Questions UTA students ask before they hire placement help
Short answers, grouped by topic, with links to the pages that go deeper. In brief: we find the preceptor and site, screen them against UTA's rules and build the packet with you, and the final approval rests with your Clinical Coordinator and course faculty.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your UTA track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what a UTA-ready preceptor and site look like for you.
Before you hire help
- Does UTA find preceptors for its students? Not by default. UTA's program pages put the search on the student, and its Department of Graduate Nursing steps in when a student is experiencing difficulty. Ask your Clinical Coordinator about it; UTA placement assistance explains what it covers.
- How do you fit with UTA? UTA works through roles, starting with the Clinical Coordinator, rather than a named placement office. We are the independent placement service built around UTA's published rules, handling the search and preparation that come before the Coordinator's review.
- Why do UTA students choose your service? Because the whole search is built around UTA's process: candidates matched to your course number, screened against UTA's minimums, a packet ready before the Wishlist closes and a placement advisor on call if a preceptor drops.
- Do RN-to-BSN students need a preceptor? No. In UTA's words, RN-to-BSN students “will not need to identify a specific preceptor”; the practice work is done in your workplace or community.
- What about DNP students? UTA's DNP program doesn't use preceptors. You line up a project site instead and record it in Exxat by the end of
NURS 6323.
Preceptors and sites
- Who can precept a UTA student? Someone with an active, unencumbered provider license and a minimum of one year of clinical experience in the specialty role. Each course also lists acceptable preceptor types inside Exxat.
- Can a physician or physician assistant precept me? UTA's current public pages don't say. Check your course's list in Exxat or ask your Clinical Coordinator before approaching one; UTA preceptor requirements sets out what is known.
- Can I do hours where I work? Often, yes. UTA allows an employer site that suits the course, with two exceptions: your own department, and your current supervisor as your preceptor. Clinical hours also have to be unpaid by both your employer and your preceptor.
- What if the site has no affiliation agreement with UTA? Then it can't host your clinicals yet. UTA gives no public timeline for setting up a new agreement, so raise it in your first contact with the site.
Exxat, paperwork and approval
- What does UTA review? The preceptor and the site, judged by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty. The usual pieces are the preceptor's resume, proof that their license is active, the signed Preceptor Agreement, and enough about the site for UTA's affiliation agreement.
- When is the Preceptor Agreement due? UTA's deadline is the first day of the clinical experience. Your preceptor signs it and it goes to the Clinical Coordinator, so leave time to collect the signature.
- How long does UTA take to approve? UTA doesn't publish a review time. Each course's MyRequest has a Wishlist close date, and that is the date to plan backwards from.
- Is it Exxat or InPlace? UTA's pages use both names. The dated evidence points to Exxat, at steps.exxat.com, as the current system; if a course document says otherwise, ask your Clinical Coordinator.
Timing and location
- My course opens in a few weeks. Is it too late? Not necessarily. A late start leaves little slack if the first candidate says no, so the search goes first to sites that can already host UTA students. Say so in your first message.
- Does UTA set a deadline for having a preceptor? Its General MSN FAQ says to have one no later than while you are in Pharmacology, and MyRequest won't show a course more than 12 months before it starts.
- When should I do the background check and drug screen? Late, not early: UTA wants both done within the final 30 days before your first clinical course. The rest of clearance runs on a 60-day deadline counted from the start of your first graduate course.
- Can my preceptor be in another state? Only within UTA's rules. Seven states are open for the NP programs, post-master's NP certificates and DNP, and before you look for a preceptor outside your own state, UTA wants an email to NursingSOA@uta.edu. Read out-of-state clinicals first.
Cost and commitment
- Does sending the form commit me? No. It opens a conversation with the placement desk, and the search starts only after you accept a written quote and terms.
- What should I check before accepting a quote? Which courses and hours it covers, whether the search is in person or virtual, which paperwork help is included, what happens if a preceptor drops, and what the terms say about payment, changes and refunds.
- Are there costs from UTA as well? Yes, and they sit outside any quote from us: buying Exxat, paying for your own clearance items, the annual student fee that covers liability insurance, and parking at some agencies.
- What if my plans change before I accept? Ask the placement desk to update the quote in writing for the course, hours and start date you now need.
When a placement goes wrong
- UTA declined my preceptor. What now? Find out the reason first; it tells you what the next candidate has to look like. Preceptor not approved covers the common ones.
- I'm behind on hours partway through a course. UTA waives no program hours, and simulation can't count toward the direct-care minimum. Behind on clinical hours sets out what can help.
- The site won't accept my vaccine exemption. UTA says the self-placement request will then be denied and the clinical course moves to the next semester, so raise an exemption before you commit to a site.
- The site wants more than UTA requires. Agencies can add their own requirements on top of UTA's clearance, so budget time for site onboarding.
Questions UTA students ask
What does a preceptor placement service do for UTA nursing students?
It takes on the search UTA leaves to you. We look for a preceptor and site suited to your course and patient population, in person near home as the first choice, screen the preceptor against UTA's license and experience minimums, and get the approval paperwork ready with you. The request goes into Exxat from you, UTA's reviewers approve it, and if the preceptor later drops, the search starts again.
Will UTA approve a preceptor you find?
UTA gives the final approval, through the Clinical Coordinator and/or your course faculty, and the agency must have an affiliation agreement with UTA. What we shape is what reaches them: a candidate who clears UTA's published minimums and a request that goes in complete, with the documents UTA expects to see. That is how a request gets through without coming back.
How much does UTA placement help cost?
There's no fixed figure. A quote is built from six things: your track, your remaining hours, your location, your timeline, in person or virtual, and the amount of paperwork help. Once a placement advisor understands your situation, you get the quote in writing, with terms, and nothing starts until you accept. The cost page walks through each factor.
Who submits the placement request in Exxat?
You do, through MyRequest, with everything already prepared. We work with you on the supporting pieces, from the preceptor's resume and license check to the signed agreement and site information, so the request is complete the moment you file it. Keeping the submission in your hands keeps your record accurate and yours.
Can I do my UTA clinical hours virtually?
Possibly, but only with your faculty's approval. UTA builds its minimum hours from direct patient care, rules out simulation and observation for that minimum, and has published no position on telehealth. So in-person placement near you is the default, and your course faculty must sign off on any virtual arrangement first. See virtual clinical options.
What happens if my preceptor drops out?
Tell your course faculty right away, then the placement desk. We restart the search for someone suited to the same course, and whoever steps in goes through UTA's approval just as the first preceptor did. Preceptor dropped out covers the first few days in detail.
How early should I contact you?
As soon as you know when your first clinical course starts. UTA recommends a 12-to-16-week head start on the search, and extra time keeps a second candidate in reach if the first declines. Later requests can still work; the search is then aimed at sites ready to host.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against UTA's own sources. UTA's current handbook and your course faculty have the final word.
Hand us the search. Keep your term.
Tell us your UTA track, your county and when your clinical course opens. We look for a preceptor and a site that fit what UTA asks for, and we help you put the approval packet together.
- Matched to your track's population and setting
- Paperwork prepared the way UTA's clinical team expects it
- In person near you, or a virtual option where your course allows it
Start your placement plan
A placement advisor replies with what a UTA-ready preceptor and site look like for you.