Many nurse practitioners are struggling to find a preceptor, resulting in many students paying preceptors thousands of dollars so they can graduate, The Hechinger Report reported Aug. 24.
To graduate, NP students must spend at least 500 hours working with patients in clinical settings under supervision of a preceptor. These preceptors train students, provide feedback, evaluate their performance and play a major role in whether they pass. Yet finding a qualified preceptor is a major obstacle for many students
Here is what to know.
1. Accrediting agencies require nursing schools to provide clinical placements for students or help students find them. Many schools offer NP students a list of physicians and nurses who have served as preceptors in the past, but many students report that these lists are outdated. One student told Hechinger that she called 50 people on the list and eventually was only able to find a preceptor after making a post in a Facebook group.
2. Traditionally, nursing preceptors are not paid for the extra work of evaluating students, and with burnout rising, many clinicians are simply not open to taking on the preceptor role. This has resulted in many students paying preceptors out of their own pockets as the only way to get a clinical placement. One NP student in California told Hechinger she took out a loan for $16,000 — almost as much as her tuition — to pay preceptors, as well as cover travel expenses as her rotations were several hours from home.
3. Paying preceptors is becoming increasingly common, though some educators worry it would incentivize preceptors to pass students who pay them.
4. There is no national standard for what makes a physician or nurse qualified as a preceptor, and every university has different requirements. For example, some universities will not allow students to complete their rotation in the same state as the school, creating additional financial and preceptor shortage burdens.
5. In contrast, physicians and registered nursing programs have coordinated clinical placements, often with local hospitals and health systems.
6. The U.S. spends roughly $20 billion per year training medical residents, while nursing programs receive around $300 million from the federal government for workforce development programs — only part of which goes to clinical training.
7. To fill the gap, for-profit companies are opening to match preceptors and NP students, and students could spend over a thousand dollars to find their match.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
