Precepting glossary: the terms schools use

How to use this glossary

Terms are grouped by where you will meet them: the people, the paperwork, the hours, teaching and evaluation, and the boards. Each definition is short and in plain words, with a link to the article that goes deeper where there is one.

Terms that differ between professions

The same idea often has different names. Nursing and PA programs say preceptor; counseling says site supervisor; social work says field instructor; behavior analysis says fieldwork supervisor. Nursing counts direct patient care hours; counseling counts direct service hours; social work counts field education hours; behavior analysis counts supervised fieldwork hours. Knowing the local word helps conversations with a program go smoothly.

The terms

Preceptor

An experienced, licensed clinician who supervises a student’s clinical hours in their own practice, in person or virtually.

Site supervisor

The counseling term for the clinician who supervises a counseling student’s practicum or internship at a site.

Field instructor

The social work term for the practitioner who supervises a BSW or MSW student’s field education.

Fieldwork supervisor

A qualified BCBA who supervises a behavior analysis candidate’s fieldwork under BACB rules.

Clinical faculty

The school’s faculty member who oversees a student’s clinical course and stays in touch with the preceptor.

Clinical coordinator

The school staff member who arranges placements and confirms preceptors and sites.

Affiliation agreement

The agreement between a school and a clinical site setting out how students complete hours there.

Preceptor packet

The school’s orientation materials for a preceptor: course objectives, evaluation forms and contacts.

Preceptor orientation

The introduction a school gives new preceptors, written, verbal, virtual or face to face.

Clinical log

The record of a student’s clinical days, hours and patient encounters, often kept in a system such as Typhon or Exxat.

Direct patient care hours

Hours in which the student provides care to patients under supervision, in person or through telehealth.

Practicum

A supervised clinical course; in counseling, the first supervised experience, of at least 100 hours.

Internship

In counseling, the 600-hour supervised experience that follows the practicum.

Field education

Social work’s supervised practice: at least 400 hours for a BSW and 900 for an MSW.

Supervised fieldwork

The hours a BCBA candidate completes under supervision: 2,000, or 1,500 concentrated.

Population focus

The patient population an NP is prepared for: family, adult-gerontology, pediatrics, women’s health, neonatal or psychiatric-mental health.

Dual-track program

An NP program preparing a student for two population foci and two certifications.

Immersive experience

A concentrated clinical experience near the end of an NP program.

Rotation

A block of clinical time in one setting or specialty, especially in PA programs.

Block of hours

With Preceptorate, the hours a preceptor is paid for together; its length follows the student’s program.

Midpoint evaluation

The preceptor’s assessment of a student’s progress halfway through a rotation, with goals for the second half.

Final evaluation

The preceptor’s assessment of the student against the course objectives at the end of a rotation.

One-Minute Preceptor

A five-step teaching model: get a commitment, probe for evidence, teach a general rule, reinforce what was right, correct mistakes.

SNAPPS

A learner-led teaching model: summarize, narrow, analyze, probe, plan and select a topic to learn.

Nursys

The database state boards of nursing use to verify nurse and APRN licenses.

Unencumbered license

An active license with no restrictions, the standard schools ask of preceptors.

Preceptorship letter

A letter from the student’s program confirming your precepting dates and hours, used for certification renewal.

Contact hour

A unit of continuing education; boards such as AANPCB and AMCB convert precepting hours into contact hours.

Category 1 CME

The higher tier of PA continuing medical education; AAPA awards it to PA preceptors through accredited programs.

Certifying boards

ANCC, AANPCB, AACN Certification Corporation, PNCB, NCC, AMCB and NCCPA certify the clinicians who precept.

Clinical site

The practice, clinic, hospital or agency where a student completes clinical hours.

Placement

The match of a student with a preceptor and site for a clinical course.

Site visit

A check-in by the school’s clinical faculty with the preceptor, in person or by video.

Telehealth hours

Clinical hours a student completes through telehealth visits, counted where the school accepts them.

Direct service hours

In counseling, hours spent working with actual clients: at least 40 in practicum and 240 in internship.

Concentrated supervised fieldwork

The BACB fieldwork option with more supervision and fewer total hours: 1,500.

Unrestricted activities

BCBA fieldwork that resembles the work of a certified behavior analyst, at least 60% of the hours.

ACME

The Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, which accredits nurse-midwifery and midwifery programs.

ARC-PA

The accrediting body for physician assistant programs.

CACREP

The accrediting body for counseling programs, whose 2024 standards set practicum and internship hours.

CSWE

The Council on Social Work Education, which accredits BSW and MSW programs.

NTF standards

The National Task Force standards for quality NP education, sixth edition published in 2022.

Questions