No Preceptor, No Progress: Solving the NP Clinical Training Crisis

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports that in 2025, nursing schools turned away more than 92,000 qualified applications across baccalaureate and graduate programs. Among the reasons cited were shortages of faculty, clinical sites, and clinical preceptors.

At the same time, the NP workforce continues to expand. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners now reports approximately 461,000 licensed NPs in the United States, with about 87% educated and prepared in primary-care-focused programs.

That creates an enormous clinical education infrastructure challenge.

Every new clinician needs more than classroom education.

They need patients.

They need clinical sites.

And they need experienced clinicians willing to teach them.

But clinicians themselves are facing productivity expectations, documentation requirements, staffing shortages, and burnout.

So today I want to move beyond simply saying:

“We need more preceptors.”

Guests: Dr. Katie Wahler NP & Dr. Devyn Nixon NP