Finding a Critical Care NP Preceptor: A Step-by-Step Guide

Securing a critical care preceptor is consistently ranked among the hardest logistical challenges AGACNP students face, and for good reason. ICU and acute care environments run at high patient acuity, high liability, and high staff workload, which means experienced NPs and physicians have limited bandwidth to take on students. Many programs, particularly those with online ACNP programs or flexible formats, require students to arrange their own clinical placements rather than guaranteeing a site match.

That reality creates pressure early. Programs typically require between 500 and 750 supervised clinical hours, with a significant portion in high-acuity settings. Finding someone willing to supervise that volume of training, in a competitive environment, takes months of groundwork.

Preceptor qualifications, approved clinical settings, and the legal agreements that govern your placement each carry their own requirements. Getting any one of them wrong can delay graduation or invalidate hours already completed. Understanding how hard it is to become a nurse practitioner before you begin that search helps you set realistic expectations for the road ahead.

What Is a Critical Care NP Preceptor and Why Does It Matter?

The quality of your critical care preceptor will shape your clinical competence more than any other single factor in your AGACNP program. While coursework builds your theoretical foundation, it is the preceptor standing beside you in the ICU who teaches you to think, act, and adapt when a patient's condition deteriorates in real time.

Defining the Preceptor Role in AGACNP Training

A critical care nurse practitioner preceptor is a licensed provider, either a nurse practitioner or physician, who supervises you during clinical rotations in acute and critical care settings. This is not classroom instruction or simulation lab practice. Your preceptor mentors you through one-on-one bedside experiences with high-acuity patients: interpreting hemodynamic monitoring, managing ventilator settings, titrating vasopressors, and communicating with families during crises.

Preceptors differ fundamentally from clinical instructors or nursing faculty. While faculty members may oversee multiple students across several sites and focus on academic requirements, your preceptor works directly with you during patient care. They model clinical decision-making, offer immediate feedback on your assessments, and gradually release autonomy as your skills develop.

Who Can Serve as Your Preceptor

Both nurse practitioners and physicians can precept AGACNP students, but your program likely has specific requirements about who qualifies. Most programs require preceptors to hold:

• Active certification: Board certification in a relevant acute care specialty, such as AGACNP, ACNPC-AG, or board-certified critical care physician credentials
• Clinical experience: Typically a minimum of one to two years practicing in the specialty area
• Specialty alignment: Practice setting that matches your clinical rotation objectives, whether medical ICU, surgical ICU, cardiac care, or trauma services

Some programs accept hospitalists or pulmonary/critical care physicians as preceptors, while others require at least a portion of your hours with an acute care nurse practitioner to ensure you learn the nursing model of care.

Why Preceptor Quality Shapes Your Career Readiness

Your preceptor determines the depth of your clinical exposure. A skilled preceptor in a busy unit will involve you in procedures, push you to develop nurse practitioner differential diagnosis under pressure, and introduce you to the interdisciplinary collaboration essential in critical care. They help you learn when to escalate, how to anticipate complications, and what questions to ask during rounds with attending physicians, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists.

Conversely, a disengaged preceptor or one practicing in a low-volume setting may leave gaps in your training that are difficult to fill after graduation. The relationship you build during nurse practitioner clinical rotations often extends beyond school, with many preceptors becoming references, mentors, or colleagues who help you navigate your first job search.

AGACNP Preceptor Qualifications and Eligibility Criteria

While some AGACNP programs require an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) preceptor, others extend eligibility to board-certified physicians or physician assistants.

Which Credentials Do Programs Accept?

Most CCNE- and NONPF-aligned programs accept board certification from AACN, ANCC, or AANPCB for nurse practitioner preceptors.¹ Specifically, an active ACNPC-AG (from AACN) or AGACNP-BC (from ANCC) is generally required. For physician preceptors, programs often look for critical care board certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine or similar credentials. Physician assistants may be accepted in CCNE-aligned programs, though they typically need experience in ICU settings.² Always verify your program's preceptor handbook, as some schools restrict eligibility to APRNs only.

