May is when NP school starts feeling real.
What we keep hearing on calls with NP students this month
"I've called clinics, emailed every provider in my city, asked classmates, posted in groups. I still don't have a preceptor."
Different cities, different specialties, same wall. You're not behind. You're not bad at this. Finding a preceptor is genuinely that hard.
The Number: 13.3%
Only this small percentage of clinicians actually qualify to precept NP students through NPHub.
- 18,314 healthcare professionals applied
- Only 2,435 made it through
Most students don't realize how much screening happens behind the scenes: schools have strict credentialing requirements, clinical sites have to meet program standards, and "interested in precepting" and "approved to precept" are not the same thing.
Practical Tip of the Month: Three questions to ask your preceptor on day one
- "How do you prefer I present patients to you?" Every preceptor has a style. Match theirs, and you'll look sharper from day one.
- "What does a strong student look like to you?" You'll learn their expectations before you accidentally miss them.
- "What's the one thing students usually get wrong in the first week?" This is the question that earns respect.
Write down the answers. Refer to them every week.
You Are Here — Spotlight: a current student
Charli · PMHNP student · Detroit, MI · Full-time RN
"I withdrew from my classes. I was delayed six months because I couldn't find a preceptor."
Q: What was the search like before NPHub? I reached out to everyone I could in the Detroit area and outside. People weren't accepting students, wouldn't follow through, or wouldn't be there anymore.
Q: How long did you try on your own? More than six months. Less than a year.
Q: What changed once you used NPHub? I could focus on school and work instead of driving to five different places asking if anyone could precept.
From the Field: a federal rule change that affects how you pay for NP school
On May 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education finalized a rule on federal loan limits for graduate students and excluded NP programs from the "professional degree" definition.
What you can do: read the full AANP statement, use AANP's Advocacy Center to contact your reps, and, if you're mid-program, talk to your financial aid office about what this changes for your loan trajectory.
The NPHub Team This Month: 6 years of Valeria
Valeria runs Operations — when your paperwork moves through the system on time, when your rotation request gets to the right specialist, that's her. Six years of building the systems behind every NPHub placement. Thanks, Val.
In Their Own Words
"I was kind of losing a little bit of sleep here and there... And then as soon as I made that decision and told my husband, 'This is what I'm going to do,' I slept like a baby." — Vicente · NP student, St. Cloud, FL
"Just trying to find a preceptor — that would have been a part-time job at least, on your own." — Joanne · PMHNP student, DMV area
Pay It Forward
You probably know at least one classmate who's stuck looking for a rotation. Share this post or introduce them to your Student Coordinator. If they place a rotation through us, we'll credit your next one — a $200 referral credit.
That's all for this month. One question before you go: What's the most stressful part of your preceptor search right now? We read every response.
— Your Dedicated NPHub Team