Why Is It So Hard to Find a Preceptor?

I am a faculty member in a large university which arranges preceptors for students and they still end up trying to find their own sites and have a very hard time. I'm precepting a student now and it is a very bad experience. I think students like the one I have are the reason it is difficult to find a site.

I also needed to find my own site while in school and the school said they would provide a site so it's no guarantee.

I really hope one day we have paid residencies.  Try calling urgent cares, that's an often overlooked site. Or government agencies such as prisons/VA/IHS.

I am currently an FNP student, due to graduate in December 2012.  I am three weeks into the summer session and do not have a preceptor.  I have 8 weeks left in which to get 160 hours.  I am also disheartened by the rejection and the rudeness of not even getting call backs.

If I were to choose again, I would select a school that arranges the preceptors.  We were told one of the reasons preceptors aren't assigned was that if we selected our own, we could find one closer to home.  Last semester I traveled an hour to a clinic.  I know a student traveling three hours one week this summer.  This method is not working.  

I do not understand the reluctance to precept or to treat students in a professional manner.  

For those of you who are not yet in school or considering applying to NP school, I would suggest finding a school that assigns preceptors rather than requires you to find your own.  I did this and it was a big help, although some of my clinical sites were 45 min away from my home.  www.midlevelu.com sells a Guide to Nurse Practitioner Programs and includes information about which schools require students to find their own preceptors and which do not.

Stacey:

Try the ENP Network at enpnetwork.com.  Also, all states most likely have local/state professional networks and websites where NPs can post their desire to preceptor or, after graduation and adequate experience, sign up to offer time as a preceptor.  There are links at these websites that NP students can access and request preceptors in their designated track.  I think that most credentialing boards require NPs to dedicate time to preceptoring...I don't know, I could be wrong on that one.

I know it's difficult...I remember being in that position.  Hang in there and remember this after you graduate so that you can offer mentoring and precepting.

The agency I used, I am not sure agency is the correct term, is one that typically does not to my understanding assist NPs, I know they work a lot with physicians and placing them in residency areas of need.  The sad thing is, they even got some of the responses I did in many of the calls they put out.

I really think we need to rework the way we find preceptors, I just don't how it should be done.  I wish there was some master list of those willing to precept, and we could just sign up with those in our area. . .I am unsure, if the process can be made any better.  I just know it is hard to have come this far and face the fact that not finding a preceptor  could stop me in my tracks is extremely frustrating.

I am in an BSN to DNP/FNP track and also have to find my own preceptors.  I have "cold-called" clinics with success and without success.  I believe that the universities need to come up with a solution to this issue.  We are spending mega $$$ on advancing our education, and having to find my own site for clinical experience, in my opinion, is ridiculous.  What type of an agency did you use to find a preceptor?  I would be wiling to pay for this service rather than begging NPs to precept me (which they do for free).  I would love to hear from others on how they have found preceptors.