Understanding Clinical Experience and Licensure Laws

Accreditation standards from CCNE, ACEN, and NONPF typically mandate at least one year of full-time acute care practice post-certification.³ Some programs set a higher bar of two to three years of ICU or step-down unit experience. The key constant is state licensure: preceptors must hold an active, unencumbered APRN license (or medical license) in the state where the clinical practicum takes place.⁴ Prescriptive authority is not usually a prerequisite, but a valid collaborative practice agreement may be required if the preceptor is a physician working in a state with restrictive scope-of-practice laws. If you want a broader picture of how NP clinical hours and placement rules vary by program type, reviewing accreditation expectations early can prevent last-minute issues with your state board of nursing.

Program-Specific Preceptor Training Requirements

Many universities now require prospective preceptors to complete a brief online orientation module covering evaluation rubrics, student expectations, and communication protocols. For example, OHSU and Wichita State include a mandatory preceptor handbook review before the first clinical rotation.⁵ These modules ensure consistency in student assessment and often count toward the preceptor's continuing education hours. If you are still weighing acute care NP programs online, confirming a program's preceptor training requirements upfront can save you significant time later. Plan to sign off on any preceptor agreement well ahead of your rotation start date.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Critical Care Clinical Settings: ICU Vs. ED Vs. Step-Down

Not every critical care rotation looks the same, and choosing the right clinical setting for your preceptorship is one of the most consequential decisions you will make as an AGACNP student. The environment you train in shapes the procedural skills you build, the patient populations you learn to manage, and, ultimately, the jobs you are positioned to land after graduation.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

The ICU is the defining environment for most AGACNP programs. Acuity is consistently high, and your days will center on continuous monitoring, ventilator management, vasopressor titration, and advanced life support protocols. If your career goal is inpatient critical care, the majority of your clinical hours should be completed here. Employers hiring for ICU-based NP roles often look favorably on candidates whose preceptorship was grounded in a true intensive care environment, so your setting choice is visible on your resume long before the interview.

Emergency Department (ED)

The ED offers a fundamentally different rhythm: variable acuity, high patient turnover, and a focus on rapid triage, stabilization, and initial treatment rather than extended longitudinal management. For students interested in emergency nurse practitioner or hybrid acute care roles, ED hours are highly relevant. Professional associations like the Emergency Nurses Association publish member surveys that can help you understand how employers in that space perceive training backgrounds, and those surveys are worth reading before you commit to an ED preceptor.

Step-Down Units

Step-down units occupy the middle ground. Acuity is intermediate, and the work emphasizes post-ICU recovery, progressive monitoring, and transitions of care.² Research published in peer-reviewed nursing literature suggests that step-down experience complements ICU-based training well, particularly for NPs who will manage patients across multiple acuity levels. If you are still weighing how these settings align with your degree path, a closer look at acute care nurse practitioner programs can clarify which clinical configurations different programs expect.

ED-ICU Hybrid Models

A growing number of hospitals use ED-ICU hybrid models, where ICU-level care is delivered within the emergency department to reduce inpatient admissions and improve throughput.³ If you can secure a preceptor in one of these settings, you gain exposure to both acute stabilization and intensive monitoring, which is a meaningful advantage in a competitive job market.

For salary and workforce data broken down by setting, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) lets you compare registered nurse and advanced practice employment figures across industries such as general hospitals and outpatient care centers. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses also publishes certification and workforce trend data that can help you weigh each setting against your long-term goals. Understanding how online NP students arrange local clinical placements is equally important, since the settings available to you may depend heavily on where you live and work.

How Many Clinical Hours Do AGACNP Programs Require?

How many supervised clinical hours will you need to complete before you can graduate and sit for your AGACNP certification exam?

The short answer: most Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs require between 500 and 750 supervised clinical hours, though some extend to 1,000 or more. The exact number depends on your university's curriculum design, accreditation standards, and whether your program follows traditional or accelerated timelines. Because these requirements are set by individual schools and influenced by accrediting bodies rather than mandated by a single federal rule, you will need to verify the specific total with each program you consider.

Where to Find Official Hour Requirements

Start your research on the websites of online ACNP programs you are evaluating. Most schools publish clinical hour totals in their curriculum guides, student handbooks, or admissions FAQs. Look for detailed breakdowns that specify how hours are distributed across different care settings such as intensive care units, emergency departments, and step-down or intermediate care units. Some programs also clarify whether simulation lab hours count toward the total, which can be a meaningful consideration if you are balancing work and school.

