Precepting a PMHNP Student: 4 Important Things to Consider Before You Start

So, you have finally said yes to a student who needs a PMHNP preceptor! (Or you’re at least considering it.) Great! Thank you! Providing quality education to these future mental health providers is vital, and there is a great need for more mental health providers. But, precepting a PMHNP student is very different than precepting a Family Practice student. So, now you are asking, “How do I precept a PMHNP student?” Whether you are a psychiatrist, a PMHNP, or a therapist, here are some important things to consider first if you are going to precept a PMHNP student:

1. Patient Permission:   
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• Get your patient’s permission to allow students in the session. Whether you, the MA, or the scheduler is asking, what’s worked for me is to phrase it positively: For example, “As you know, there is a shortage of healthcare providers, and I have/our providers have been asked to help educate some Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner students. Would it be ok if students participate in our/the sessions? I think they could really learn a lot from [how we work together] or [you]. You can always opt-out on a particular day if you want.” 
• ​When precepting virtually, I had one preceptor tell me that she had a notification on the platform that reminded patients that students might be present on the visit and to let her know if that was not ok. ​
• Many preceptors add it to the paperwork and tell patients to let them know if having a student in the session is not ok. I recommend you get something in writing so there is no question, and, of course, always allow the patient to opt out of having a student present. 

 
2. Decide how you will precept.  
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• In-person- with this approach, the student will come into the office. Make sure you have a place for a student to sit and work. Pros: The face-to-face experience really is ideal for students. This is the best way for preceptors to assess student progress. And it’s the best way for students to connect with patients. Cons, it can feel a bit invasive to some patients, depending on the patient and situation. Additionally, it can be less inconvenient. Also, preceptors can generally only precept one student at a time.

 

• Virtually via a HIPAA-compliant platform- This approach is one of the good things that came out of the Pandemic. With this approach, the student can log in from home. Students must hold a license where the preceptor is licensed. Pros are that it allows more flexibility for the student, provider, and patient. It can also feel less invasive to the patient than having multiple people in the room. It's also much safer than in-person for obvious reasons.  Another advantage is that preceptors can often precept more than one student at a time. This can really be a game changer for the profession if schools allow it and we (the profession) learn how to do it effectively.  This approach is frequently very popular with all parties because of the flexibility it offers, and it allows providers to reach even rural, high-need populations. Cons are that it can be hard to observe patient-provider interactions, and virtual visits can miss some of the essence of the visit that an in-person visit would reveal. On the other hand, it can give observers a peak into the patient’s home and some of the dynamics that might otherwise be missed in the office. Make sure the telepsych platform you utilize will allow 3 parties from 3 different locations. Sometimes, this requires an upgrade. (Many times, increased costs are passed onto the student or school.)

 

• Virtually from the office. (This is essentially the same as in-person, but the student is in the provider’s office, and together, they see the patient virtually via a HIPAA-compliant platform.) 

 
3. Will students be able to see the patients and visa versa?

• Ideally, the answer is yes, but this varies per platform, site, preceptor allowances, and preceptor and patient preference. 

4.  Will students be able to participate in the visit?
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• Again, ideally, as the student progresses, he/she will be able to participate in the visit. Since psych patients generally have regular follow-up visits, having the student do follow-up visits often works once a relationship is established. But again, this depends on what the site, preceptor, and patient allow. However, learning how to interact with patients by actually interacting with patients is the best way to learn and grow, so if you can allow students to “test their wings a bit,” it’s ideal.

Those are some of the things you will want to consider when you precept a PMHNP student. You’ll find some video vignettes on precepting in general from NONPF, in case you want to check that out, too. This is a great article that goes into the topic in more detail as well. We’ll talk about more specifics on precepting the PMHNP student in future blogs, so make sure to follow PreceptorLink®! And hopefully, you’ll be a PreceptorLink® preceptor!

Thank you for precepting! We’re happy to advise you if you ever need it. We have decades of experience when it comes to precepting NP students! Just email or call us at [email protected] or 760-604-0913

About the Author: Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C, is an experienced nurse practitioner and an expert on the topic of precepting. Determined to make a difference in “the Preceptor Problem,” Lynn went on to obtain her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) at the esteemed Duke University, where she focused on finding solutions to the preceptor shortage. She is the owner and founder of PreceptorLink®. The company’s goal is to simplify and streamline the process of preceptor matching while maintaining quality and professionalism throughout. www.PreceptorLink.com