Choosing a preceptor placement service as a Loyola University New Orleans student

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Loyola Preceptor placement team

A placement service is only as good as its grasp of your school's process. For Loyola University New Orleans students, that means preceptors who fit the course, meet Loyola's rules and practice in an approved state, delivered with everything the Exxat Wishlist and the affiliation agreement need.

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Tell us your Loyola program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your Loyola course.

Seven things the best service does for a Loyola student: Matches the course, not only the specialty. It knows the FPC; Checks every preceptor against Loyola's baseline. Is the pre; Applies Louisiana's rules at Louisiana sites. The preceptor ; Stays inside Loyola's approved states. It checks your sta

Where a service fits in Loyola's process

At Loyola, choosing the preceptor and site is the NP or DNP student's task, and the placement office steps in once a site is proposed: agreements, compliance review, Exxat processing and approval. A placement service works in the first half of that path. It finds the preceptor, confirms the fit and prepares what the student files, while keeping the student's own side on schedule, from yearly compliance items to the three-month lead time.

The decision itself belongs to Loyola. The placement office and faculty decide whether a placement goes ahead, and the Graduate Program Director or FNP Director rules on settings outside the usual pattern. The best service shapes its work so that what reaches those people is complete and correct the first time. Each role is described on the who does what page.

Seven things the best service does for a Loyola student

Matches the course, not only the specialty. It knows the FPCM III course, NURS G829, splits its hours into 150 pediatric and 50 obstetric, and that every FPCM practicum is outpatient primary care.
Checks every preceptor against Loyola's baseline. Is the preceptor board certified and licensed where the site is? Past a year and 2,080 hours of practice? Unrelated to you, and on site for each hour you log?
Applies Louisiana's rules at Louisiana sites. The preceptor holds a Louisiana RN and/or APRN license and has room under the state's limit of two graduate APRN students at once.
Stays inside Loyola's approved states. It checks your state on Loyola's licensure table and on the School of Nursing map, and flags where the two disagree.
Raises the contract question early. It checks early for an existing Loyola contract with the site, and whether the preceptor's employer is a separate organization that needs its own.
Delivers a complete Wishlist package. Everything the request asks for: site name, address and contact, the authorized signer, the preceptor's CV and license (a Nursys PDF for NPs), and a signed Preceptor Agreement.
Stays reachable after approval. When a preceptor leaves mid-term, it replaces them with someone who meets the same rules.

Questions to ask any placement service

Put these to any service before you commit, and ask for the answers in writing.

Which Loyola course is this preceptor for, and how does the site's patient mix fit it?
Is the preceptor board certified, licensed in the site's state and past 2,080 hours of practice?
Does Loyola already have an affiliation agreement with this site, and if not, will the site sign the standard form?
Who is the authorized legal signer, and who employs the preceptor?
Is the state approved for my program on both Loyola's map and its licensure table?
Will the preceptor be on site for every hour I log?
What happens if the preceptor withdraws after approval?

A service that answers these quickly and specifically already knows Loyola's process. Vague answers mean it will be learning that process on your time.

Warning signs

A promise that Loyola will approve the placement, or a promise of dates. Loyola's placement office and faculty make that call.
A preceptor who is related to you, or, for a DNP project, your employer or direct supervisor.
A site in Hawaii, Montana or Wyoming, which the State Approvals Map marks not approved, offered without first confirming with the School of Nursing.
An FNP placement in urgent care, a hospital ward or an ER presented as routine, when those settings need the Graduate Program Director's approval.
Advice to begin logging hours before Placement Approved. Such hours are not counted, and time put in before every party signs the affiliation agreement is forfeited.
A list of names with no license or certification checks behind it.

Any one of these can cost a term. Two or more suggest the service is not built around Loyola's rules.

How cost fits the decision

Price matters, but a failed placement costs more than any quote: a lost term, a repeated course or a later graduation date. When you compare services, ask what the quote covers, how a replacement search is handled, and what happens when a site needs a new affiliation agreement. A clear quote names what is included before you commit, so you can compare like with like. The cost page breaks down the factors behind our quotes.