If the information is not readily visible online, contact the program's admissions office directly. Admissions staff can provide the most current breakdown and explain whether recent updates to national competency frameworks have changed the school's clinical structure.

National Guidance and Accreditation Standards

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offer guidance on clinical education standards, though they do not prescribe a uniform hour count across all programs. Accreditation bodies expect schools to ensure students gain enough hands-on experience to meet competency benchmarks, but programs retain flexibility in how they structure those hours.

Additionally, state licensing boards may impose their own supervised practice requirements or specify minimum clinical exposure before issuing certification or prescriptive authority. Check your state board of nursing website (and any state where you plan to practice) to confirm whether local regulations influence the clinical hour totals your program must meet. Understanding acute vs. primary care NP differences can also clarify why acute care programs tend to concentrate hours in high-acuity settings rather than distributing them across broader practice scopes.

Why the Range Exists

Program-level variation reflects differences in educational philosophy, patient population focus, and integration of advanced pathophysiology or pharmacology coursework. Some schools emphasize longer clinical immersions in high-acuity settings, while others balance direct patient care with case-based learning or advanced simulation. Understanding the rationale behind a program's hour requirement can help you choose a pathway that aligns with your learning style and career goals in critical care. If you are still comparing program structures, reviewing how to find NP preceptors early gives you a head start on securing the right clinical placements before enrollment.

AGACNP Clinical Hour Requirements at a Glance

Most Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP programs require significantly more clinical hours than the accrediting body minimum of 500 direct patient care hours. Here is how a typical AGACNP program distributes roughly 750 total clinical hours across core settings.

Step-By-Step: How to Find and Secure Your Critical Care NP Preceptor

Student-arranged preceptor models and program-guaranteed placement systems represent two fundamentally different pathways to completing your AGACNP clinical hours. Understanding which model your program follows shapes your entire timeline and strategy.

Start Early: The 6-12 Month Timeline

Begin your preceptor search at least six months before your clinical rotation starts. The hospital credentialing process alone typically takes 60 to 120 days,¹ and that clock does not start until you have secured a preceptor willing to work with you and the site has approved your placement. If your rotation begins in January, you should be reaching out to potential preceptors no later than July.

Key milestones on this timeline include initial outreach and informational interviews (6-9 months out), securing verbal commitment from a preceptor (4-6 months out), obtaining your program's site approval and initiating credentialing (3-4 months out), and finalizing all agreements and documentation (1-2 months out). Delays at any step compress your margin for error, so buffer generously.

Hospital credentialing documentation typically includes immunization records, background checks, drug screening, HIPAA training certificates, BLS and ACLS cards, and a delineation of privileges form specific to student clinical activities.² Processing time ranges from two to six months depending on the institution's workload and your responsiveness.³ Missing or incomplete documents are the most common source of delays, so assemble your packet early and track every submission. To understand what the full nurse practitioner clinical placement experience looks like from a student's perspective, review what to expect across all rotation phases before you begin outreach.

Networking Tactics That Work

Leverage professional associations as your first line of outreach. Local chapters of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) host monthly meetings and educational events where practicing ICU NPs and APRNs gather. Attend these sessions, introduce yourself as an AGACNP student, and ask for advice rather than immediately requesting a preceptorship. The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) hosts annual and regional conferences that offer similar nurse practitioner networking opportunities with acute care providers who understand the preceptor role.

LinkedIn outreach can be surprisingly effective when done thoughtfully. Search for nurse practitioners with titles like "ICU NP," "AGACNP," or "Critical Care Nurse Practitioner" in your geographic area, review their profiles to confirm they work in acute care settings, and send a brief, professional message. Lead with what you bring rather than what you need. Here is a sample script you can adapt:

"Hi [Name], I'm a second-year AGACNP student at [University] preparing for my critical care clinical rotation next semester. I noticed your work in the ICU at [Hospital] and would love to learn more about your practice. I'm flexible with scheduling, focused on building strong assessment and procedural skills, and happy to work around your patient load. Would you be open to a brief phone call to discuss the possibility of precepting or pointing me toward colleagues who might be interested?"

