9 Reasons Providers Don't Want To Precept

So, Why Don’t Providers Want to Precept? 

I often see students on Facebook and similar forums say that they don’t understand why providers won’t precept. These same students also often promise that they will precept one day for free. That is a completely understandable perspective after all these poor students have been through in their preceptor searches! So, why are providers often hesitant to precept? Here are several of the reasons why:

1. Time Constraints: Precepting can require a significant time commitment. Providers have busy schedules, and adding the responsibility of mentoring students can be challenging. They need to balance patient care with teaching, which can extend their work hours. And that can also affect their bottom line.

2. Lack of Adequate Compensation and Incentives: In many cases, precepting doesn't come with financial incentives, recognition, or compensation. Providers may feel that the extra effort and time devoted to precepting are not adequately rewarded and just plain not worth it. 

3. Increased Responsibility and Liability: Precepting involves overseeing the clinical work of students, which adds an extra layer of responsibility and potential liability. Providers or management might be concerned about the quality of care provided to patients under their supervision and the legal implications of precepting.

4. Insufficient Training or Confidence in Teaching Skills: Some providers may feel they lack the necessary skills or training to effectively mentor students. This can include uncertainty about how to evaluate students, provide constructive feedback, or manage different learning styles.

5. Administrative Burden: Precepting can involve additional administrative tasks such as completing agreements, performing evaluations, coordinating with educational institutions, and managing scheduling. This added workload can be a deterrent.

6. Impact on Patient Care and Workflow: Providers might be concerned about the potential impact on patient care and clinic workflow. Students often require more time per patient, which can lead to longer wait times and reduced efficiency.

7. Personal Preference: Some providers may simply prefer to focus solely on patient care without the added role of an educator. And, let’s be honest, not everyone should be a preceptor. Sometimes, it’s just not that individual’s skill set. (Although Preceptor Education may help that!)

8. Workload and burnout: Healthcare providers may already be dealing with heavy workloads and burnout due to the demands of their clinical practice. Taking on additional responsibilities, such as precepting, may further add to their workload and stress levels. 

9. Lack of support from Management: Frequently, even though the preceptor is willing to precept, management says no. This is extremely unfortunate and frustrating to encounter, but it is their bottom line. 

Whether you are a healthcare professional or a healthcare institution, we must all work together to address the concerns and disincentives to precept. Providing adequate support, training, compensation, and recognition for preceptors could encourage more providers to take on this vital role. And, students, we do hope you will precept when you are on the “other side!” Whether you are a new grad or a seasoned NP, don’t forget to ask about precepting during job negotiations. You don’t want to be surprised down the road by policies you didn’t know about. We must advocate to educate the next generation of NPs! 

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