How NP clinical placement works, and who does what

The short version

Before you can count clinical hours, you need a preceptor your program approves, at a site your program has an agreement with, with the paperwork signed. Depending on your program, the school may arrange that for you or expect you to find the preceptor yourself. Your program handbook will tell you which.

Who does what

• Your school and clinical coordinator set the requirements for each clinical course, approve preceptors and sites, hold the agreements with sites, and track your hours and evaluations.
• You: depending on your program, you find a preceptor or confirm the one you’re offered, submit them for approval, complete your own compliance documents and keep your hour logs accurate.
• Your preceptor supervises and teaches you in practice, completes your program’s preceptor forms, signs your hour logs and evaluates your progress.
• The clinical site agrees to host you and may have its own onboarding requirements, separate from your school’s.
• Placement services: some companies, including Preceptor Sync, help students find a preceptor. What they do, and what they charge, varies. Ask exactly what’s included before you pay anything.

From search to day one

These are the stages a placement goes through. Your program may order them differently:

• Search. Find a potential preceptor, or confirm one your program suggests.
• Check fit. Make sure they meet your program’s requirements and your schedule. See questions to ask a preceptor.
• Submit for approval. Send your program the preceptor’s details and forms. If they’re turned down, see what to do when your school won’t approve your preceptor.
• Site agreement and onboarding. Your school and the site confirm or sign an agreement, and the site may have its own onboarding steps.
• Your compliance documents. Your program and the site may need records from you before you start.
• Start and log hours. Keep your hour log accurate and get it signed as your program requires.
• Evaluations. Your preceptor and your program assess your progress at points your program sets.

Each step can take longer than you expect, especially agreements between your school and a site, so start earlier than feels necessary.

The paperwork

Names and details vary between programs. The paperwork can include:

• An affiliation or clinical agreement between your school and the site, setting out the terms for hosting students.
• A preceptor agreement or attestation, in which your preceptor confirms they’ll supervise you.
• Your preceptor’s CV or résumé and licence details, so your program can check their qualifications.
• Your own compliance documents, such as the records your program or site requires before you start.
• Hour logs and evaluations, which document what you did and how you progressed.

Your clinical coordinator can tell you which of these your program uses and who is responsible for each.

How many hours you’ll need

Your program sets the hours for each clinical course, and your handbook will list them. If anything is unclear, such as which activities count as clinical time, ask your clinical coordinator before you start logging.

Where students find preceptors

There’s no single right route. Each has trade-offs:

• Your own workplace or contacts. A familiar setting can be easier to arrange, but check whether your program allows a preceptor you already work with or for.
• Lists from your school. Preceptors or sites on a school list may already be familiar to your program, which can make approval simpler, but availability can be limited.
• Contacting clinics directly. It gives you the widest choice of settings, but it takes time and persistence.
• Placement services. A service does the searching for you. What’s included and what it costs vary, so ask exactly what you’re paying for, including what happens if no match is found.