience. I took on a couple of students for 12 weeks each.

The students both were smart, prepared and ready to learn; they went on to brilliant nursing careers. As an introvert, being responsible for students is like having a long-staying houseguest in your space. However pleasant they are, I feel like their host and it is tiring. I had mixed feelings about taking on someone to precept.

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 26, 2018

At our facility, preceptors get 5% whenever they work with a student, but only after they complete a fairly lengthy online training module. If you don't complete the module, you can still precept but you don't get the 5%.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 26, 2018

At my hospital, there is no extra pay for having a nursing student if that student is just doing a routine clinical shift with her student clinical group and her instructor is present. However, precepting a student doing a senior capstone experience -- which is anywhere from 100 to 200 hours, depending on the school -- gets the preceptor $1.50 per hour. That's the same pay premium that a preceptor gets for precepting a new employee.

PeakRN · Jan 27, 2018

At my hospital, there is no extra pay for having a nursing student if that student is just doing a routine clinical shift with her student clinical group and her instructor is present. However, precepting a student doing a senior capstone experience -- which is anywhere from 100 to 200 hours, depending on the school -- gets the preceptor $1.50 per hour. That's the same pay premium that a preceptor gets for precepting a new employee.

We have a very similar policy. If their instructor is present you don't get preceptor pay, however students without an instructor (capstone/practicum, or in the EDs/Peds/ICU/PICU/NICU where their instructor isn't credentialed for example) get preceptor pay.

boywithacoin, BSN · Jan 27, 2018

my facility is federal...we get no incentive pay for precepting students or orienting new nurses, and I work on a dedicated education unit, so we act as the clinical instructors for the students. I think they used to pay incentives, but recently got caught and it's not allowed. so...now they're trying to arrange a luncheon or something. and I mean, I never turn down free food, so...

Everline · Jan 27, 2018

You were asked? We get "voluntold". There is no extra compensation, but I am not an hourly employee, so. Yeah. I actually like to precept though. It doesn't happen often. It certainly slows me down and on hectic days that you need to be on top of everything or stay late, teaching someone makes it more likely that you will stay late. My main problem with being a preceptor is clashing with the work ethic of the new nurse. But that's another topic...

Buckeye.nurse · Jan 27, 2018

Prior to my current position, I worked at a large teaching hospital in North Carolina where we got $1/hr to precept. Here, we don't get paid to precept. However, we are union, and have very regimented evaluations each year prior to pay increases. Being a preceptor is one activity that helps you get an "Excel" rating, and the best pay out bonus. Also, we have clinical ladder, and being a preceptor is one of the available activities for achieving the next level on the ladder. There are two tiers above fully vested staff RN. Tier 2 is a 3% pay raise, and tier 3 is a 3.5% raise. Generally, everyone I work with knows that to be perceived as "excelling" on our unit we need to either precept or be a charge RN. Which one people pick depends on personal preference and strengths.

JadedCPN, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2018

I've never got paid to precept students or new hires at any facility I worked at. Like others have said, those that do it is a very minimal amount. I've looked at is as something to put on my resume, it helps me maintain my CPN credentials/renewal, and hopefully I'm setting someone up to be a decent nurse that keeps kids alive and people want to work with them.

Cat365 · Feb 2, 2018

For a nursing student we don't. Precepting a new nurse to the unit we get an extra 1-2 dollars an hour.