Why is it so hard to find a preceptor?

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I am very frustrated! I am a FNP student for an online distance program so I have to find my own places for clinical, but finding a place has been very difficult! I am trying to prepare ahead, unfortunately that hasn't worked out for me.

I understand the time, stress, and legalities it places on the practice and NP, I just don't understand why past experiences with students should influence the decision for me. I am my own person with valued experience, I feel so discouraged.

Specializes in family nurse practitioner.

Hi OP. I agree with another poster about doing as much leg work as you can. You can ask your family physician/NP/PA if they are available or if they know of anyone that is. Does your program offer any help with locating preceptors? What do they do if you are not able to find anyone on your own? Do you just have to graduate later on? Maybe one of the ways to fix this gap for future students is to set up a resource group for graduates from your program to agree to precept students from your school once you have gradauted and are well established. There has to be something that can be done, or more and more students will experience the same things you are.

I know your frustrated. This type of thread always ruffles feathers unfortunately. Lots of debate about NP education on here. Just try to keep thinking positive. Good for you for starting early with trying to find your sites. I had some sites set up for me, and found two sites myself with FNPs. I called all around, sent emails and asked my NP friends. But at the end of the day, only my NP friends were willing to help. I do think it has to do with how busy a service. I did a GI clinical and the NP was seeing about 40 pts in 10 hours. We ran and ran and ran. But I learned quite a bit and she was brillant. Did you have any luck on Indiana's NP website? Here in michigan we have MICAMP and there is a section for preceptors on there. Let us know if you find something soon :).

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PHMNPs where I needed preceptors were excited to help out. Remind those you are asking that their precepting hours count as CEUs. I quickly became an asset, helping with admissions and lightening their workload. Find your niche and show them!

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

I went to Duke, but I bet you guessed that. I took my electives and a few others online but opted to attend the bulk in person. I lived in Raleigh and worked for Duke Med at the time, so it was feasible. I found no effective difference between the online and classroom course work. If anything the online classes were a bit more demanding time wise, so I avoided them, lol. They just appeared to have more reading, more assignments, more papers. Perhaps it was just my perception, but I felt like I spent more hours preparing for them than I did for my traditional classes.

Duke found my clinical sites and assigned my preceptors, although I was free to make requests if I did so at least one year in advance as legal/contract issues are quite complicated for liability and insurance purposes. I was too lazy to go through all that and was very pleased to just go where I was told. I had site visits at least once a semester.

RE:the commentary about NPs being paid for the learning experience, I think Irish is onto something, although s/he missed the mark a bit. I do believe NPs should have more opportunities to do post graduate residencies, and that those should be paid (but no, I do not think unlicensed student ought to be paid). I did do a post grad residency, and it was unpaid. I did it for as long as I could afford to, 9 months. Our visiting physician/MD student friends might scoff at my 9 month family practice residency experience because of course it cannot compare to the 3 years a family practice physician would do. However, my family practice physician colleague gets paid for his or her time, and mine was effectively volunteer. One cannot really expect a NP to work for free for 3 years post graduation. :chuckle: It is really a shame that the DNP curricula was not engineered to include at least a year of paid residency. PhD students at Duke get free tuition and a stipend. Pity that the DNP students don't get the same support so that they could all do a clinical residency in specialty of choice!

Coincidentally, a ANP student called from 400 miles away (in another state) today looking for a family practice site. As I said, I can't precept and the other NP in the practice won't. We are with a company that employs over 100 NPs and between the two of us we belong to three different professional organizations in town, and we don't even know a single NP willing to take a student. It is a sad state of affairs.

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It is sad! I understand a new NP not wanting to take on a student, but there are ways to avoid a student from "slowing" you down, a student I know is only going to see every 3rd patient to help keep a consistent flow. I know that time is not the only factor here, but a big one. I am the only RN in my department that is willing to precept RN students, I had a wonderful preceptors while I obtained my undergraduate degree, I guess the passion for teaching has gone out the door for many. Thank you for sharing.

I have thought of transferring to another program, but that is just a pain as well. So, either way I will be fighting until the end and that is a fight I am willing to battle to reach my ultimate dreams for my future!

