Health Sciences Education Symposium
Presentation Format
Poster
Type of Activity
Research
Original Presentation Date
2024
Date of Submission
October 2025
Abstract/Short Description
Nationally, there is a projected shortage of 139,940 physicians by 2036, with 30 out of 35 specialties affected (HRSA, 2023). As a result, NP employment is projected to grow by 38% and PA employment is projected to grow 27% by 2031 (USBL, 2023). Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Student Rotations are a vehicle for training and recruiting APPs. To optimize the NP and PA student experience, VCUHS implemented a centralized student placement process for RN, APRN, and PA students. The goal of the centralized process is to optimize preceptor identification, streamline student onboarding, and to create a process preceptor recruitment and ongoing preceptor development.
NP and PA students spend half of their time in graduate school on clinical rotations, with PAs spending 1000-3000 hours and APRN minimum of 500 hours (NCC 2020, PAEA 2020). When compared to NP & PAdidactic instruction, clinical rotations often have less infrastructure in place to support the student experience. Nationally, only 29% of NP programs secure all student rotation placement (Nursing Outlook,2020). NP and PA students must often identify preceptors and complete health system onboarding documentation which is inclusive of human resources application. Additionally, students who attend programs outside of VCU must obtain an affiliation agreement with our health system to establish a rotation. NP and PA student preceptors may be APRNS, PAs, or physicians. VCUHS NP and PA preceptors do not receive formal education on how to teach NP/PA students, nor do they receive incentives such as protected time or direct financial reimbursement. Given the lack of infrastructure surrounding student placement and preceptor pool development, VCUHS developed a centralized student placement process to better equip our health system to develop and retain NPs and PAs in the face of growing physician shortages.
VCUHS Student Placement is a collaborative effort between VCUHS Nursing Education and Professional Development (EPD), VCUHS Center for Advanced Practice, VCU Department Chairs, VCU School of Medicine Clerkship Directors, and local NP and PA Programs including VCU School of Nursing,Randolph-Macon College PA Program, and South University PA Program. The effort has multiple initiatives, which includes standardized NP/PA student application, student onboarding, preceptor recruitment, and exploration of preceptor development tools. In our first year, VCUHS received 153 NP and PA student requests, identified 83 preceptors (NP, PA, and physicians), and accepted 73 NP and PA students from 11 NP and PA Programs.
VCUHS EPD created a centralized student application for all non-VCU NP and PA students. This application identifies rotation needs and additional requests. Input questions directly pair with information requested from VCUHS preceptors to facilitate student-preceptor matches. After preceptor match identified, EPD then facilitates student onboarding for all VCU and non-VCU students. Data obtained from student rotation requests are used to target preceptor recruitment.
To optimize preceptor recruitment, a centralized tool was created to mark preceptor availability and a new focus has been placed on preceptor recognition. All VCUHS APPs receive notice to sign up to precept if they are available on a semester-by-semester basis. To facilitate preceptor recognition, the Center for Advanced Practice developed an enterprise-level APP educator award and a monthly recognition program. Lastly, a gift fund was created through the MCV Foundation to serve and support the APP workforce.
To promote preceptor development and academic partnerships, VCUHS, local NP and PA programs have formed an APP Clinical Education Consortium. The consortium is actively exploring creation of preceptor development “rounding” that utilizes the Stanford Faculty Development Center framework. Additional opportunities include expansion of NP and PA faculty practice (JONA 2023) and development of interdisciplinary NP, PA, medical student rotations.
References
Physician Workforce: Projections, 2021-2036. HRSA Health Workforce. October 2023.
Nurse Practitioner. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Sept 2023. Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics(bls.gov)
Nurse practitioner student clinical placement processes: A national survey of nurse practitioner programs. Nursing Outlook. Vol 68, Issue 1. Jan-Feb 2020. Pages 55-61. DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2019.07.005
Statement Regarding Nurse Practitioner Students and Direct Care Clinical Hours. NCC 2020.
Health System-Academic Partnerships: Essential to Increasing the APRN Workforce. JONA 53(9)434-435. Sept 2023. DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000001320
Rights
© The Author(s)
Is Part Of
VCU Medical Education Symposium
First Author Information
Kimberlee Ketchersid, PA, VCU Health