Who can precept a Liberty nursing student, track by track

The short answer

No preceptor is approved just because they agreed to take you; Liberty signs off first. For PMHNP, an older FAQ says LUSON “reserves the right to approve all sites and preceptors.” For MSN, the 2022-23 handbook says the practicum coordinator screens preceptors and the program Chair approves them. What differs by track is how much of the rule is public.

FNP: no public list, but clear signals

Liberty has published no list of FNP preceptor credentials. The program page and catalog don't say whether physicians, DOs or PAs qualify, or how many years of practice a preceptor needs. Ask the practicum team before you invest time in a lead who isn't a nurse practitioner.

The signals that do exist are useful. The descriptions for NURS 771, NURS 772 and NURS 838 describe primary care across the lifespan: wellness and acute visits, then chronic and complex conditions, then broad experience that includes wellness exams. They also ask students to provide “physical, psychosocial, and spiritual care.” A preceptor in family or all-ages primary care matches that description most directly.

Some states set a floor. Liberty's Missouri page says the preceptor must be an APRN with prescribing authority, or an MD or DO with unrestricted prescriptive authority. The Oregon page requires “direct supervision of an appropriately licensed Oregon preceptor.” And virtual care is out: Liberty's FNP page says “telehealth sites are not allowed.”

PMHNP: the older FAQ rule

The only public PMHNP preceptor rule sits in an older PMHNP FAQ PDF, whose file name is dated December 2020. It says: “The approved preceptors are PMHNPs and Psychiatrists.” It also puts half of each practicum's hours with a prescriber, meaning a psychiatrist or PMHNP: 112 of 224 hours, and 140 of 280.

Those figures match the certificate's two practicums in the current catalog, NURS 754 (224 hours, adult and geriatric) and NURS 755 (280 hours, pediatrics and family). The DNP tracks use NURS 768, NURS 769 and NURS 770, and the catalog gives no per-course split, so ask how the prescriber share applies there. The certificate practicum page covers the course-list conflict.

Current program pages let PMHNP students use telehealth sites for up to 50% of practicum hours. The telehealth page explains how that limit works.

DNP practicum mentors (NURS 840 to 843)

The DNP practicum courses shared by every DNP track are faculty-guided. The catalog describes systems leadership at the micro, meso and macro levels and says planned activities need faculty approval. It publishes no credential rule for whoever hosts or mentors those hours.

NURS 844, which appears in no 2026-27 plan, describes practicum at a “pre-approved site” with a preceptor and faculty guidance, which shows the model Liberty has used. If you are arranging DNP practicum hours, confirm the mentor with your course faculty before asking for the mentor's time. Liberty's state pages also rule out Washington and DC for post-master's DNP practicum, which narrows where that mentor can be. Because the catalog lets NURS 843 be repeated to finish hours, a mentor who could host you for more than one term is worth asking about.

MSN tracks: catalog wording and older detail

The 2026-27 catalog sets the MSN baseline. Nurse Educator, Nursing Administration and Health Policy need an approved “MSN or doctorally prepared” preceptor, and the MSN/MBA and MSN/MSHA duals follow Administration. Informatics needs an approved “experienced informatics clinician.” Nurse Educator wording varies: course descriptions say nurse educator preceptor, while the plan footnote says nurse leader preceptor, so check your course.

The 2022-23 MSN Student Handbook, the newest public edition, adds detail that may have changed since:

• An RN license in good standing, plus an MSN or School of Nursing approval; a doctorate, certification and two years' experience were preferred.
• One preceptor per course, who completes the end-of-course evaluation, with 80% of your time spent with that preceptor.
• Administration: a preceptor in a nursing administration or leadership role. Community Health: a community or public health setting. Health Policy: a policy-development setting. Informatics: a mentor in an informatics setting.
• For the old Nurse Educator clinical course NURS 617: an MSN or higher in a clinical specialty, and “No Physicians or Physician Assistants.”

A preceptor from your own employer brings extra conditions; see using your workplace.

What isn't public, and where to ask

• Whether MDs, DOs or PAs can precept FNP students in states that set no rule of their own.
• Any minimum years of practice for NP preceptors.
• A PMHNP preceptor rule newer than the FAQ.
• Whether Liberty pays NP preceptors. A 2023 Liberty preceptor page linked stipend information for FNP and PMHNP preceptors, but the file could not be opened.
• Any preceptor perks, such as CE credit or a clinical title. None are published.
• Whether Liberty will share preceptors it has already approved near you. The 2022-23 handbook invited MSN students to ask about existing approved sites.

Ask the practicum team at APRN.DNPPracticum@liberty.edu, and read the preceptor forms in your Gate course, which show what Liberty verifies. If a preceptor has already been turned down, this page covers next steps. Clinicians weighing a request can read precepting a Liberty student.

Fit checked before you ask

We check fit before you spend goodwill. A placement advisor looks for preceptors whose credentials, specialty and patient mix line up with what Liberty has published for your track, and flags the gaps where Liberty's rule isn't public so you can ask the practicum team first. For PMHNP students, that includes whether the preceptor prescribes, since the older rule puts half the hours with a prescriber.

We then gather the CV and license details the practicum team will verify, and explain to a hesitant preceptor what the team has asked for. Every preceptor and site still needs Liberty's approval, and each candidate we bring has been measured against its published rules first. To open that first conversation well, see preceptor outreach, or tell us your track.