How to Find a Rasmussen University Preceptor

A Rasmussen preceptor must be a Master's or Doctoral degree-prepared nurse, and they must pass a cleared background check before they can supervise you. This is the single most important eligibility rule, and it is stricter than many students expect. A bedside RN, however experienced, does not meet the requirement unless they hold a graduate nursing degree.

In practice this means your preceptor pool is limited to nurses who hold an MSN, DNP, or PhD in nursing and who are practicing in a setting that matches your track. For the primary care NP tracks that usually means an NP or physician-collaborating advanced practice nurse working in an outpatient or community setting; for the Psychiatric Mental Health NP track it means a graduate-prepared nurse practicing in behavioral or mental health care.

Because the credential bar is high, identifying a qualified, willing, and background-cleared preceptor is the step where most students stall. Confirming the degree level early prevents a rejected placement later in the term.

Rasmussen's NP and MSN practicums are completed in your own community, possibly at your own organization. The coursework is delivered online, and NP students attend one weekend on-campus residency, but the hands-on clinical hours happen locally with an in-person, preceptor-supervised experience.

This local-first model is why finding your own site and preceptor matters so much. If you already work at a clinic or health system with graduate-prepared nurses on staff, your own organization may be the most direct path to a practicum site. If it is not, you will need to reach into your professional network or an outside placement service to secure one.

The volume of hours is significant and sequential across four preceptor-supervised practicum courses, so continuity of site and preceptor across your rotations makes the experience far smoother than piecing together short placements.

Your total hours depend on your NP track, and every hour must be supervised by a Master's or Doctoral prepared nurse preceptor. Rasmussen's NP specializations are MSN programs of 69 credits that split clinical hours across four sequential practicum courses.

The MSN non-NP Professional Specializations (Nursing Education, Nursing Leadership and Administration, and Healthcare Technology, Simulation, and Informatics) embed smaller preceptor-supervised practicum hours. The RN-to-BSN pathway includes community clinical courses, and the DNP requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours. In every case the supervising preceptor must be graduate-degree-prepared.

Start early, verify the graduate credential, and confirm the site before your practicum course begins. The sequence below reflects how the local-first Rasmussen model works in practice.

• Map your own network first. List every graduate-prepared nurse you know through your current employer, past colleagues, and clinical connections. Your own organization is often the fastest route.
• Confirm the credential. Verify the candidate holds a Master's or Doctoral nursing degree and is willing to complete a background check.
• Engage your Rasmussen clinical practicum coordinator. The coordinator helps find and secure the site and preceptor and manages the formal agreement and documentation on Rasmussen's side.
• Match the setting to your track. A primary care site for FNP, AGPCNP, or Pediatric; a behavioral or mental health setting for PMHNP.
• Lock in continuity. Because hours run across four sequential courses, securing a preceptor who can carry you through multiple rotations reduces risk.

If your own network does not produce a qualified, available preceptor, that is the gap our independent service exists to fill.

We are an independent service, not affiliated with Rasmussen University, and we source and vet a preceptor and clinical site for you in your own community. We work alongside your Rasmussen clinical practicum coordinator, not against them, stepping in to do the finding and vetting faster and where your own network comes up short.

Our work focuses on the hardest part of the process: locating a Master's or Doctoral prepared nurse who practices in the right setting for your track, is willing to precept, and can clear a background check. We confirm the credential and the fit before you commit, so you are not left chasing rejected placements as your term start approaches.

You pay only when you are matched, and pricing runs 1,500 to 2,500 per rotation. Before enrolling or committing, confirm your state situation: NP specializations do not meet APRN licensure educational requirements in Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Rasmussen's MSN, NP, and DNP programs are CCNE-accredited.