Keep the message under 100 words, personalize it with one specific detail from their profile, and avoid attaching your resume or clinical plan on first contact. You are opening a conversation, not submitting an application.

Faculty connections remain one of the most reliable pathways to quality preceptors. Ask your program director or clinical coordinator for warm introductions to alumni, former preceptors, or colleagues at nearby hospitals. A faculty email vouching for you carries far more weight than a cold LinkedIn message.

Program Models: Guaranteed vs. Student-Arranged Placements

Some AGACNP programs maintain partnerships with health systems and guarantee clinical placements in acute care units, removing the search burden from students. These programs typically charge higher tuition or clinical placement fees to cover the administrative work of securing and managing preceptor relationships. Other programs operate on a student-arranged model, providing a list of suggested sites and preceptors but requiring you to do the legwork of outreach, negotiation, and agreement coordination.

If you are comparing programs, ask directly: Does the program guarantee acute care placements, or am I responsible for finding my own preceptors? What percentage of students secure placements within the program's network versus independently? How much support does the clinical office provide if my first three outreach attempts fail? The answers to these questions reveal how much time and stress you will shoulder during what is already a demanding academic period. Knowing how to switch NP preceptors mid-semester, should a placement fall through, is equally worth understanding before you start.

Related Articles

What Makes a Good NP Preceptor in Critical Care?

A strong preceptor turns the chaos of the ICU into a structured learning experience. When you're searching for a critical care NP preceptor, look beyond the credentials and focus on the qualities that will actually prepare you for independent practice.

Teaching Qualities That Accelerate Clinical Growth

The best preceptors don't just demonstrate skills, they narrate their thought process. You need someone who explains the "why" behind every intervention: why they chose norepinephrine over vasopressin in a specific septic shock scenario or why they're holding the morning diuretic despite crackles on the lung exam. Structured feedback is equally vital. A preceptor who simply says "good job" at the end of the day provides no roadmap for improvement. Instead, seek out someone who gives concise, actionable critiques after patient encounters and carves out a few minutes each week to review your progress. Gradual autonomy progression is the third pillar. Your preceptor should intentionally transition you from observer to supervised decision-maker, increasing your responsibility as your competence grows, until you're running the unit's acute issues with them standing silently at your shoulder. New nurse practitioner confidence doesn't happen by accident; it's built through this kind of deliberate, scaffolded mentorship.

Hands-On Learning: Procedures and Decision-Making

Practical expectations matter. A good preceptor shares the patient load so you're managing multiple complex patients, not just shadowing. You need exposure to core ICU procedures: central line insertion, intubation assistance, arterial line placement, and chest tube management. Without hands-on practice, you can't build the procedural confidence that acute care demands. Beyond procedures, a skilled preceptor pushes you to think like an intensivist. They'll pause rounds to ask, "What's your differential for this new hypotension?" and then walk you through the ICU-specific decision tree, considering preload, contractility, and afterload with real hemodynamic data. Understanding the difference between acute care and critical care roles can help you confirm your preceptor's scope genuinely matches the high-acuity experience you need to log.

Recognizing a Poor Fit: Warning Signs in a Preceptor Relationship

Red flags can appear early. Beware of preceptors who relegate you to documentation only or treat you as a scribe. If you never receive feedback, or if the feedback is always generic, you're likely in a misaligned relationship. Another danger sign: a preceptor whose scope doesn't match your learning needs, for instance, a hospitalist covering open ICU patients at night who rarely performs the procedures you must log. Trust your instincts: if the relationship feels transactional rather than educational, it may be time to advocate for a change.

Building Collaborative Practice Through Team Introductions

Finally, a thoughtful preceptor integrates you into the interdisciplinary team from day one. They'll introduce you to attendings, clinical pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and case managers, helping you understand how each role contributes to patient outcomes. This early exposure builds the collaborative communication skills essential for safe, effective critical care practice. Knowing how NPs can build high-level nurse practitioner patient care teams will help you apply those lessons long after your preceptorship ends.

Common Barriers to Acute Care NP Placements and How to Overcome Them

Securing a critical care preceptor is genuinely competitive, and the obstacles are structural, not personal. Understanding what you are up against puts you in a stronger position to navigate each one.

