How to ask a preceptor to take you on
A good request is short, specific and easy to say yes to. Send your course, hours and dates, your Exxat profile or CV, and a clear picture of what UTA asks of a preceptor and gives back: library resources, continuing education and an honorary title.
Want us to do the asking?
Tell us your track, course and county. A placement advisor replies with how we would approach preceptors for your rotation.
Know exactly what you are asking for
A defined commitment is easier to agree to than an open-ended one. Before the first message, pin down the course, the hours, the weeks and the setting, and check that the person meets UTA's minimums on preceptor requirements.
| Course | Clinical hours | Course length |
|---|---|---|
NURS 5337 Family Clinical Practice 1 | 180 | 11 weeks |
NURS 5338 Family Clinical Practice 2 | 180 | 11 weeks |
NURS 5660 Family NP Advanced Practicum | 360 | 13 weeks |
Spread evenly, 180 hours over 11 weeks is roughly 16 to 17 hours a week, and 360 hours over 13 weeks is close to 28 (our arithmetic, not a UTA schedule). UTA's online pages list other NP tracks' courses without per-course hours, so check your course Canvas page before you quote a number to anyone.
What to send
Keep the first message to one screen and attach one document. UTA's Exxat page says your Exxat profile, which holds your work history, languages and resume or CV, “can be sent to potential preceptors”.
Your first message should cover
- Who you are: your name, RN background, and UTA program and track
- The ask: course number and title, total hours, start and end dates, and the days you can be there
- The fit: the setting and population the course needs, and why their practice matches
- The commitment: signing UTA's Preceptor Agreement, regular contact with your course faculty, and evaluating your clinical performance
- What UTA offers preceptors in return (next section)
- One next step: a short call, or a reply by a named date
Attach the Exxat profile or the CV, not both, and hold UTA forms until they say yes. The Preceptor Agreement comes after interest, not before.
What UTA offers preceptors
UTA's Preceptor Resources page lists what graduate preceptors receive. Name these in your message; they are the only benefits UTA publishes.
- UTA library access and electronic resources such as Harrison's and McGraw Hill Access Medicine
- Continuing education courses for preceptors
- The honorary title “Graduate Nursing Clinical Education Specialist”
- Eligibility for the UTA Graduate Preceptor of the Year award
UTA also says graduate preceptors “offer their services on a volunteer basis”. Do not add perks UTA does not list. The Texas preceptor tuition exemption, for example, is written for preceptors working with undergraduate professional nursing programs, so it is not something to offer an NP preceptor.
If a prospective preceptor wants to talk to UTA directly, the Preceptor Resources page names a contact for prospective preceptors. Point them there rather than answering policy questions yourself.
Who to ask first, and how
Start with people who already know your work: NPs and physicians you have worked beside, classmates from earlier programs now in practice, and referrals from colleagues. A 2022 journal survey of 334 Texas NPs found 37.6% had never been asked to precept, so a direct, well-prepared request may be the first one they get.
The same survey found 32.8% said their employer restricted precepting. In several large Texas systems, student placement runs through an office rather than the individual clinician. CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances says students are “discouraged from cold calling”, while Texas Health Resources says it is the student's responsibility to contact the department and secure a preceptor. Check the system's student page before you email anyone there; DFW hospital onboarding covers the main ones.
At an independent practice, the person you ask may also be the person who can sign an affiliation agreement, which shortens the chain.
Following up and closing the loop
- Send one follow-upIf you hear nothing in about a week, reply to your original message with two lines. After a second silence, move on and keep the door open.
- Track every contactKeep a dated list of who you asked, how and what they said. It drives your follow-ups, and it is the record you need if you later ask UTA for placement assistance.
- Turn a yes into approval detailsCollect their license type, number and state, when they started in the specialty role, their CV, the site's name and address, and who signs agreements for the site.
- Submit, then confirmEnter the request in Exxat MyRequest before the course Wishlist closes, and make sure the Clinical Coordinator has the signed Preceptor Agreement by your first day in clinical at the latest. Tell the preceptor as soon as UTA approves.
- Thank them properlyA short note after approval and another after the course keeps the door open for your next rotation.
Timing matters more than polish. UTA's online FAQ puts the start of the search 12 to 16 weeks out. Students report longer lead times: a UTA FNP student posting in 2019 said an advisor had suggested a six-month head start, and found many FNPs already committed several semesters out.
A yes from a preceptor is not UTA approval. Do not start clinical hours until the Clinical Coordinator or course faculty approve the placement.
Why students let us do the asking
Some students hand outreach to us instead. Our placement desk contacts preceptors on your behalf with the same details listed above: your UTA course, hours, dates, setting and what UTA offers preceptors. Before we pass on a name, we check it against UTA's published minimums, so you do not spend an Exxat request on someone who misses them. When someone agrees, we help you pull together the documents UTA's clinical team reviews; the submission in Exxat stays yours.
The preceptor signs UTA's Preceptor Agreement and UTA's Clinical Coordinator decides, and we make sure both have what they need from the first conversation. If a preceptor has to drop out mid-term, we stay on call to start a replacement search.
If you have already asked widely and heard nothing, can't find a preceptor is the better next page, and how it works explains our part.
Questions UTA students ask
What should I say when asking a nurse practitioner to precept me?
Say who you are, which UTA course you need, how many hours over which dates, and why their practice fits the course's setting and population. Add what precepting involves and what UTA offers preceptors, attach your Exxat profile or CV, and end with one clear next step, such as a short call.
Should I call, email or visit a potential preceptor?
Use the route the organization prefers. At a large system, read its student placement page first, since some discourage cold calling and send requests through an education office. At a small practice, a short email followed by a polite call to the office manager can work. Always leave something in writing they can forward.
Do UTA preceptors get paid?
UTA says graduate nursing preceptors offer their services on a volunteer basis. What UTA provides is access to its library and electronic resources, continuing education courses, the honorary title Graduate Nursing Clinical Education Specialist, and eligibility for its Preceptor of the Year award. Students, for their part, cannot be paid for clinical hours.
Is there a Texas tax credit for nurse practitioner preceptors?
Not that we could find. Texas has no personal income tax, so there is no state income-tax credit to offer. A federal bill, the PRECEPT Nurses Act, was introduced in January 2025, but we found no record of it becoming law. The Texas preceptor tuition exemption is written for undergraduate nursing programs.
How far ahead should I contact preceptors for a UTA clinical course?
The online FAQ's window opens 12 to 16 weeks before clinicals begin, and the General MSN FAQ wants the search underway from the day you start the program, “no later than while in Pharmacology.” Students report busy preceptors booking several semesters ahead, so earlier is safer, especially for primary care.
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.