The Preceptor Brief
25 plain-spoken guides for clinicians who precept: earnings, clinical hours, recertification, teaching, paperwork and every specialty. Every figure is checked against its official source, and every article lists them.
How to become a preceptor
To become a preceptor you need an active, unencumbered license in the state where you practice, national board certification in your specialty where your profession certifies, and usually one to two years of experience in your role. You are then matched with a student whose program fits your practice, the school’s paperwork is completed, and you supervise the student’s clinical hours, in person or virtually.
6 min readRead1–2 yearsin your role: what most programs look for in a new preceptor750direct patient care hours every NP student completes, at minimum14specialties Preceptorate matches, from FNP to BCBA5things almost every program asks of a preceptorPayHow much preceptors earn, and how pay works
What decides a preceptor’s earnings: the rate you set, the hours you precept and the students you take. How Preceptorate pays, how blocks of hours work, and what else precepting earns you.
5 min readReadGetting startedWhat does a preceptor do?
The preceptor’s role in plain terms: teaching inside your own practice, supervising patient care, reviewing logged hours and completing the school’s evaluations, in person or virtually.
5 min readReadGetting startedWhy clinicians precept: the rewards of teaching
What clinicians gain from precepting: paid hours at a rate they set, credit toward certification renewal, sharper clinical reasoning, and a hand in shaping their own profession.
5 min readReadCredentialsPreceptor requirements by specialty
Who can precept each kind of student, which boards certify them and the hour rules programs work to: FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, PMHNP, PNP, WHNP, NNP, nurse-midwifery, DNP, MSN, counseling, social work, BCBA and PA.
5 min readReadCredentialsPrecepting and recertification: every board’s rules
How ANCC, AANPCB, AACN Certification Corporation, PNCB, AMCB, NCC and AAPA/NCCPA count precepting toward renewal: the hours, who you may precept and the proof each board asks for.
5 min readReadStudentsHow many clinical hours do NP students need?
The 750-hour minimum for every NP track, what counts as direct patient care, why older handbooks say 500, how programs divide the hours across courses, and where the DNP’s 1,000 hours fit.
5 min readReadVirtualVirtual precepting: how telehealth hours work
What virtual precepting is, what the NP standards say about telehealth hours, which specialties suit it, the HIPAA basics for video visits, and how it works with Preceptorate in minutes a week.
5 min readReadVirtualA checklist for precepting by telehealth
Everything that makes a telehealth visit with a student run smoothly: the setup, how to introduce the student, who does what on the call, the debrief, documentation and logging the hours.
5 min readReadGetting startedHow preceptor matching works
How Preceptorate matches preceptors and students: by specialty, location and how you would like to precept, with your license verified, a short first call, and the hours and pay shown before you accept.
5 min readReadGetting startedThe first call with your student: what to ask
The short call that starts every rotation: the questions that matter, what to share about your practice, how to agree the schedule and expectations, and what happens after you say yes.
5 min readReadTeachingYour first student: a week-by-week guide
What to expect from your first rotation, from the orientation packet to the final evaluation: how a student moves from watching to leading visits, and how to teach well in a busy clinic.
5 min readReadTeachingGiving feedback to students that sticks
How to give clinical students feedback they can use: timely, specific and about the work, in a few minutes a day, with simple models for daily feedback, the midpoint conversation and the final evaluation.
5 min readReadTeachingTeaching clinical reasoning: the One-Minute Preceptor and SNAPPS
Two short, proven teaching models that fit inside a busy clinic: the One-Minute Preceptor’s five microskills and SNAPPS’s six learner-led steps, with examples of how each sounds in practice.
5 min readReadTeachingPrecepting in a busy clinic: keeping your schedule on time
Practical ways to teach a student without running late: choosing which patients the student sees, the wave schedule, short presentations, shared documentation and teaching in two-minute moments.
5 min readReadTeachingCompleting student evaluations: midpoint and final
What clinical evaluation forms ask, how to rate a student fairly against the course objectives, what to write in the comments, and how to make the midpoint and final evaluations quick and useful.
5 min readReadPaperworkSigning off clinical hours: what you confirm
How students log clinical hours in systems such as Typhon and Exxat, what a preceptor confirms when signing off, a simple weekly routine, and how accurate logs support the student and your own renewal.
5 min readReadPaperworkWhat is a clinical affiliation agreement?
The agreement behind every clinical rotation: who signs it, what it covers, how long it takes, how an existing agreement can be reused, and how Preceptorate prepares it for you.
5 min readReadPaperworkStudent notes and patient records: verify, don’t rewrite
How documentation works when a student sees your patients: the Medicare rule that lets you verify a student’s note instead of rewriting it, and how HIPAA treats supervised training as part of everyday health care operations.
5 min readReadPaperworkFaculty check-ins and site visits: working with the school
How a student’s program stays in touch with you during a rotation: the orientation packet, faculty check-ins and site visits, in person or virtual, and who to call with a question.
5 min readReadPayPreceptor income and taxes: the 1099-NEC explained
How preceptor income is reported in 2026: contractor income, the 1099-NEC and its new $2,000 threshold, self-employment tax, the Social Security wage base, deductions and the estimated tax dates.
