Precepting a United States University nursing student

Updated September 23, 2026 · Reviewed by the USU Preceptor placement team

If a United States University (USU) student has asked you to precept, USU credentials you before the first clinical day: you complete its Appendix H form, USU approves you, and your site signs an agreement with USU. The rules depend on the student's program. USU doesn't pay preceptors, but it offers a tuition discount, continuing education, library access and an honorary faculty title.

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Open to precepting?

Tell us your credential, specialty, license state and the months you could host a student. A placement advisor will reply by email.

1:2most USU FNP students per preceptor at once (1:1 in New Jersey)

135hours in each 8-week FNP practicum

10%tuition discount USU lists for its preceptors

Numbered steps. Appendix H, its exhibits and DocuSign: 1 Appendix H; 2 Exhibit A; 3 Exhibit B; 4 Signature and submission; 5 Review and site agreement. — Appendix H, its exhibits and DocuSign: 1 Appendix H; 2 Exhibit A; 3 Exhibit B; 4 Signature and submission; 5 Review and site agreement.

What USU asks of you, by program

USU's preceptor rules change with the student's program, so ask which course they're taking before you agree. The table gives the core rules; the full preceptor requirements add which specialties suit each FNP course.

Who can precept a USU student (current USU handbooks)
Program and course	Who USU accepts	Limits to know
MSN Family Nurse Practitioner: `FNP592`, `FNP594`, `FNP596`, `FNP597`	Board-certified NP, or licensed MD or DO employed by the site; a board-certified CNM for women's health hours only; PAs not listed	1+ year of experience, a license in the clinical state, employer permission; 2 students at most (1 in New Jersey)
MSN Nurse Educator: `MSN578`	MSN or doctorate, 1+ year as an RN in the specialty, working in a healthcare or academic setting	1:1; not the student's direct supervisor or a relative
MSN Health Care Leadership: `MSN587`	Graduate degree (MSN, MHA or MBA; doctorate preferred), 1+ year of leadership, 1+ year as an RN	1:1; an unencumbered RN license where you practice
DNP practice immersion	Project Mentor with a doctorate (DNP strongly recommended; MD, DO or PhD acceptable)	Not a relative; the student's supervisor only if no other doctoral mentor is available
RN-to-BSN: `NUR378` and `NUR499`	Leader of an agency open to the public that serves vulnerable communities	Same leader for both 45-hour courses; resume to OFE

For FNP students, USU also rules out the student's spouse, domestic partner, first-degree relative or direct supervisor. The FNP Program Director gives final approval or denial.

What an FNP rotation looks like from your side

Each FNP practicum is an 8-week course of 135 clinical hours, so USU tells students to find preceptors available roughly 17 hours a week, capped at 12 hours on any one day. The catalog says most hours fall Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and your schedule comes first.

The work is hands-on, direct patient care at your site; inpatient hospital settings never count. Telehealth can count for at most 40 hours across the program, and only with you in the room during the video visit. USU does not approve teleprecepting from separate locations.

Every USU FNP student needs at least 135 of their 540 hours with an NP preceptor, so an NP can cover that requirement in a single course.

The 2-student limit counts NP students from other schools too. Hours a USU student logs while you're over the limit (1 in New Jersey) don't count.

Appendix H, its exhibits and DocuSign

USU credentials you through a short packet that the student sends to its Office of Field Experience (OFE). Our Appendix H guide has more detail.

Appendix HThe Preceptor Information and Acknowledgement Form, current version dated November 2025. You complete one per student, per site and per specialty, and confirm that your employer or site approves your precepting.
Exhibit AThe Board Certification Document, for APRNs only.
Exhibit BPreceptor Employment History, if you've been with your current employer under three years. USU wants three years of history on file.
Signature and submissionUSU's primary e-signature tool is DocuSign. The student emails OFE the form with your license verification, CV and, for APRNs, proof of board certification.
Review and site agreementProgram Director review takes 4 to 16 weeks on average. If your site has no affiliation agreement with USU, OFE sends the contract to your site coordinator; USU says to allow four to six months for a new one.
Approval letterThe student may not be on site or log hours until OFE emails an approval letter. Hours then have to begin in the course's first week.

DNP students use a different letter. Their mentor form is Appendix G, the Project Mentor Information and Acknowledgement Form, and mentor approval takes 2 to 16 weeks.

Evaluations, site visits and orientation

You shouldn't need a login for Project Concert, where students log their hours and journals. USU's 2024 preceptor onboarding document says preceptors receive emailed links to complete evaluations, including Appendix L, the Preceptor/Clinical Faculty Evaluation of Student.

