Nurse practitioner students struggle to find clinical preceptors, often paying thousands

Nurse practitioner graduate programs require students to complete at least 500 hours of supervised patient care with a licensed preceptor. Across the United States, a shortage of qualified preceptors is leaving many trainees unable to meet this requirement.

In Chicago, 45-year-old Yesenia Raithel Vargas, a mother of four, turned to a Facebook group for help finding a therapist who could supervise her psychiatric nursing rotations. After sending dozens of emails and making countless calls, she discovered that many preceptors charge thousands of dollars for the mentorship, adding a heavy financial burden to students already juggling school and family responsibilities.

The scarcity of preceptors has prompted the rise of companies that act as matchmakers, connecting nursing students with willing supervisors for a fee. While these services provide a short‑term solution, they also highlight a systemic issue in clinical education that could affect the pipeline of qualified nurse practitioners.