Welcome
On behalf of Belmont University's Graduate Nursing program, I want to thank you for your interest in serving as a preceptor for our students. Your willingness to mentor and guide our aspiring Nurse Practitioners is a true testament to your dedication to the nursing profession and the future of healthcare.
At Belmont University, we place great emphasis on providing our students with comprehensive and immersive clinical experiences. Clinical rotations are an integral part of their education, allowing them to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. As a preceptor, you play a crucial role in this process, offering our students the opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals like yourself.
As a preceptor, you are an essential partner in our mission to produce highly skilled and empathetic Nurse Practitioners who can make a positive impact on the lives of their patients and the communities they serve. Your mentorship significantly contributes to their growth as healthcare professionals and instills in them the values of lifelong learning and continuous improvement.
We understand that precepting demands a significant commitment of time and effort, and we want to assure you that your dedication is deeply appreciated by both the university and our students.
Sincerely,
Meg Rowland, MSN, NP-C
Director of FNP Clinical Experiences
Interested in precepting?
Contribute to the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals
Chelsey Medley, FNP-BC | Class of 2013
“I precept only Belmont FNP students because they are well prepared and professional. They’re truly a joy to have in clinic and I learn a lot from them!”
Benefits of Precepting
Being a nurse practitioner preceptor can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, offering numerous benefits to both the preceptor and the nursing profession as a whole. Some of the key benefits of being a nurse practitioner preceptor include:
- Contributing to the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals: As a preceptor, you have the opportunity to shape the future of nursing by guiding and mentoring aspiring nurse practitioners. Your expertise and guidance can help mold them into competent and compassionate healthcare providers, positively impacting patient care and outcomes.
- Professional Growth and Development: Precepting allows you to enhance your own clinical and teaching skills. Explaining complex concepts to students challenges you to deepen your understanding of various medical conditions, treatment modalities, and evidence-based practices, reinforcing your own knowledge base.
- Staying Current with Best Practices: Working with nursing students exposes you to the latest developments and research in the field. Keeping up-to-date with emerging trends and evidence-based practices benefits both your teaching and your own clinical practice.
- Recruitment and Retention: Precepting can create a sense of pride and loyalty in your organization, encouraging both student and preceptor to consider staying with the facility after graduation. It can also attract other skilled healthcare professionals who appreciate the organization's commitment to education and professional development.
- Networking Opportunities: Engaging with nursing students allows you to build connections within academia and the nursing community. These connections can lead to collaborations, research opportunities, and potential job referrals.
Beyond this, Belmont University is pleased to offer the following benefits to our preceptors.
- Verification of Time: Each preceptor will receive a certificate with the details of their time precepted. In many cases, hours spent precepting students can count toward recertification in lieu of additional continuing education hours.
- Access to Online Clinical Materials: Each preceptor may have online access to Up To Date, Visual Dx, CINAHL, Medline, and more. Sign up here.
- Preceptor Payment: In some cases, you may be eligible to receive an honorarium for your time. The Director of FNP Clinical Experiences will let you know if you are eligible
Expectations & Preceptor Requirements
- Orient student to clinical site, policies, team and EHR.
- Create a mutually beneficial schedule.
- Review student’s background and experience.
- Discuss clinical objectives and requirements along with defining goals.
- Establish plan for conducting patient encounters and what role the student will play.
- Model clinical skills, observe student, and provide meaningful feedback in a clear and kind way.
- Complete student evaluations.
FAQ
Licensed healthcare providers with MD, DO, PA or NP with at least one year of clinical experience may serve as preceptors.
Our students require varying degrees to time to meet clinical competencies. Students may need 120-300 clinical hours over one to four days per week in a semester with preceptor. Some students chose to utilize the same preceptor over multiple semesters, but you are in no way obligated to take a student each semester or for multiple semesters.
If you are the primary preceptor, the student is expected to spend the majority of their time with you. It is appropriate for the student to spend a small amount of time with additional preceptors at the site to gain a variety of experiences if the site can accommodate this.
Yes, prior to the start of the rotation, you should receive communication and student expectations from the FNP Director of Clinical Experiences. The faculty will make at least one site visit to observe the student providing patient care. The faculty will meet with the student and preceptor to discuss that student's progress.
Students are expected to be actively involved in direct patient care. As students gain more knowledge and confidence their level of autonomy and independence should increase. The preceptor is expected to continue to supervise and oversee all student participation.
Yes, Belmont University provides liability and malpractice insurance for the students. As the clinical preceptor, you are also responsible for maintaining your own malpractice coverage. A copy of the malpractice coverage can be provided upon request.