I would not
mind being a preceptor for an NP student sometime in the future, and when I
feel comfortable with my own skills and time management, but that will be a
year or two. These days I regularly see postings of students looking for nurse
practitioner preceptors. I have even received emails via my LinkedIn profile
asking me to be a preceptor. I was lucky in that my school matched us with
preceptors, but here is the problem. Many schools and online degree programs do
match you with a preceptor, and after you start do not give a damn that you
cannot find a preceptor. They have your money and you are on your own to find
preceptors.
As a NP
students you will need preceptors, and a minimum number of clinical hours to
get board certified. National standards also require your preceptors to be
certified, practicing and pass a screening process; this avoids fraud on the
part of the school and by the student.
The thing is
there are not enough preceptors for all the students out there. Nurse practitioner I have talked to do not
precept for many reasons and it has to do with the business of healthcare. Most
companies give NPs a set block of time to see a set number of patients. In
primary care that is usually 15-20 minutes to see the patient, diagnose, treat
and chart, and the urgent care visits are as fast as possible. Your preceptor then
needs to double check everything the student does, because it is their license
in jeopardy every time the student sees one of their patients. I'm sure but
probably some large and small companies also do not want the liability of a
student.
If you Google
and look around at the comments about finding preceptors, I think the best
thing you can do is to be proactive and line up your preceptors before starting
a program, or go into one that matches you with preceptors. Pursue your dreams
but plan ahead.
3 comments:
I do precept nursing students, every semester. I give priority to PNP students for several reasons. First of all, I am adjunct faculty at one of the nursing schools that has a PNP program, and they get first priority. Also, peds is my specialty, peds clinical sites are limited, and those PNP students have peds experience which makes my job as preceptor easier. I get about 15 requests per semester for student placements, most of which are for FNP students. Some of them are quite aggressive, not taking "no, I'm already committed" for an answer. I've had them contact my manager, my medical director, and even the CMO of the very large company for which I am employed. I understand their desperation, but they need to think about my position which is that of a full time PNP who sees 25+ patients/day. Students don't understand how much time precepting actually takes. They think they are just going in to examine a patient, discuss the plan with the preceptor, and write a note. But I need to also examine the patient, review the management plan, and review the notes at the end of the day.Ultimately, I am responsible for that patient's care and outcome. I don't know what the answer to clinical placement is, but instead of churning out students, maybe these programs should build relationships with NPs in the community so that they will have established clinical sites in which to place their students.
I can see why some NPs don't take students. It really is a lot of extra work that we don't get paid for. I happen to enjoy precepting and find it rewarding. But it can really add stress to an already busy day, especially if you have a student who is not experienced in your area or if they are just there to get clinical hours. And believe me, I've had those students as well.
Thank you and good points. There are far more FNPs than all other NPs, so finding someone in your specialty is important. If you are Adult, Acute or a Geriatric NP, then I want to work with those students. If you have a sub specialty like psych, occupational health or diabetes, then students should precept with those NPs.
Well said and good advice. One of the most stressful things about being in NP school was finding preceptors who were available and willing to take on NP students. When I become a nurse practitioner and have some years of experience, I will be most welcoming to students!
P.S. Found your blog when I was searching for NP blogs and will enjoy reading your past entries!
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