Nurse practitioner student clinical placement processes: A national survey of nurse practitioner programs

Background: Providing quality clinical sites and preceptors is one of the greatest challenges for nurse practitioner programs.

Purpose: To conduct a national survey of nurse practitioner (NP) program directors to better understand the complex process for clinical site placement in the United States.

Methods: In 2018, a web-based survey was sent to program directors to ascertain the faculty and staff effort allocation and processes related to NP student placements, the number of required clinical rotations, the total hour requirement, and preceptor incentives and barriers.

Findings: There was a 47% survey response rate. Variation in processes was found across NP programs. Almost 14% of respondents said that students were required to find sites entirely on their own. Ten percent of faculty reported devoting 90% to 100% of their effort to finding preceptors. Preceptors and sites were rarely paid, but other incentives were common.

Discussion: It is vital for NP programs to streamline clinical placement processes, to foster academic-practice partnerships, and to advocate for federal funding to train the future NP workforce.