How to Find a Preceptor and Field-Experience Site for Your Aspen Program
Most Aspen University nursing students reach the same wall at the same moment: a practicum course is approaching, and they still don’t have a preceptor or an approved site. This page explains exactly what you need, where to look, and what makes the search so slow, then how we can shortcut it for you.
What you actually need to secure
Before anything else, it helps to be precise about what your program requires, because "find a preceptor" means different things across Aspen’s nursing programs.
If you’re in the MSN (or the graduate portion of the RN-to-MSN), you need a preceptor for the 120-hour practicum tied to your specialization, Forensic Nursing, Informatics, Administration & Management, Nursing Education, or Public Health. A qualifying preceptor is a Registered Nurse who is affiliated with your practicum site and holds a master’s degree with expertise relevant to your specialty. The practicum runs through courses N550, N552, and N586, graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, and the Nursing Education, Forensic Nursing, and Public Health tracks require a minimum of 20 direct-care hours within that 120.
If you’re in the DNP, you need access to a clinical site and a preceptor to support your 1,000 immersion hours (up to 500 previously precepted hours may be bankable) and your DNP Project. The RN-to-BSN is different: its roughly 110-120 community-health field hours (N492, N493, N496) do not require a preceptor, the hours are documented and approved before course completion as community and public-health field work.
See the programs overview or jump to RN-to-MSN, DNP immersion, or RN-to-BSN field experience for the specifics that apply to you.
Why the search is so hard
Aspen’s Office of Field Experience (OFE) assists with identifying and approving a site and preceptor, documentation, and alternative locations, but it does not guarantee placement. Students are responsible for securing their own preceptor and site, and that is where the months go.
Aspen students regularly report preceptor searches dragging on for months. The reasons are structural: a qualifying preceptor must be master’s-prepared and affiliated with an approved site, your specialty narrows the pool further, and you’re often cold-contacting busy clinicians who have no obligation to say yes. Meanwhile the practicum course has a start date, and you can’t begin until your Practicum Approval Letter is in hand.
None of this is a knock on Aspen, it’s simply how a self-directed search works. But it explains why so many students feel stuck.
Where to look first
The most successful place to start is usually your own workplace. Many Aspen students secure their practicum through their current employer, where they already know master’s-prepared RNs and the relationships and affiliations exist.
From there, match the search to your specialty, because Aspen’s MSN Handbook ties site types to each track. Forensic Nursing points to emergency departments, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, medical examiner’s offices, and the court system. Public Health points to local and state health departments and school nurse offices. Nursing Education points to staff education departments and continuing-education companies. Informatics points to ambulatory/outpatient and HIM informatics departments. Administration & Management points to acute-care and skilled-nursing facilities, Magnet facilities, and professional organizations.
Wherever you land, the site and preceptor have to be formally approved. Aspen requires a Practicum Site Agreement, Preceptor Agreement, Student Profile, and Student Performance Evaluation, which together produce the Practicum Approval Letter you must obtain before the practicum course begins; hours are then logged in ProjectConcert. Our office of field experience and practicum hours approval pages walk through that paperwork in detail.
How we shortcut it, physical or virtual
We are an independent service and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Aspen University. What we do is take the search off your plate. We offer two pillars, for every program above.
First, physical placement matching: we source a real, qualifying preceptor, a master’s-prepared RN affiliated with the site, and an approved in-person field-experience site matched to your specialty. Second, our virtual practicum service: a remote preceptor and a virtual experience when an in-person site isn’t practical for you. This is project-based, specialty-matched field-experience and quality-improvement work consistent with your Aspen requirements.
We assist; we never guarantee placement, no honest service can. But instead of cold-emailing for months, you get a specialty-matched preceptor and site and help walking through Aspen’s approval steps. And you pay when matched, not before.
Ready to stop searching? Start with our preceptor matching, browse specialties, or contact us and tell us your program and timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aspen find a preceptor for me?
No. Aspen’s Office of Field Experience (OFE) assists with identifying and approving a site and preceptor and with documentation, but it does not guarantee placement. Students are responsible for securing their own preceptor and site, which is why so many searches take months.
What counts as a qualifying preceptor for the MSN practicum?
A Registered Nurse who is affiliated with your practicum site and holds a master’s degree with expertise relevant to your specialization. The MSN practicum is 120 hours across courses N550, N552, and N586, with a minimum of 20 direct-care hours for the Nursing Education, Forensic Nursing, and Public Health tracks.
Do I need a preceptor for the RN-to-BSN?
No. The RN-to-BSN’s roughly 110-120 community-health field hours (N492, N493, N496) do not require a preceptor. The hours are documented and approved before course completion as community and public-health field work.
Can you place me virtually?
Yes. Alongside physical placement matching, we offer a virtual practicum service, a remote preceptor and a virtual, project-based, specialty-matched experience, for every program. We assist with the match; we never guarantee placement, and you pay when matched.
Are you affiliated with Aspen University?
No. aspenpreceptor.com is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Aspen University. We help Aspen nursing students find a qualified, specialty-matched preceptor and an approved field-experience site and walk them through Aspen’s process.
Get your Aspen practicum handled.
Tell us your program and specialty. We’ll map your field-experience requirement and start the search, in person or virtual. No payment until you’re matched.