Competition from Other Students

ICU preceptors are sought after by NP students, PA students, and medical residents alike. To stand out, lead with specificity when you reach out. Instead of a generic request, mention the unit type you are targeting, the competencies you want to develop, and how your RN background prepares you to function with minimal hand-holding. Preceptors in busy critical care environments appreciate students who arrive ready to contribute, not just observe. A concise, professional introduction letter that demonstrates clinical self-awareness goes further than a standard form email.

Hospital Staffing Constraints and Timing

Short-staffed units are less willing to absorb a student, full stop. If you approach a unit during a hiring freeze or a period of high turnover, even a willing preceptor may feel they cannot commit. Timing matters. Reach out three to six months before your rotation start date, not three weeks. Ask your school's clinical coordinator whether any affiliated hospitals are currently open to students, since placement offices often track unit-level capacity that you would have no other way of knowing.

Credentialing Bottlenecks

Hospital legal and compliance departments add time to every placement. Background checks, immunization verification, HIPAA training, and affiliation agreements between the hospital and your school can easily add eight to twelve weeks before you set foot on the unit. Treat paperwork as part of the clinical hour clock. Start it the moment you have a verbal commitment from a preceptor, and follow up with the hospital credentialing office directly rather than waiting for emails to work their way through channels.

Geographic Limitations

If you are in a major metro area, you face more competition for the same preceptors. Rural and underserved regions often have fewer critical care specialists, but they also have far less student traffic. A regional critical access hospital or a rural ICU can offer rich, hands-on experience, and some states need nurse practitioners most in underserved areas have built incentive programs specifically to encourage placements there. Worth researching if you have any flexibility in location.

Preceptor Compensation and Incentives

Many NP students do not realize that preceptors can be compensated, and knowing this changes how you frame your outreach. Some programs pay NP preceptors stipends or honoraria ranging from roughly $5 to $15 per student clinical hour,¹ or flat payments per rotation that can run anywhere from $500 to $5,000.¹ Several states have formalized this: Virginia runs an incentive program offering otherwise-uncompensated preceptors between $500 and $5,000,² Washington offers up to $1,000,³ and Arizona offers $1,000 per fiscal year.³ Michigan piloted a program offering semester-based stipends, and surveys from that effort confirmed that monetary recognition was the factor preceptors valued most.⁴

Beyond cash, many universities offer preceptors continuing education credits, library access, tuition discounts for family members, or adjunct faculty appointments.¹ When you approach a potential preceptor, it is reasonable to mention that your program has a formal preceptor recognition structure and to connect them with your clinical coordinator for details. Framing the relationship as mutually beneficial rather than a favor you are asking for shifts the dynamic in a meaningful way.

Preceptor Agreements, Liability, and Legal Considerations

A preceptor agreement, often called an affiliation agreement, spells out the official relationship between your NP program and the clinical site where you'll train. It covers everything from what you are allowed to do with patients to how long the rotation lasts and what happens if things do not go as planned. Because critical care involves high-acuity patients, these agreements need extra attention to detail.

What goes into the agreement

A solid affiliation agreement defines the scope of student activities, supervision expectations, the rotation duration, evaluation criteria, and termination clauses. Scope typically lists procedures you can perform under direct or indirect supervision, such as arterial line insertion, ventilator management, or central line placement. The agreement also clarifies whether the preceptor must be physically on the unit at all times or available by phone. Evaluation criteria set clear benchmarks for mid-rotation and final performance reviews, and termination language covers both early completion and early removal for safety concerns.

Malpractice and liability coverage

Most NP programs carry a blanket malpractice policy that extends to students during clinical rotations. Ask your program coordinator for a certificate of coverage or a letter you can share with the site. Some preceptors, especially in private practice or smaller hospitalist groups, may need to confirm that their own policy covers student supervision. A common gap arises when the student's program policy does not cover certain invasive skills unless the preceptor is physically present, so verify those limits. If your program's coverage is thin, purchasing a personal student liability policy is inexpensive, usually under $50 per year, and can satisfy a skeptical site.

