Your preceptor pulled out. Here is what to do first
A preceptor who withdraws doesn't end your practicum, but the order of your next few moves matters. Tell Liberty first, lock down the hours you have already logged, and then look for a replacement who can clear Liberty's approval. Whether it happened before day one or halfway through the term changes the details, so both cases are covered below.
Need a replacement preceptor?
Tell us your track, your state and how many hours you still need.
Tell Liberty before you start calling around
Your first message goes to Liberty, not to a list of clinics. NP and DNP students should write to the practicum team at APRN.DNPPracticum@liberty.edu and copy their course faculty if the term has started. MSN students should tell their course professor and the practicum coordinator named in their course.
Keep the message factual: the preceptor's name and site, the date they withdrew, the hours logged so far and the hours still needed. Liberty's PMHNP materials say the School of Nursing reserves the right to approve all sites and preceptors, so any replacement you find goes through Liberty regardless. Telling the team early lets them add their own leads to yours instead of hearing about the gap late.
Protect the hours you've already earned
Before the relationship fully closes, make sure your record is complete. Liberty moved its practicum logs and evaluations to InPlace from 2022, replacing Typhon, and its 2023 orientation for DNP and APRN preceptors tells them to complete student evaluations through the InPlace evaluation tool.
- Bring your InPlace log fully up to date while the details are fresh.
- Ask the departing preceptor to confirm the hours logged and, if your course expects one, complete an evaluation of the time you spent together.
- Save copies of schedules, emails or sign-offs that show when you were on site.
- Ask your course faculty in writing how partial hours from a withdrawn preceptor are treated in your course.
The 2022-23 MSN handbook has the preceptor validate the number of hours, which is why a preceptor who leaves without doing so can leave a gap in your record. More on the system is on our InPlace page.
What a replacement has to clear
A replacement is a new approval, not a swap of names on a form. Check each candidate against the points below before you put their name forward.
- Role. An older Liberty PMHNP FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as approved preceptors and puts half of each practicum's hours with a prescriber. MSN tracks ask for an MSN or doctorally prepared preceptor, and Informatics for an experienced informatics clinician. See preceptor requirements.
- State and license. The new site must be in a state approved for your program, and your RN license must be valid there.
- Setting. FNP students can't move to a telehealth site. PMHNP students can use telehealth for up to half of their practicum hours.
- Paperwork. A new facility means a new site agreement. At the same facility, ask whether the existing agreement still covers you and what the new preceptor must sign. Our site contract page explains the documents.
- State notices. In states such as New Jersey, Liberty sends preceptor and site details to the board before the start date, so a new preceptor may mean new paperwork.
Before the term versus halfway through it
If the preceptor withdraws before your course begins, you are effectively back in the placement process. The practicum team may offer a site, and Liberty's distance rule still applies: decline a provided site because it is too far and you will be asked to find one yourself.
A mid-term withdrawal is harder because the clock is running. The 2022-23 MSN handbook counts hours only within course term dates, and MSN students spend most of their time with one approved preceptor who gives the end-of-course evaluation, so ask your professor how a split course will be evaluated. DNP students have one cushion: the catalog lets NURS 843 be repeated a limited number of times to finish practicum hours. If you are already short, read behind on clinical hours.
Lower the odds of it happening twice
Preceptors leave for ordinary reasons: a new job, a heavier caseload or a change in their employer's student policy. You can't control those, but you can reduce the surprises.
- Confirm that the preceptor's manager or practice owner has agreed before paperwork starts.
- Agree on days and hours in writing. Liberty's PMHNP FAQ warns that specific days of the week can't always be secured.
- Settle any fee the site or preceptor expects up front. Liberty leaves those for you and the site to negotiate.
- Keep one backup lead warm through the term, even if you never use it.
- Share Liberty's paperwork requests with the preceptor early so nothing lands on them in the first week.
How we help after a withdrawal
Replacement searches are a core part of our work. We are an independent service working alongside Liberty's practicum team. If a preceptor we helped you find withdraws, we search again; if the preceptor was one you found yourself, we can start a search from where you are now.
We look for a preceptor and site that fit your track, in person near you where possible and by telehealth only where Liberty permits it. We check each lead against Liberty's published rules and help you prepare the new preceptor's CV, license details and site information. Liberty gives the final approval on the replacement, and we make sure its file is complete when it goes in. Search time varies with your track, your area and Liberty's review, so a placement advisor keeps you updated as each candidate is checked. Reach us through the contact page.
Questions Liberty students ask
Do I lose the hours I logged before my preceptor left?
Liberty doesn't publish a rule for this situation, so ask your course faculty in writing. What helps most is a clean record: hours entered in InPlace, confirmed by the preceptor, within the course term dates. Hours documented that way with an approved preceptor are much easier to credit than hours pieced together weeks later.
Can my new preceptor work at the same clinic?
That is often the simplest route, because the facility already knows Liberty's process. The new clinician still has to fit your course and be approved, and you should ask whether the existing site agreement covers the change or whether new forms are needed. If the practice itself pulled out, look elsewhere.
Should I tell the practicum team if I've already lined up a replacement?
Yes. The replacement can't start until Liberty has reviewed and approved them, and in some states Liberty must send preceptor details to the board before clinicals begin. Telling the team straight away, with the new preceptor's details attached, gives them the most time to act.
My PMHNP preceptor left. Can telehealth fill the gap?
Partly. Liberty allows PMHNP students to complete up to 50% of practicum hours through telehealth, so a telehealth preceptor can carry some of the load while you look for an in-person replacement. The older PMHNP FAQ also puts half of each practicum's hours with a prescriber, so check the new preceptor's role too. See telehealth hours.
What if my preceptor left over a fee?
Liberty says facility and preceptor fees are the student's responsibility and should be negotiated directly with the site, and that it can't control them. If money caused the split, agree terms in writing with the next preceptor before any paperwork begins. Preceptor fees covers what to ask.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against Liberty's own published sources. The practicum team and Liberty's current handbook have the final word.
More leads, sooner, for your practicum.
Tell us your Liberty program, your county and when your practicum starts. We look for a preceptor and site that fit Liberty's rules for your track, and help you get the Gate-course paperwork right.
- Matched to your track: FNP, PMHNP, DNP or MSN
- Paperwork ready for the Gate course and the site contract
- In person near you, or telehealth where your track allows it
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