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Mennonite College of Nursing
A professional analysing students practicing

Graduate Preceptor Resources

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.
- Margaret Fuller

Welcome, graduate preceptors (and future preceptors)!

Your role is vital for offering students the opportunity for hands-on clinical experience, but also, by guiding more nurses into advanced practice roles, you help elevate nursing care and mentor those who could be tomorrow's mentors, preceptors, or even nursing faculty. Illinois State University (ISU) Mennonite College of Nursing's (MCN) preceptor program provides benefits for everyone involved in the preceptor partnership, including valuable clinical experience for students, an opportunity for preceptors to serve and connect with the university, and ability for faculty to collaborate with practicing providers in our community.

To our current preceptors, thank you for your time and commitment to our students and future colleagues!

If you are considering precepting, we welcome you to join us. Are you interested in becoming a preceptor for the MCN Family Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs? Contact Jessica Sullivan, NP Sequence Leader, at jmsulli7@IllinoisState.edu.

Explore Our Preceptor Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the requirements to precept a student?
  • Be nationally board certified and licensed in the State of Illinois or precepting state.
  • 2+ years of experience in your population-focused field
  • Have the capacity to mentor a student 1-2 days per week for at least one semester annually, with some flexibility in scheduling.
  • Students who use preceptors cannot select a preceptor who is a family member or any other relationship that could create an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
  • I have never precepted a nurse practitioner (NP) student. What should I expect?
Precepting NP students is like precepting a new colleague. However, students are still learning and will not have the competencies of a new nurse practitioner. Students will need mentorship and feedback.
  • How is the term "committed preceptor" defined?
A committed preceptor = a preceptor who precepts at least one Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) NP student per year for a minimum of 120 hours.
  • What are the benefits of being a committed preceptor?
You will be eligible to apply for adjunct faculty status. Adjunct faculty members will gain access to library resources including Up To Date and journal databases. Additional benefits include an invitation the annual Preceptor workshop with continuing education credits, option to join the ISU Rec Center at the faculty/staff rate, annual verification letter of precepting hours, and additional benefits. View our preceptor Benefits page for more information on benefits for committed preceptors. For an MCN at ISU Adjunct Faculty application, email Elizabeth Kosuth ehkosut@iIllinoisState.edu.
  • How do I provide student feedback?
Students need the opportunity to improve based on preceptor feedback. Students benefit from critique of their performance throughout the clinical experience, not simply at the end of the experience. This allows the student the opportunity to continually improve in skills and helps to establish a supportive student-preceptor relationship. At the end of the clinical experience, the preceptor is asked to provide a written summary of the student’s performance on a standard form. The preceptor and student should review this evaluation together at the end of the clinical experience. If informal evaluation has occurred throughout the clinical experience and open communication between the preceptor and student has been maintained, the content of the summative evaluation should not be a surprise for the student.
  • What should I do if I have questions, concerns, or issues related to precepting?
The student's clinical faculty member will provide you with their contact information at the beginning of the clinical experience. We want to help and support you in your role as a preceptor and you may contact us at any time. If you would like to discuss student progress or have any concerns, please contact your assigned clinical faculty member.
  • How much should the student be involved in the clinical setting?
A list of clinical objectives based on the student's progress in the program are available in the preceptor manual found on our Downloads page. Students learn best by participating in patient care, not by simply observing. The preceptor needs to allow the student to provide “hands-on” care. Students need time to practice history-taking and physical assessment skills, to develop differential diagnoses, determine a plan of care, and document the patient visit.
  • How many patients should the student see per day?
Students should advance in the number of patients they see as they progress through the program. However, even students nearing the end of the program will not be able to or be expected to carry the full patient load of an experienced preceptor.
  • Are there Continuing Education credits offered for precepting?
Committed preceptors will receive an invitation to the annual Preceptor Workshop which provides an opportunity for free continuing education. Many certifying bodies count hours of student precepting toward renewal requirements. Preceptors are sent a verification of the clinical hours spent with students annually and at the request of the preceptor.
  • What are the legal liability considerations associated with precepting?
The preceptor remains liable for the care of the patient. Legal and reimbursement guidelines require that preceptors validate findings on physical examination, review laboratory tests, and confirm differential diagnosis and management plans with students for all patients they see. Review by the preceptor must be documented in the patient’s record and the preceptor must co-sign all records in which the student has provided documentation.