I am starting a PRN job soon that will provide a whole new network for me that is NP friendly as my current location of employment is not. I hope that this will open the door of opportunity for me. my nursing specialty is emergency which as we all know is used for primary care/urgent care as well as emergencies.

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Why are Preceptors not compensated? Ie $1000 plus a certificate of hours worked to be applied toward ANCC certification.

There are preceptor handbooks and competences on the web so there can be a uniformity of expectations. I don't know if everyone uses these. It also sounds like memorandums of understanding are created with the schools so students are not entirely on their own.

Facilities need to see precepting np,s having value to their organizations, ie a way of recruiting np,s for future positions or developing current staff who like to teach.

Online education is only going to increase.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Why are Preceptors not compensated? Ie $1000 plus a certificate of hours worked to be applied toward ANCC certification.

I think the schools are very much willing to sign off on the preceptor form from ANCC in order to get credit for recertification. I've had many forms filled out myself and have used it for my recertification (only one form is required actually).

There has to be more incentives. The two places I've worked for has a mechanism for NP preceptors to gain status as Assistant Professors in a volunteer capacity (translation: unpaid faculty) in the university the students attend. Monetary incentives may get more NP's to come on board but it sounds like NP's in private practice just have little time to spend teaching.

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Specializes in ER.
Hi OP. I agree with another poster about doing as much leg work as you can. You can ask your family physician/NP/PA if they are available or if they know of anyone that is. Does your program offer any help with locating preceptors? What do they do if you are not able to find anyone on your own? Do you just have to graduate later on? Maybe one of the ways to fix this gap for future students is to set up a resource group for graduates from your program to agree to precept students from your school once you have gradauted and are well established. There has to be something that can be done, or more and more students will experience the same things you are.

I know your frustrated. This type of thread always ruffles feathers unfortunately. Lots of debate about NP education on here. Just try to keep thinking positive. Good for you for starting early with trying to find your sites. I had some sites set up for me, and found two sites myself with FNPs. I called all around, sent emails and asked my NP friends. But at the end of the day, only my NP friends were willing to help. I do think it has to do with how busy a service. I did a GI clinical and the NP was seeing about 40 pts in 10 hours. We ran and ran and ran. But I learned quite a bit and she was brillant. Did you have any luck on Indiana's NP website? Here in michigan we have MICAMP and there is a section for preceptors on there. Let us know if you find something soon :).

I am also from Michigan. What program did you end up attending? I just recently started looking into this and will be applying to several programs in the next couple months. I work as a RN in a hospital, but most schools will not allow you do arrange clinicals at your own place of employment...Do you have any tips for finding a preceptor? Right now I work in med-surg in a busy hospital, and I have a little bit of a background in corrections as well. I am concerned that I will not be able to find a preceptor. What types of places did you call? I thought about trying places like Wayne State Physicians Group, they seem to have many NPs.

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Old thread but now that it's bumped...so sad. I cannot imagine going to a program that doesn't provide preceptors. I also can't believe so many NP students make endless excuses for their schools. For profit? No problem. No preceptor help? That's fine! Fully online with little oversight? That's great too!!! What about complete lack of admissions standards? Sounds great!!

How low must standards fall before people wake up.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

CVS MinuteClinic has partnered with nursing programs throughout the US to provide a preceptor program for NP students. Summer and Fall 2014 preceptorships available.

To participate, you must be enrolled at a nurse practitioner or physician assistant program that has partnered with MinuteClinic and have completed at least 1 semester of your Master's program.

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The last thing we need is students doing clinicals at minute clinic, where everything is diagnosed using flow sheets...

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
The last thing we need is students doing clinicals at minute clinic where everything is diagnosed using flow sheets...[/quote']

"We"?

I know several colleagues that had rotations at retail clinics and several more that work at them. They are not a traditional clinical experience but they do allow students to get experience with the common complaints seen in primary care as well a structured way to approach these conditions. They also gain some experience in running an office.

How much experience do you have with retail clinics?

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The last thing we need is students doing clinicals at minute clinic, where everything is diagnosed using flow sheets...

Wow, how does every thread become an appropriate place for you to bash NP schools and the profession in general? For someone that has so much negative to say about it, it amazes me you still want to be an NP..

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