State-level regulatory variations

A handful of states impose specific APRN student supervision ratios or require the preceptor to hold an active license in that state, even if the student's program is based elsewhere. For example, some boards mandate a maximum of two students per preceptor or limit the number of clinical hours a student can complete in a single specialty. Understanding the full nurse practitioner scope of practice in your target state is a smart first step before locking in a site. If you are crossing state lines for a rotation, check the nursing board's website for student practice rules; your program's clinical placement coordinator should also have the latest. Students who enroll through online NP programs for out-of-state students should pay particular attention to whether their program holds authorization in the state where they plan to complete clinicals.

Timeline and common roadblocks

Large health systems often need 4 to 8 weeks for legal review of a new affiliation agreement. Some hospitals have a blanket refusal policy for new agreements, meaning no amount of pleading will open the door. Start the paperwork early and have a backup plan. When a site accepts students from multiple schools, competition for preceptors is fierce, so submitting your request at least a semester ahead gives you the best shot.

NP Salary Snapshot: What Critical Care NPs Earn

Completing your AGACNP clinicals opens the door to one of the higher-paying corners of advanced practice nursing. The table below shows national salary benchmarks for nurse practitioners based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2024. Keep in mind that the BLS does not break out critical care as a separate subspecialty, so these figures reflect NPs across all practice settings. Critical care NPs typically earn at the upper end of the range, and often beyond, because ICU and acute care environments command premium compensation tied to patient acuity, overnight coverage, and procedural skill requirements.

Common Questions About Critical Care NP Preceptors

Securing the right preceptor is one of the most important steps in your AGACNP journey, and it often raises a lot of practical questions. Below are answers to the concerns we hear most frequently from working nurses preparing for their critical care clinical rotations.

Do AGACNP programs help place students with preceptors, or do I need to find my own?

It varies widely from program to program. Some acute care nurse practitioner online programs actively coordinate clinical placements and maintain relationships with hospitals and ICU practices, while others expect students to identify and secure their own preceptors. Before you enroll, check the program's website and admissions materials for explicit language about clinical placement policies. If the information is unclear, reach out directly to the program director or clinical coordinator to ask whether preceptor placements are arranged, partially supported, or entirely self-directed.

What are the requirements to become an NP preceptor in critical care?

National accrediting bodies such as CCNE and ACEN do not mandate one specific degree or certification for preceptors. Instead, they require that preceptors be qualified practitioners in the relevant specialty area. In practice, that typically means the preceptor holds an advanced practice credential (such as ACNP or AGACNP certification) or is a board-certified physician with demonstrable critical care expertise. Beyond accreditor standards, your state board of nursing may have its own preceptor eligibility rules, so always verify requirements at the state level as well as with your individual program. For a closer look at what the AGACNP credential involves, the AGACNP pulmonary critical care certification guide outlines specialty exam and credential requirements in detail.

Can a physician serve as a preceptor for acute care NP students?

In many cases, yes. Physicians who are board-certified in critical care or a related acute care specialty can often serve as AGACNP preceptors. However, acceptance depends on the specific program's policies and your state board of nursing regulations. Some programs may require that at least a portion of your clinical hours be supervised by a certified NP, so confirm the details with your clinical coordinator before finalizing any arrangement.

How far in advance should I start looking for a critical care NP preceptor?

Most experienced students and faculty recommend beginning your search at least six to twelve months before your clinical rotation starts. Critical care settings such as ICUs often have limited preceptor availability, and hospitals may need time to process affiliation agreements and background checks. Starting early gives you room to explore multiple options, build professional relationships, and handle any administrative delays without jeopardizing your timeline.

Where can I find resources to help with the preceptor search?

Professional associations are a great starting point. Organizations like the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) offer preceptorship resources, networking opportunities, and sometimes directories of clinicians open to precepting. Your program may also maintain a list of affiliated clinical sites. Additionally, connecting with NP colleagues through local professional chapters or online communities can surface leads you would not find through formal channels alone. If you are weighing program options, reviewing online vs on-campus NP programs can help you understand how clinical placement support tends to differ between formats.

What should a preceptor agreement include?

A preceptor agreement typically outlines the responsibilities of the student, the preceptor, and the academic program. It usually covers the scope of clinical activities, the expected number of hours, liability and malpractice insurance details, evaluation criteria, and the process for resolving any concerns. Most programs provide a standardized agreement template, but it is important to review it carefully and make sure both your preceptor and any affiliated institution are comfortable with the terms before your rotation begins.