How we help you find a Liberty-ready preceptor and site

Who does what, at a glance

Three parties touch a Liberty placement when you hire us: you, Liberty and a placement advisor. Each has a separate job, and the approval itself always comes from Liberty.

The steps, in the order Liberty's process runs

1. You tell us where you standUse the form below or the chat. Give us your track, your next course (for example NURS 771 or NURS 677), your state and county, your start term and any leads already tried.
2. We check the fit firstBefore quoting, we check your situation against Liberty's published rules: the states open to your track, the RN license you hold for the practicum state, and whether telehealth is open to you. If something blocks the plan, you hear it now, not after a search.
3. Written quote and termsYou get a written quote and our terms before you commit to anything. They say what we will search for, which courses the search covers and what happens if a preceptor later withdraws. The cost page explains what shapes the figure.
4. The searchA placement advisor contacts clinicians and practices near you, because an in-person site close to home is the main route. For PMHNP students we can also look at telehealth sites for part of the hours, within Liberty's cap.
5. Details checked before you submitWe confirm the preceptor's credentials suit your track, the site will sign Liberty's agreement or offer its own contract, and the dates line up with your course term. Then we help you gather the CV, license details and site information.
6. You submit, Liberty decidesYou put the paperwork through your Gate course and Liberty's placement steps, and Liberty makes the call. In some states the School of Nursing then notifies the board of nursing, which adds lead time.
7. On call through the practicumIf a preceptor withdraws or a site changes its mind, tell us and we search again. The replacement goes through Liberty's approval like the first.

Working alongside Liberty's practicum team

Liberty describes placement for its NP programs as a "collaborative partnership between the student and our dedicated practicum team". The team aims to match each student with a preceptor and site, and Liberty also encourages students to take an active role in finding placements, since students know their own areas.

Hiring us is one way to take that active role, with a placement advisor working your area while the team works its own list. Keep APRN.DNPPracticum@liberty.edu informed about leads we develop, and tell us at once if the team offers you a site, so no clinician is asked twice. If a provided site is too far, Liberty's rule is that you find the replacement, and the site distance page explains that rule. For more on the team itself, see the practicum team page.

Timing: count back from your Gate course

Liberty publishes no deadline in days for submitting a preceptor, so your degree plan is the best clock you have. In the 2026-27 FNP plan, Gate 1 (NURS 731) sits in semester 6 and the first practicum, NURS 771, in semester 7 alongside Gate 2 (NURS 738). The post-BSN PMHNP plan puts Gate 1 (NURS 756) in semester 5, a term ahead of NURS 768.

MSN students meet their gate, NURS 527, in the first semester, and the catalog says the site affiliation agreement is secured before the first practicum course. State rules can add time: Liberty's Alabama page says the board must be notified at least 15 days before APRN clinicals.

The practical answer is to start when your Gate course opens, or earlier. The Gate courses page covers what each one collects, and need a preceptor fast covers a late start.

How the search changes by track

• FNP (DNP): in-person primary care only, because Liberty does not allow telehealth sites for FNP. NURS 771, NURS 772 and NURS 838 make up 750 NP hours, with 300 DNP practicum hours on top.
• PMHNP (DNP, post-BSN or post-MSN): NURS 768, NURS 769 and NURS 770. Telehealth may cover up to 50% of hours. An older Liberty FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as approved preceptors.
• PMHNP certificate: the catalog lists NURS 754 (adult/gero, 224 hours) and NURS 755 (pediatrics/family, 280 hours); the program web page differs, so confirm yours first.
• Post-master's DNP: NURS 840 to NURS 843, at least 560 hours of faculty-approved practicum activity.
• MSN tracks: you select the facility and obtain a preceptor site contract, for 300 hours across three courses.
• RN-to-BSN: 16 hours of community observation in NURS 440, at a location you choose for faculty approval.

Hour totals and their sources are on the clinical hours page.

What every step gives you

Every step above follows Liberty's own order, and each one hands you something concrete. A lead reaches you only after a placement advisor has checked it against your track's rules, and you hear where things stand at each stage, from the first call to a clinic through to Liberty's sign-off.

Your Liberty record stays yours: you submit through your Gate course and Liberty's placement steps, with our preparation behind every document. Every search also runs in states Liberty has opened to your track, which for the NP programs means every approved state outside California, New York, Washington, DC and the US territories.