5 min readReadSpecialtiesPrecepting physician assistant students: CME credit and rotations
How PA preceptors earn AAPA Category 1 CME, how it fits NCCPA’s 100-credit cycle, what PA clinical rotations look like, who precepts them, and how student notes are documented.
5 min readReadSpecialtiesSupervising counseling, social work and behavior analysis students
The supervised hours counseling, social work and BCBA students complete under CACREP 2024, CSWE 2022 and the BACB, the qualifications for site supervisors, field instructors and fieldwork supervisors, and the BACB’s 2027 changes.
5 min readReadGetting startedPhysicians as preceptors for NP and PA students
How physicians precept nurse practitioner and physician assistant students: what the NP program standards allow, which rotations suit physician preceptors, how documentation works and how Preceptorate matches MDs and DOs.
5 min readReadGetting startedPrecepting glossary: the terms schools use
Plain definitions of the words that come up in clinical placements: affiliation agreement, clinical log, direct patient care hours, population focus, practicum, site supervisor, field instructor, SNAPPS and more.
5 min readReadQuick answers
The short answer to every question in the Brief. Each one links to the full article and its sources.
- How to become a preceptor
- To become a preceptor you need an active, unencumbered license in the state where you practice, national board certification in your specialty where your profession certifies, and usually one to two years of experience in your role. You are then matched with a student whose program fits your practice, the school’s paperwork is completed, and you supervise the student’s clinical hours, in person or virtually.
- How much preceptors earn, and how pay works
- Preceptors with Preceptorate earn for the hours they precept, at a rate they set within the network’s range for their specialty. What you earn across a year comes down to three things you control: your rate, the hours you precept and how many students you take on. Every student we bring you shows the pay before you accept.
- What does a preceptor do?
- A preceptor teaches a student inside their own practice. You let the student see how you work, then have them do the work with you: taking histories, examining patients, presenting and proposing plans while you guide and confirm every decision. Along the way you review the hours the student logs and complete the school’s evaluations.
- Why clinicians precept: the rewards of teaching
- Clinicians precept because it pays back in several ways at once. It is paid through networks like Preceptorate, it counts toward certification renewal with every major nurse practitioner board and with AMCB and AAPA, it keeps your own clinical reasoning sharp, and it shapes the clinicians who will join your specialty.
- Preceptor requirements by specialty
- Across every specialty, a preceptor needs an active, unencumbered license where the student’s hours take place and experience in the student’s field. The details differ by profession: NP students complete at least 750 direct patient care hours, DNP students 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours, counseling students a 100-hour practicum and 600-hour internship, social work students 400 or 900 field hours, and BCBA candidates 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork.
- Precepting and recertification: every board’s rules
- Precepting counts toward renewal with every major certifying board for nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and PAs. ANCC accepts a minimum of 120 preceptor hours as a full renewal category; AANPCB converts up to 120 precepting hours into 25 continuing education hours; AMCB counts 90 or more hours as up to 10 contact hours; AACN Certification Corporation awards renewal points from 80 hours a year; and PA preceptors earn AAPA Category 1 CME. Each board asks for proof from the student’s program.
- How many clinical hours do NP students need?
- At least 750 hours of direct patient care. The 2022 National Task Force Standards for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education, sixth edition, set 750 direct patient care clinical hours as the minimum for each NP population-focused track, up from the 500 hours older handbooks quote. Care delivered through telehealth can count. DNP programs separately count at least 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours across the whole program.
- Virtual precepting: how telehealth hours work
- Virtual precepting means supervising a student’s clinical hours online, through telehealth visits or structured virtual work, where the student’s school accepts those hours. The 2022 NP standards count care delivered through telehealth as direct patient care, and each school sets how many virtual hours a course accepts. With Preceptorate, our team runs the mentorship sessions, and you review and sign off the hours your student logs.
- A checklist for precepting by telehealth
- A smooth telehealth visit with a student needs four things: the practice’s own HIPAA-compliant video platform, a clear introduction of the student to the patient, an agreed split of who leads which part of the visit, and a two-minute debrief afterwards. Document the student’s part and your supervision, and have the student log the hours the same day.
- How preceptor matching works
- Preceptorate matches you with students by specialty, by where you practice and by how you would like to precept: in person, virtually or both. Before you meet anyone, we verify your license with the state board. Each match starts with a short call between you and the student, and you see the course, the hours and the pay before you accept.
- The first call with your student: what to ask
- The first call is a short conversation where you and the student see whether the rotation fits. Ask about their program, course, dates and hours, what they have already practiced and what they most want to learn. Share how your practice runs, and agree the days, the start date and how you will communicate. You decide after the call.
- Your first student: a week-by-week guide
- Your first student spends week one watching how you work and learning your clinic. In weeks two and three they take histories and present each patient to you. By the midpoint they lead visits while you confirm every plan, and the final weeks build toward running full visits, closing with the final evaluation and your sign-off of their hours.
