A Promising Shift in NP Education: More Schools Are Stepping Up

I have been an NP for a long time, and I have watched NP education change in many ways. Some changes have strengthened the profession. Others have not. One of the big transitions has been placing responsibilities on students that never should have become theirs.

That is why I am so encouraged by something we are seeing more often at PreceptorLink®/AMOpportunities: nursing schools are coming directly to us for help placing their students in clinical rotations.

I love seeing this. This is how it should be, in my opinion.
Students should be expected to prepare, communicate, meet their program requirements, and take every clinical rotation seriously. They should not be left to build their school’s clinical placement network on their own.

​Who Is Actually Responsible for Clinical Placement?

Accreditation standards already answer this. CCNE requires that the program be responsible for providing adequate clinical sites and that programs tell students what the school handles and what, if anything, the student is expected to do in identifying a site. Disclosure and accountability are not the same thing.

The school also carries responsibilities that a student cannot carry. It must confirm the preceptor is qualified, that the site meets program requirements, and that the rotation provides the right experience for the student’s NP track. It manages the approval process, the affiliation agreements, and any issue that could affect whether a student starts on time.
Some schools have strong internal placement teams. Others work with outside organizations that already have established preceptor networks. Either approach works, as long as the student is not left to manage the entire process alone.

Finding enough qualified preceptors should not come down to how many clinics a student can call between shifts.
​
Students who are still comparing programs should know what to ask before choosing an NP program, including who secures clinical placements and what support is available when a placement falls through.

​What Changes for Students When Their Program Handles Clinical Placement

The first thing students get back is time. The hours spent writing outreach emails, calling front desks, and following up with practices that never respond are hours taken from coursework, work shifts, and family. When the program handles the search, that time goes back into coursework and clinical preparation, which is where it should have been all along.

Paperwork also becomes easier to manage. Affiliation agreements are handled between the school and the clinical site by people who understand the approval process. Students are no longer left asking a busy office manager to review and sign an unfamiliar contract. This is often the step that causes a promising placement to fall through, even though the student has very little control over it.
​
The specialty fit may improve as well. Students searching on their own often accept whichever site says yes, even when it does not fully match their course objectives. A program arranging placements can match each rotation to its curriculum, giving students a better chance of receiving the clinical experience their NP track actually requires.

​What I Am Seeing From Nursing Schools Now

The schools reaching out to us are not waiting until an individual student is stuck. They are planning ahead for an entire cohort or a portion of a cohort, which is a very different kind of request from the ones we used to receive.

Some need help with a specific specialty or location. Others want a placement partner that can assist with preceptor outreach, documentation, scheduling, and communication throughout the process. The school still reviews and approves each clinical site, but the student is no longer expected to build the placement from the ground up. Many times we are even a “silent partner,” working quietly in the background assisting the school directly. The student doesn’t even need to know we are helping, but we are! 
​
Students who are already enrolled and searching should not wait for their program to make this change. Start planning your rotations at least 2 terms ahead, let your program know that school placement partnerships are available, and continue your preceptor search in the meantime. Try to confirm your dates as early as possible.

​This Is Progress Worth Recognizing

When a school comes to PreceptorLink®/AMOpportunities and says, “We want help placing our students,” I see that as real progress. It shows a willingness to address the problem before students are left scrambling on their own.
​
I hope more nursing schools continue in this direction. This is the kind of change that can make NP education stronger for everyone involved.

About The Author

Lynn McComas is the Chief Nursing Officer at AMOpportunities and Founder of PreceptorLink. She is a recognized expert in precepting nurse practitioners and advanced practice provider students and has been matching preceptors since 2014.

With over two decades in primary care, Lynn has served as a coach, advisor, mentor, and preceptor for countless healthcare professionals, including NPs, nurses, and medical assistants. She co-founded a successful skills and procedures business and speaks nationwide on NP-related issues.

Lynn is also a regular contributor on LinkedIn, KevinMD, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram @preceptorlink, X @LynnMcComas, and her blog, where she addresses the growing NP and PA professions and the urgent need for preceptor sites.

​Her unique perspective, shaped by her business, clinical, and educational experiences, positions her as a key voice in tackling preceptor shortages. Lynn is committed to driving change—through a paradigm shift in NP education, reducing barriers, offering preceptor incentives, and advocating for reforms within the profession.