Loyola's own costs apply whichever route you choose. Under Loyola's guides, students pay for their Exxat subscriptions, background check and drug screens, plus any fee a site charges, and some programs add more, such as travel for Nurse-Midwifery rotations. The placement costs page lists each one.

Why Loyola students choose Loyola Preceptor

We built Loyola Preceptor around the specifics of Loyola's process, from the population rules for each course to the Wishlist fields, the standard affiliation contract and the map of sites already under agreement. Each preceptor we propose has passed Loyola's baseline checks, plus the state board's rules for a Louisiana site, and every package arrives ready for Exxat. Where Loyola's documents conflict, we lay out both versions and tell you which office settles it.

We plan to Loyola's three-month lead time, raise contract questions on the first call, and stay reachable through the term. Approval stays in Loyola's hands, and we make sure nothing is missing when a request arrives. Weigh your options on the placement help comparison page, or tell us your program and term in the form below.

Questions Loyola students ask

Does Loyola New Orleans recommend a placement service?

Loyola's practicum documents name no placement service. They leave the choice of preceptor and site to NP and DNP students and describe the Clinical Practicum Coordinator's work on agreements, compliance and Exxat. However a preceptor is found, the placement goes through Loyola's usual approval.

Can a placement service file my Exxat Wishlist for me?

The Wishlist is filed from your own Exxat account, under Dashboard and Submit Preferences, so you submit it. A strong service prepares every field and upload beforehand so filing is quick, and helps you answer any follow-up question from the placement office.

How early should I contact a placement service?

At least three months before the practicum starts, since Loyola says the placement process can take that long, and earlier for a site without a Loyola agreement. FNP students with four FPCM practicums can plan the next search while finishing the current course.

Can a service promise that Loyola will approve my placement?

No one outside Loyola can. Each placement is approved by the placement office and faculty, and special settings go to the Graduate Program Director or FNP Director. A service can make sure the request is complete and fits Loyola's rules, which is what keeps approval moving.

Do placement services help students whose programs assign sites?

Those programs assign clinical sites themselves. Nurse Anesthesia students still pick their own sites for the three DNP Scholarly Project courses, which is where outside help fits. BSN and ABSN clinicals are arranged through Loyola's partners. For a rotation outside Louisiana, a Nurse-Midwifery student needs a CNM or other approved clinician to sign a letter agreeing to precept, sent to the Program Director at least six months ahead.

Decision guideYour options comparedSearch alone, start from Loyola's Explore Clinical Locations map, or use a placement service: how each route works for a Loyola New Orleans practicum.Our processHow it worksFrom your first message to Placement Approved: how we find a preceptor for your Loyola New Orleans practicum and prepare every Exxat Wishlist item.QuotesCostWhat shapes the quote for a Loyola New Orleans preceptor placement: your course, its hours, where you live, your start date and the site's agreement status.PreceptorsPreceptor requirementsWho can precept a Loyola University New Orleans NP or DNP student: license, board certification, 2,080 hours, family limits, PA rules and Louisiana's rule.RolesWho does whatEvery role in a Loyola University New Orleans practicum: Clinical Practicum Coordinator, program directors, faculty of record, project advisor and APPROVE team.QuestionsFAQBroad questions Loyola New Orleans nursing students ask about our preceptor placement service, answered briefly, with links to the pages that go deeper.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Loyola's own bulletin, program pages, practicum guides, forms and licensure disclosures. Your plan of study, your practicum guide, your program director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.

Loyola asks you to select your own preceptor and site. We make that the easy part.

Tell us your Loyola program, where you live and which term your next practicum starts. We find preceptors whose patients fit the course, check whether the site already has a Loyola affiliation agreement, and prepare everything your Exxat Wishlist needs.

Preceptors matched to the course: outpatient primary care for NURS G823, pediatrics and obstetrics for NURS G829, acute care for NURS G902, psychiatric care for NURS G856
Preceptor CV, license and Nursys PDF, the Preceptor Agreement and the site's signer details ready for the Wishlist
In your own community, in Louisiana or any state where Loyola approves your practicum

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