Contact the placement desk

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the UNCW Preceptor placement team

The quickest start is a short message with the facts that shape your search: your UNCW program, the practicum course and which curriculum you follow, the term, where you live and how far you are willing to travel within North Carolina, and the hours you still need. Reach us through the form here, the chat window, or a WhatsApp or text message from the buttons on every page.

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Send us your placement details

Add your practicum course, curriculum and the hours still needed in the message box. A placement advisor replies with your next step.

Numbered steps. What happens next: 1 A placement advisor reads your details; 2 A short intake conversation; 3 Your quote; 4 The search begins. — What happens next: 1 A placement advisor reads your details; 2 A short intake conversation; 3 Your quote; 4 The search begins.

What to send

The more of these you include, the more specific the first reply can be. Put anything that has no field of its own in the message box.

Your UNCW program, such as the DNP FNP, AGPCNP or PMHNP concentration, the PMHNP Post-Doctoral Certificate, or the MSN Nurse Educator
The practicum course number, such as NSGL 650 or NSGL 646, and whether you follow the sequence that began with Fall 2025 admits or the earlier one
The term the practicum runs, and your packet deadline if Canvas has already posted it
Your home city, plus the distance you could drive or the towns where you could stay within North Carolina (for the educator practicum, the state where you hold your license)
The hours still needed, plus any encounter categories you are short on
Clinicians you have already contacted, and any site the Clinical Placement Team has offered you

Unsure which sequence applies? Your cohort's handbook tells you, and the curriculum transition page shows both side by side.

What happens next

A placement advisor reads your detailsThe desk routes your request to a placement advisor, who answers at the email address or phone number on the form. Urgent timelines are read first, so pick the right option in the clinical start field.
A short intake conversationYour advisor confirms the course, the populations it needs, your travel range and your dates, and answers your questions about UNCW's process.
Your quoteYou receive a quote built on those facts before any search begins. The cost page explains what shapes it.
The search beginsOutreach across North Carolina starts, and you hear back with preceptor options that fit your course. From there the steps on how it works take over.

Chat, WhatsApp and text

Every page has a chat button for quick questions, such as whether a clinician you have in mind fits UNCW's rules for your track or which course number applies to you. Tap WhatsApp or text on your phone and your message lands with that same desk, which suits students who prefer to write between shifts.

Whichever route you choose, the conversation stays with one placement advisor, so you can start in the chat, send a document by email later and pick up by text without repeating yourself. If you would rather talk it through, say so in your message and your advisor will arrange a call at a time that works around your schedule.

Already in a practicum?

Mid-semester problems need a faster start, so lead with them. If a preceptor has left or given notice, say which course you are in, how many hours are logged and when the last day of classes falls. UNCW allows up to four preceptors in a clinical course, and hours have to be done before classes end, so the date shapes everything that follows. If an incomplete grade is under discussion, mention that as well, since UNCW pauses program progression until an incomplete is resolved.

If the problem is volume rather than a departure, list the encounter categories that are short, such as pediatric well visits or frail elderly encounters. While you wait, read when a preceptor leaves mid-course or catching up on clinical hours for the options UNCW's rules allow.

Preceptors and clinical sites

North Carolina NPs, physicians, PAs and nurse educators who are open to a UNCW student are welcome here as well. Pick the preceptor option in the Program menu, then use the message box for your specialty, the county where you practice and the terms you could host. Clinic managers and site coordinators can write on behalf of a whole practice.

Your placement advisor replies with UNCW students whose course fits your patients, and we prepare the details the student's packet needs, from your CV with dates to the agency's county, so your part stays short. UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator approves each preceptor. Precepting a UNCW student explains what the commitment involves.

Questions UNCW students ask

When can I expect a reply?

Replies go to the email address or phone number on your form, and requests with a close start date are read first. To flag urgency, choose Within 8 weeks or Already started in the clinical start field. Students with more time should still write early, because an early search has more practices to choose from.

Do I need my course number before I contact you?

It helps but is not required. If you know only your program and your year, say so; your advisor can identify the course from your plan of study, and your cohort's handbook confirms which sequence you follow. Choose Not sure yet under Program if you are still deciding between UNCW programs.

Is it too early to write before my first practicum has a date?

Not at all, and early is better. UNCW's own process chart suggests starting the preceptor search 6 to 12 months before the course, and its FAQ encourages students to build relationships with clinicians even before the program begins. An early conversation lets your advisor plan every remaining practicum, not only the next one.

Should I send my preceptor's CV or license number through the form?

Not at first. Share the clinician's name, practice and city in the message box, and your placement advisor gathers the full packet details directly with the preceptor once the match is confirmed. That keeps personal details out of email chains and makes sure the CV carries the experience dates UNCW asks for.

Step by stepHow it worksStep by step: how we find a North Carolina preceptor for your UNCW practicum, prepare what the Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, and stay on call.QuotesCostWhat goes into a quote for a UNCW preceptor placement: your track and course, the hours, the specialty, your region of North Carolina, timing and practica.Quick answersFAQQuick answers for UNCW nursing students: who finds the preceptor, the North Carolina rule, timing, course numbers, how our service works and precepting.RushNeed a preceptor fastClose to UNCW's 8-week or 90-day placement line with no preceptor? See what is still possible, which NC sites move faster, and how we run a rush search.For preceptorsPrecept a UNCW studentWhat precepting a UNCW DNP nurse practitioner or nurse educator student involves, what UNCW offers preceptors, and how to tell us you are open to students.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages. Your course, your cohort's handbook and UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.

UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.

Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for NSGL 650 to NSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP
Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen

Start your placement plan

Your program, city and next practicum term is all we need to begin.