Your network came up empty. Here is what to do next.

NKU's preceptor rules are sensible, but together they shrink the list of people who can say yes. A friendly clinician who has not been in role long enough, or who works somewhere other than the site you would train at, cannot sign on however willing they are.

The rules that most often rule out a lead

• A full year in their current role, at their current level of education.
• Employed at the location where the practicum takes place.
• Located in a state NKU approves, with an active, unencumbered license.
• Below NKU's preceptor-to-student limit, a number NKU does not publish.
• Not your supervisor, relative, partner, roommate, friend or primary care provider.

Then there is the ask itself: roughly 125 to 150 hours across a 7-week session, two or three days a week. Plenty of clinicians who like the idea decline the schedule. Our NKU preceptor requirements page sets out every rule by track.

NKU says it supports students who need help locating a preceptor, so write to the MSN Student Placement Team at studentclinicalinfo@nku.edu and ask about placement assistance for your track and session. The details of how NKU's help works are posted in the MSN Clinical Information Canvas, so read that module first.

NKU has agreements with partner sites whose names it keeps internal, and when one has room it works with the student to secure it. It is also open that its help may not produce a site near home, so a commute is possible. Ask early and keep your own search running alongside. NKU's placement assistance explains the team and how to reach it.

Many students search only the setting they picture themselves working in. NKU accepts more than that for each track, and a wider net often turns up a preceptor who was there all along.

• FNP: primary care clinics and physician offices, long-term care and hospice, plus specialty offices for up to 125 hours.
• AGACNP: acute care hospitals, with emergency and urgent care allowed for up to half your hours.
• PMHNP: psychiatric facilities, outpatient clinics, treatment centers and inpatient units, plus up to 80 counseling hours with a psychologist, LICSW or LPCC.
• Nursing Education: a school of nursing or a healthcare facility's education department.
• Nurse Executive Leadership: a hospital or another setting your concentration coordinator approves.

The caps and their fine print are on our NKU clinical setting rules page.

NKU lets you complete clinicals where you work, on three conditions: not on the unit where you normally work, not with your immediate supervisor as preceptor, and not during hours you are paid for. A clinic, service line or hospital across town in the same health system can meet all three.

Your employer may also already have an affiliation agreement with NKU, which removes the slowest step in approval; NKU's FAQ notes that clearance at a site with an existing agreement can take just a few days. Being known on a sister unit helps too, since a manager who already trusts your work is quicker to agree. Ask your education or staff development office who signs clinical agreements, then check the idea against our employer clinical site guide before you approach anyone.

Requests that name the course, the session dates, the weekly schedule and the paperwork get more yes answers than a vague one. Tell the clinician exactly what MSN 651L or MSN 664L involves, when it runs and how many days a week you need. Attach your CV and a short note on your NKU track so they can see who they would be teaching.

Mention what NKU offers in return: a professional development payment from NKU once the term ends, certification hour letters for ANCC or AANPCP renewal, and a yearly Preceptor of the Year award. Explain that NKU negotiates any affiliation agreement directly with a site contact, so the practice manager is not left drafting contracts. Our preceptor outreach guide has a full script.

A placement search is slow work on top of a job and coursework. Our placement advisors run it every day for NKU students, screening each lead against NKU's rules for your track, checking the state, and confirming the clinician will commit to the 7-week schedule before you are introduced.

Once a preceptor agrees, we collect their documents and the name of whoever signs agreements at the site, leaving you a finished request to file in Medatrax. You get one point of contact and a clear list of anything still outstanding. If a preceptor later steps away, we start on a replacement. The full sequence is on our how it works page, and the form at the foot of this page starts your search.