A faculty member called the Clinical Site Supervisor evaluates your site and your precepting. The handbook describes a virtual visit unless an in-person one is required, and the supervisor records Appendix K, the Preceptor and Site Evaluation by Site Supervisor, within 24 hours. The student completes Appendix J, an evaluation of you. USU's evaluation schedule shows who completes what.

USU's College of Nursing and Health Sciences is responsible for orienting you to the curriculum, course objectives, roles and evaluation standards. OFE may also ask you to renew an expiring license, and approved preceptors are periodically re-reviewed.

What USU offers preceptors

USU's Preceptor Resources Hub lists these benefits for clinicians who precept its students:

A 10% tuition discount on USU's DNP, DBA, MBA and Post-Master's Certificate programs.
Access to USU's continuing education opportunities.
Online library access, available around the clock.
The title of Honorary Clinical Faculty, which stays valid as long as you complete 135 service hours a year.

USU doesn't pay preceptors, and it describes Honorary Clinical Faculty as an unpaid honorary title. Benefits can change, so confirm the current terms with OFE at ofe@usuniversity.edu before you count on one.

Open to precepting more USU students?

There are two ways to say so. USU runs its own Preceptor Inquiry Form on the Preceptor Resources Hub. You can also tell us through the form on this page, already set to “I'm a preceptor (not a student)”, or through the chat button.

Our placement service is independent of USU. We search for preceptors and sites that fit a USU student's course and USU's rules. When a student's course matches your specialty, state and calendar, a placement advisor may ask whether you'd consider them, then help gather the Appendix H packet. USU still decides.

Useful to include in your message

Your credential and board certification, or your graduate degree for educator, leadership or DNP students
Every state where you hold an active license
Your setting and specialty
How many students from other schools you already host, and the months you could take someone

Questions USU students ask

Do I need a Project Concert account to precept a USU student?

It shouldn't be necessary. USU's 2024 preceptor onboarding document says preceptors get emailed links to complete their evaluations, while the student keeps the hours log and journals. If an evaluation link never arrives, ask the student to raise it with their course faculty before the course ends.

Can I precept USU students and students from other schools at the same time?

Yes, within USU's ratio. For FNP students the limit is two students per preceptor at once, and NP students from any other program count toward it; in New Jersey the limit is one. The Nurse Educator and Health Care Leadership residencies are one-to-one. Hours logged while the limit is exceeded don't count for the USU student.

How long before a USU student can start with me?

Plan in months. USU puts Program Director approval at 4 to 16 weeks on average and a new site agreement at four to six months. The student can't start until OFE emails an approval letter, and hours must then begin in the course's first week.

Who signs the affiliation agreement with USU?

Your site does, through whoever handles its contracts. The student gives OFE your site coordinator's contact details, and OFE sends USU's contract directly to the site for legal review on both sides. USU asks students not to contact the site about it unless OFE requests it. Your own signature goes on Appendix H.

Can I use the preceptor tuition discount for my own degree?

USU's Preceptor Resources Hub lists a 10% tuition discount for preceptors on its DNP, DBA, MBA and Post-Master's Certificate programs. Other programs aren't listed. Check eligibility, timing and any conditions with OFE or USU admissions before you apply, since the Hub's terms can change.

RulesPreceptor requirementsWho can precept USU nursing students: FNP rules on NPs, MD/DOs, CNMs and PAs, the 135-hour NP minimum, the 1:2 ratio, plus NE, HCL, RN-BSN and DNP rules.FormPreceptor Information Form (Appendix H)Appendix H, USU's Preceptor Information and Acknowledgement Form: who completes it, Exhibits A and B, one form per student, site and specialty, and DocuSign.ContractAffiliation agreementsHow USU affiliation agreements work: OFE sends the contract to your site, both legal teams review it, allow 4–6 months, and why you don't contact the site.EvaluationsClinical evaluations (J, K, L)Who evaluates whom in USU clinicals: Appendices J, K and L, the site supervisor visit, the College Practicum Evaluation Rubric, and where it is all recorded.ApprovalProgram Director approvalHow USU's Program Director reviews your preceptor: what OFE sends, the 4–16 week wait, the criteria behind a denial, and when a preceptor is re-reviewed.ContactContactReach the placement desk by form or chat. Send your USU program, course number, session and state, and we reply by chat, text or email with next steps.

Last checked 2026-09-23

We check these pages against USU's own catalog, handbooks and disclosures. USU's current handbook and your Clinical Placement Coordinator have the final word.

Six months out is USU's rule. We start now.

Tell us your USU program, your state and when your next practicum opens. We look for preceptors who meet USU's rules and help you build the packet the Office of Field Experience and Program Director review.

Preceptors matched to the course: family practice, pediatrics, women's health, urgent care within USU's caps
Appendix H, license, CV and board certification gathered the way OFE asks
In person near you; telehealth only inside USU's 40-hour limit

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