- Giving feedback to students that sticks
- Feedback that sticks is timely, specific and about the work rather than the person. Give it the same day, name exactly what the student did well and the one thing to change, and ask them to say what they will do differently next time. A minute after each patient and a few minutes at the end of the day are enough to transform a rotation.
- Teaching clinical reasoning: the One-Minute Preceptor and SNAPPS
- The two most widely used models for teaching in a busy clinic are the One-Minute Preceptor and SNAPPS. The One-Minute Preceptor (Neher and colleagues, 1992) gives the preceptor five steps: get a commitment, probe for evidence, teach a general rule, reinforce what was right and correct mistakes. SNAPPS (Wolpaw and colleagues, 2003) hands the lead to the student: summarize, narrow, analyze, probe, plan and select a topic to learn.
- Precepting in a busy clinic: keeping your schedule on time
- Most preceptors keep their usual schedule with a student by choosing which patients the student sees first, having the student present briefly before you go in together, teaching one point per patient, and letting the student draft the note for you to review. As the student gains confidence, they save you time rather than adding to it.
- Completing student evaluations: midpoint and final
- Most programs ask preceptors to evaluate a student twice: at the midpoint, to check progress and set goals, and at the end, to rate the student against the course objectives. The forms usually cover history taking, examination, clinical reasoning, plans, documentation, communication and professionalism, with a rating for each and room for comments. Specific examples make an evaluation fair and useful.
- Signing off clinical hours: what you confirm
- Students log their clinical hours, and often the patients they saw, in their school’s clinical log, commonly a system such as Typhon or Exxat. When you sign off, you confirm that the dates and hours are accurate and that the student provided the care they describe under your supervision. A weekly review takes a few minutes and keeps the record clean.
- What is a clinical affiliation agreement?
- A clinical affiliation agreement is the agreement between a student’s school and the facility where the student completes clinical hours. It sets out what the student will do, how they are supervised, the school’s requirements for its students and how patient information is handled. It is signed by authorized people at the school and the facility, and with Preceptorate our team prepares it for you.
- Student notes and patient records: verify, don’t rewrite
- Since 2020, Medicare has let physicians, PAs and APRNs review and verify a student’s note by signing and dating it, rather than re-documenting it, for services paid under the physician fee schedule. HIPAA treats supervised training of health care students as part of a practice’s health care operations, so students learn from the records of the patients they help care for as part of the practice’s normal work.
- Faculty check-ins and site visits: working with the school
- During a rotation, the student’s program keeps in touch with you through its clinical faculty. Expect an orientation packet before the first day, a faculty check-in or site visit during the rotation, often by phone or video, and the midpoint and final evaluation forms. NP program standards ask for this communication between faculty and preceptors, so you always have a contact at the school.
- Preceptor income and taxes: the 1099-NEC explained
- Preceptor pay from a network is usually independent contractor income, paid in full. For payments made from 2026 onward, a payer files a Form 1099-NEC when it pays you $2,000 or more in the year, up from $600. The income is subject to income tax and to self-employment tax of 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings, half of which is deductible, and estimated tax is usually paid quarterly when you expect to owe $1,000 or more.
- Precepting physician assistant students: CME credit and rotations
- Practicing PAs who precept students from ARC-PA accredited programs earn AAPA Category 1 CME: 2 credits per student for each 40-hour week of clinical teaching, awarded through the student’s program. That counts toward NCCPA certification maintenance, which asks for 100 CME credits every two years, at least 50 of them Category 1. PA students rotate through core areas of medicine with a series of preceptors, in person.
- Supervising counseling, social work and behavior analysis students
- Counseling, social work and behavior analysis students all complete supervised hours with a qualified professional in their field. Under the 2024 CACREP standards, counseling students complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship; CSWE asks for at least 400 field hours for a BSW and 900 for an MSW; and BCBA candidates complete 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork, or 1,500 hours of concentrated fieldwork.
- Physicians as preceptors for NP and PA students
- Physicians precept both nurse practitioner and physician assistant students. The National Task Force standards for NP programs name physicians among the clinicians a program may use as preceptors, usually for part of a student’s hours, and PA programs rely on physicians for many of their core rotations. A physician in the student’s area of care, with an active, unencumbered license and board certification, can precept both.
- Precepting glossary: the terms schools use
- Clinical placements come with their own vocabulary. A preceptor supervises a student’s clinical hours; an affiliation agreement is the agreement between the school and the site; direct patient care hours are the hours a student spends caring for patients; and a clinical log is where the student records them. The glossary below defines the terms schools, boards and students use most.
How we write the Brief
Each article answers its question first, then gives the detail. Figures come from the boards, accreditors and agencies that set them, and each article names its sources and the date we checked them.
Schools build on these standards with their own guidelines, so we say what programs usually ask.
- ANCC
- AANPCB
- AACN Certification Corporation
- PNCB
- NCC
- AMCB
- National Task Force (NONPF)
- AACN
- CACREP
- CSWE
- BACB
- AAPA
- NCCPA
- IRS
- CMS
- HHS
Precept with Preceptorate
In person or virtually, in your specialty. You set your rate; we handle everything else.