Who cannot be your preceptor at NAU

The answer changes with your program

NAU wrote its limits in different places for different students. The DNP Clinical Practicum Handbook for 2022-23 names who may not serve as a mentor or preceptor. The FNP Clinical Guidelines for the same year set qualifications instead, taken from Arizona rule R4-19-502, and say nothing about relatives or reporting lines. For PMHNP students no preceptor rules are published at all.

That leaves three kinds of "no" to understand: the DNP's named exclusions, the candidates Arizona's qualifications screen out on every NP track, and the gray areas only the approving coordinator can settle. The table shows where each situation stands.

Who the Arizona rule screens out on every NP track

Failed qualifications are the most common reason a willing preceptor cannot be used. Under R4-19-502 as NAU's guidelines print it, a candidate is out if any of these is true:

• Their RN or physician license is lapsed, restricted or under discipline in the state where they practice
• They have practiced as an APRN or physician for under twelve months
• Their practice population is not comparable to your program's focus
• They are a nurse who lacks national or board certification matching the APRN role and patient population, with no Board-approved substitute
• They cannot supervise you directly, for example because they are seldom on site on the days you would attend

Each test is explained in our preceptor requirements guide. Screening against all five before you approach NAU spares you a refusal after weeks of waiting.

Screening a candidate before NAU sees the name

Run through these checks in one conversation, and keep notes you can reuse on the Green Form.

1. Look up the licenseUse the verification page of the board in the state where the candidate practices, and note the expiration date and any discipline.
2. Count the APRN or physician yearsAsk when they began practicing as an NP or physician. Twelve months is the floor.
3. Match the focusFamily practice across ages for FNP, psychiatric mental health for PMHNP. Confirm the patient mix fits your practicum.
4. Confirm certificationFor nurse preceptors, ask for the national certification in the role and population focus and its renewal date.
5. Ask about relationshipsFamily, partner, close friendship, or a reporting line in either direction. Disclose any tie to NAU up front.
6. Check presenceAn often-absent preceptor leaves you with unusable days, since your clinical time depends on them being there.

How we screen preceptors for NAU students

Every preceptor our placement desk proposes is checked twice: once against R4-19-502 as NAU applies it, and once for the relationships NAU's DNP rules name. The people we bring you have no family tie or reporting line to you, so the approval question stays about qualifications and fit.

We match the population focus to your track, favor sites close to home, gather the preceptor's documents, secure the practice's sign-off and pin down who signs its contracts, so the Green Form you file is complete and early. When a practice is likely to need a new affiliation agreement, you know from the first week, and FNP students see all three practicums planned side by side. Reach the placement desk through the contact form.