Frequently Asked Questions
You asked...We answered!
What makes PreceptorLink®️ different from other similar companies?
It's our people, our know-how, and our process.
First of all, we are experienced, passionate and dedicated to the profession, because we are in the profession!!! No one can understand the needs of APRNs like those who are "in the trenches." We are active in APRN professional organizations; We are committed to the profession and to helping make the changes needed to help solve the preceptor problem. Our team knows and understands, and we go above and beyond to help you, whether you are a Student, a Preceptor, a Preceptor Site, or a School.
Every step of our preceptor matching app was designed with students, preceptors, schools, and clinical sites in mind.
So, yeah! We're pretty proud of what we have created!
Questions: Contact Us: 888-418-6620
It's our people, our know-how, and our process.
First of all, we are experienced, passionate and dedicated to the profession, because we are in the profession!!! No one can understand the needs of APRNs like those who are "in the trenches." We are active in APRN professional organizations; We are committed to the profession and to helping make the changes needed to help solve the preceptor problem. Our team knows and understands, and we go above and beyond to help you, whether you are a Student, a Preceptor, a Preceptor Site, or a School.
Every step of our preceptor matching app was designed with students, preceptors, schools, and clinical sites in mind.
So, yeah! We're pretty proud of what we have created!
Questions: Contact Us: 888-418-6620
Student Questions:
- I don't see what I need on the app. What now?
- We have thousands of preceptors.! Our app only has a small portion of our preceptors, so if you don't see what you need, reach out to us! We'll see if we can still help you! We are experts at last-minute placements, so give us a chance to keep you progressing in your degree! If we can't help you, we'll let you know or suggest alternatives that you might not have considered. Most of our students who need repeat rotations come back after they have used us once.
- Do you handle the school contracting paperwork?
- Yes! Students have better things to do than chase down paperwork! If you have paperwork that we can send for signature, we'll be happy to send it for electronic signature. We provide the preceptor's credentialing documents too. It's never been easier for students or preceptors!
- How early do I need to find a preceptor?
- It is never too early to get us started on your search- ok, almost never! Avoid last-minute charges and competition in the marketplace by signing up and requesting your preceptors ahead of time. Then you can focus on what you should be focusing on: school and life! Let us do what we do best!
- My preceptor just told me they can’t precept me now!! Can you help with last minute clinical rotations?
- Oftentimes, yes! We know that sometimes you need us last minute, and we will do our best to help you! In fact, last minute rotations are one of our specialties!
- How does payment work?
- When you request a preceptor, a deposit of 25% of the total fees is paid. When the preceptor accepts you, a 50% fee is auto-paid, and when we have taken care of the paperwork that is sent by the student, the final 25% is auto-paid. We do offer a Payment Plan as well. Students must be paid in full before the rotation start.
- Can the student cancel the contract?
- Yes. Refunds are per our cancellation and refund policy.
- What happens is my preceptor declines me?
- This occasionally happens for a variety of reasons: The preceptor don't have availability, the site said no students, it's not a right fit... We will always try to replace you and refund you if we can't. Our Clinical Coordinators are experts in preceptor matching and they are very well connected! Worst case, we'll refund you.
- What is a Custom Search? Sometimes no workable options show up on our app, so you can hire us to perform a Custom Search. Custom Search fees are non-refundable but, great news, they do go towards your rotation costs.
- What if my school doesn't approve my site?
- Talk to us first and early! Frequently, we can help resolve things. But if, despite our best efforts we are unable to place you, you will receive a refund per the cancellation and refund policy. We are very fair with our refund policy.
- What if my preceptor cancels or can’t complete my hours after starting the rotation?
- Life happens, and there are occasions when the preceptor cannot or does not complete the rotation. Again we are amazing problem-solvers! We will do everything we can to replace the preceptor or provide a refund per our policy. Again, we are here to help!
- Since I am "paying" for a preceptor, I expect them to be flexible to me!
- Ok, we need to be clear here: You are not paying for a preceptor! You are paying us to help you find a preceptor. The honorarium is a "token of thanks" to the preceptor for his/her time and expertise. Research shows that if a preceptor were really paid for the time they actually put in precepting, it would be upwards of $10,000!
- "I think it is wrong for a preceptor to expect to get paid!" "Why should a preceptor expect to get paid?! Someone precepted them! It's their responsibility to give back."
- We hear you, but this is a complicated discussion. The bottom line is that medicine and times have changed. Many providers are paid based on productivity, and precepting can slow you down. Legal, EHR, and HR issues make it more complicated now. Additionally, there are more schools, more programs, and more students all looking for the same thing. Online education has added to the challenges. Providers and clinical sites are exhausted from being asked to precept. Frankly, isn't a preceptor's time and expertise worth something? Faculty are paid. Physicians are usually paid to precept. We believe there is value in precepting. We need to incentivize preceptors, and for many, a financial incentive will turn a "no" into a "yes."
- What if the preceptor can't or doesn't want to be paid? We built an app that supports both paid and unpaid preceptors! It's the first of its kind, and we are so happy to create a National Database of Paid and Unpaid Preceptors!! Students will still incur a fee because we still have business costs, but student costs will be reduced since there is no honorarium.
- You matched me with a preceptor- now what?
