Asking a preceptor to take you for a Liberty practicum

Know your track's rules before you write

A clinician can't say yes to a vague request. Before you contact anyone, pin down who can precept your track, where your practicum can happen, and what your courses cover.

• PMHNP: an older Liberty FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as approved preceptors and asks for half of each practicum's hours with a prescriber. Telehealth can cover up to half of your hours.
• FNP: Liberty hasn't published a preceptor credential list, and telehealth sites aren't allowed. The practicum course descriptions for NURS 771 and NURS 772 center on primary care across the lifespan.
• MSN: an approved MSN or doctorally prepared preceptor for Educator, Administration and Health Policy, and an experienced informatics clinician for Informatics.
• Every track: a site in a state Liberty approves for your program, and an RN license that covers that state.

The details are on preceptor requirements and state restrictions. If you're unsure whether someone qualifies, ask the practicum team before you ask the clinician.

Who to ask first

Start with people who already know your work. Liberty's older PMHNP FAQ tells students to reach out to organizations in their area and to network with colleagues, and Liberty's program pages note that students know their local areas best. Former managers, clinicians you've worked alongside and practices you've referred patients to are warmer starting points than a cold list.

Then widen the circle: practices near you that match your track, community health centers, and for MSN students, education, leadership, policy or informatics teams in organizations you can reach. Keep a simple tracker with each person's name, credential, practice, how you contacted them and when to follow up.

Share promising leads with the practicum team. Liberty calls NP placement a collaborative partnership, and a lead checked against Liberty's requirements early saves you weeks on one that can't be approved. See working with the practicum team.

What to put in the first message

Aim for something a busy clinician can read in a minute. A clear, specific ask is easier to answer than a long introduction.

• Who you are: your name, that you're a Liberty University nursing student, your track and the state of your RN license.
• The course: the course number, such as NURS 771 or NURS 677, and the term dates.
• The hours: what you need from them. Each MSN track carries 300 hours across three courses; FNP students complete 750 NP hours across NURS 771, NURS 772 and NURS 838, and Liberty doesn't publish the split by course, so check your syllabus.
• The setting you need: primary care, psychiatric care, education, leadership, policy or informatics.
• What Liberty will ask of them: their CV and license details, an agreement with the site, and evaluations of your work.
• Who approves: Liberty reviews and approves every preceptor and site.
• A clear next step: a short conversation this week, or the name of the right person in their practice.

Attach a one-page CV of your own. Send the message from your Liberty email, where the School of Nursing sends its mail, so replies and paperwork stay in one place.

A short message you can adapt

Subject: Liberty University FNP student asking about precepting in [term]

"Hello [Name], I'm an RN in [city] and a DNP – FNP student at Liberty University. I'm looking for a primary care preceptor for [course] from [start date] to [end date]. Liberty would ask you for your CV and license details and an agreement with your practice, and Liberty approves the final arrangement. I can work around your clinic days. Could we talk for ten minutes this week, or could you point me to the right person?"

Change the details for your track. A Nurse Educator student would name the education setting and the nurse educator role; a PMHNP student might mention that some hours could be telehealth. Keep it under 150 words, and follow up once, politely, if you hear nothing.

What not to promise

Don't tell a clinician they're approved, or that approval is a formality. Liberty decides after reviewing the paperwork, and an older PMHNP FAQ says Liberty reserves the right to approve all sites and preceptors.

Don't offer perks Liberty hasn't published. Its public pages list no continuing education credit, library access, adjunct title or honorarium for preceptors. A 2023 orientation page links a document on stipends for FNP and PMHNP preceptors, but the file couldn't be opened, so leave stipends out too. If a preceptor asks, send the question to the practicum team.

Don't promise a schedule you can't keep. If you need particular days, say so up front; the PMHNP FAQ notes that specific weekdays can't always be secured. And if the preceptor mentions a fee, read site and preceptor fees before you agree to anything.

When someone says yes

1. Confirm the basics in writingRestate the course, term dates, days and hours you discussed in an email the preceptor can reply to.
2. Collect their documentsAsk for their CV, license details and work contact information. The 2022-23 MSN forms asked for the preceptor's work email on the verification and agreement forms.
3. Start the site agreementFind out who signs student agreements at the practice or facility, and whether they accept Liberty's agreement. The preceptor site contract page explains what's involved.
4. Submit through your Gate coursePut everything in through your track's Gate course, and tell the practicum team the lead is confirmed.
5. Keep the preceptor informedLet them know when Liberty approves, when your start date is set, and how evaluations will reach them. A 2023 Liberty orientation page says DNP and APRN preceptors complete evaluations through InPlace.

If a clinician wants to know more before agreeing, our page for clinicians asked to precept answers the usual questions.

Let us run the outreach

Outreach takes hours of messages and follow-ups, and not every ask gets a reply. We run that search for you, for your Liberty track and state, and bring you preceptors who have said they're open to it, along with the documents your Gate course needs.

Liberty makes the approval call on every site and preceptor, and the preceptors we bring you arrive with the documents that call depends on. To start, use the form below, or see how it works.