Signing off clinical hours: what you confirm

How students log hours

Schools give students a clinical log, usually an online system such as Typhon or Exxat, or the school’s own form. For each clinical day the student records the date, the hours and the setting, and many programs also ask for a record of each patient encounter: the age group, the type of visit, diagnoses and the student’s role. Programs use these logs to show that each student’s hours and patient mix meet the course requirements.

What you confirm when you sign off

• The dates: the student was with you on the days logged.
• The hours: the time logged matches the time spent.
• The care: the encounters describe care the student actually provided.
• Your supervision: the student worked under your supervision, in person or by telehealth.

A simple weekly routine

A few minutes on the same day each week keeps everything current:

1. 1Student logs dailyAsk the student to log each day’s hours the same day.
2. 2You review weeklyOpen the log, compare it with your schedule, and check the week’s totals.
3. 3Clarify anything unclearAsk the student to correct any entry before you approve.
4. 4ApproveSign off the week in the system, or on the school’s form.

Direct patient care hours

For nurse practitioner students, the hours that count toward the 750-hour minimum are direct patient care: care the student delivers to patients, in person or through telehealth. Programs count simulation separately. When the log shows the student’s role in each encounter, the program can see their progress at a glance.

Virtual hours

For virtual rotations, the student logs their telehealth visits and virtual work the same way. With Preceptorate’s virtual precepting, our team runs the mentorship sessions, and your part is the weekly review and sign-off, usually a few minutes.

Why accurate logs help everyone

Clean logs let the student’s program confirm their hours without follow-up questions, which keeps the student on track to graduate and sit for certification. They also give you a record for your own renewal: boards such as ANCC, AANPCB and AMCB count precepting hours, confirmed by a letter from the program. With Preceptorate, every hour you precept is also on record in your portal.

What a log entry usually includes

Tips for a clean log

• Ask the student to log each day the same day.
• Review on the same day each week.
• Check the week’s total against your schedule.
• Ask for corrections before approving, not after.
• Keep your own simple note of the days the student attended.

Hours across professions

Each profession counts its hours in its own way:

Signing off for different programs

Nursing programs typically ask you to approve hours and encounters in their clinical log. Counseling programs often ask the site supervisor to sign a log of direct and indirect hours each term. Social work programs use a field hours record signed by the field instructor. For BCBA fieldwork, the supervisor signs monthly fieldwork verification forms under BACB rules. PA programs confirm attendance and hours for each rotation. In every case, the idea is the same: you confirm what the student did under your supervision.

Your record, too

The log is the student’s record, and it also documents your precepting. When you request your preceptorship letter at the end of a rotation, the program uses the same logged hours, so a clean log makes your renewal paperwork simple. With Preceptorate, your portal keeps your own record of every student and every hour you precepted, alongside your payments.

Questions