- Once an appropriate preceptor is found, we will provide you with the preceptor's information and credentialing documents. We can also help obtain preceptor signatures. Then the student's school begins the contracting process. Each student will be assigned a personal Clinical Coordinator and the PreceptorLink®️ Team is here to help you all the way along though!
- How do I know I will get a good preceptor? And what if I get a “bad” preceptor?
- We do our best to screen preceptors in order to utilize only the best and most qualified preceptors. And we try to be transparent on preceptor profiles. If we receive poor-sounding reports on a preceptor, we investigate the report. If we find that a preceptor is not qualified or quality, we do not use that preceptor anymore. We value student input!! We will always do our best to help students problem-solve and/or replace the preceptor if there is a clear problem with our preceptor placement. Our goal is to have happy students and happy preceptors!
- What are your fees?
- Prices will vary according to the individual preceptor. Basically, the preceptor honorarium determines the cost, and we add in our business expenses. We do have "free preceptors," but we still need to charge to cover app-related and normal business expenses.
- Why is it so expensive? Where do my monies go?
- We know this costs a lot, and we HATE taking money from students! (We would love it if it came from the schools!) But, this is a VERY difficult job, so, like any business, we have business expenses. Creating and managing our app is expensive. We also have a team of employees and consultants as well as the development of new programs and services.
- Why choose PreceptorLink®️ over the other companies?
- This is an NP-owned and run business. The app was built with an understanding of the NP/APRN profession. Every member of the PreceptorLink®️ Team understands and cares about the problems students and preceptors face. It makes a difference when a nurse practitioner is leading the company. Too many times we hear that one of the other companies placed a student with the wrong type of preceptor. You want to work with a business that understands and cares about your profession! This is not just a business to us, it is our passion. We are committed to helping the NP profession make the needed changes in our profession. We are committed students, preceptors, clinical sites, APRN schools and the APRN/NP profession. We are working on solutions to this problem! We hate that students have to pay, but this is the best solution we could come up with for now, and we have helped thousands of students graduate and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in honorariums to well-deserving preceptors.
Preceptor Questions:
- How can you justify charging students? Shouldn’t the schools be paying for this service!?
- We actually agree with this and many schools do help find preceptors. We have students from schools that do help and also from schools that don't help. We offer a service for a VERY difficult job and our students are grateful when we place them. Most of our students who need another rotation return, and that says a lot! And we are now paying back honorariums to our graduates who are precepting for us! This is one of our favorite things to do because these former-students understand both sides.
- What if I accept a student/honorarium and the student “fails” the clinical rotation?
- Whether you receive an honorarium is irrelevant to whether a student passes or fails. Students are NOT paying to pass. They are paying a service to help them secure a qualified preceptor. If you are having problems with a student, talk to the student and faculty, of course, but do please let us know the issue as well. We only want to represent quality students because our reputation and the future of our profession depend on it! However, it is our general practice to provide an honorarium to preceptors if they start working with a student.
- How much do you provide as an honorarium?
- This is up to the preceptor! We want preceptors happy, so we allow the preceptor to set their honorarium. Please keep in mind that we take your honorarium requirement and add in our business expenses. We are starting to see a disturbing trend where there is a "bidding war" for honorariums. We don't want it to become cost-prohibitive for students, and only those will means will be able to find a preceptor. If preceptors can choose a fair and moderate honorarium, and we add in fair and moderate business fees, we hope it will be doable for students and preceptors. Honorariums are NOT payment for your time- that would be too much money for anyone! An honorarium is a way of saying “thank you for your time, expertise and mentoring.”
- I don’t feel right taking an honorarium. I think it’s our responsibility to “bring up the next generation!” Or, my facility won't allow me to accept payment for precepting. Can I still use your services to help manage the complicated preceptor process?
- You may absolutely still use our services! We have heard this many times over, so we built a national database of both paid and unpaid preceptors. So now it's up to you! Watch our NP owner Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C speak about the web-based app here..
- Why should I precept?
- We have to properly educate the next generation or our profession will suffer. It is all of our responsibility. Someone precepted YOU. Now hopefully you can help educate the next generation of NPs! We talk more about this here.
- I've never precepted before. I'm not sure what to do.
- We understand, but please don't let that stop you! Just take the step and do it! We have been collecting some resources on our Preceptor Resources page so take a look there. Just think about how YOU would have wanted to be mentored as a new student.
- Do you screen students?
- With our new app, preceptors can screen students to their preference! You can review student profiles and decide whether the student is a good fit for you and your practice. We even have a place where students can upload a video about themselves. If you have special requirements for students or prerequisites, list them! You are in charge!
Site Questions:
Can you advise our site on what is needed to take a student?
Yes! We can help answer any questions you may have whether it is about a student, an affiliation agreement, an honorarium or whatever! We are here for you!
Please send an email to: preceptor@preceptorlink.com
We will be in touch shortly.
You may also call us directly at 760-604-0913 or 1-888-418-6620
Yes! We can help answer any questions you may have whether it is about a student, an affiliation agreement, an honorarium or whatever! We are here for you!
Please send an email to: preceptor@preceptorlink.com
We will be in touch shortly.
You may also call us directly at 760-604-0913 or 1-888-418-6620