PA Clinicals and Preceptor Information
Student Responsibilities & Expectations
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Exhibit the highest standards of professionalism and medical ethics.
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Exhibit enthusiasm and eagerness for learning and collaboration throughout their clinical rotations.
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Consistently be active participants in all clinical rotation activities.
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Adhere to all program and site-specific policies.
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Enthusiastically elicit and accept any and all feedback and constructive criticism from clinical preceptors regarding clinical performance and rotation and practice preparedness.
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Dress appropriately for all clinical rotation activities including but not limited to wearing appropriate and clearly visible identification indicating they are a PA student, adhering to all site-specific dress code standards.
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Report to the clinical site on time, have all the appropriate equipment, and be well prepared for each clinical rotation activity.
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Meet with preceptors at the beginning and throughout each clinical rotation to discuss goals and expectations and performance.
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Follow the direction of preceptors regarding daily work hours including appropriate and site-specific on-call and/or after hours work assignments and expectations.
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Ensure patient permission for students to participate in their care.
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Ensure they are consistently under the direct supervision of a preceptor, never releasing a patient from care without the patient first being evaluated by the clinical preceptor, and do not function as an employee of the clinical rotation site or assume primary responsibility for a patient’s care.
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Report any incidents, including but not limited to exposure to blood or bodily fluids, and follow program and site-specific exposure protocols and procedures.
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Immediately contact the program if any questions arise related to their role as a clinical rotation student or if any preceptor, program, or student expectations are not being met. Students shall not treat and discharge a patient from care without the patient being seen by the clinical preceptor - take these all and keep them all but rewrite them the slightest to clarify or consolidate each line item of information.
- Appropriately and successfully prepare all students for their clinical phase of training and ensure students are ready well prepared for each clinical rotation.
- Ensure students meet all clinical site requirements prior to beginning their clinical rotation including completion of all appropriate:
- Exposure Risk and Response Training
- HIPAA Training
- OSHA Training
- Immunization and Medical Testing Requirements (e.g., COVID testing, Tb testing)
- Criminal Background Check Requirements
- Drug Screening Requirements
- BLS and ACLS certifications
- PALS certification if required by individual clinical sites
- Individual site-specific requirements
- Secure all necessary clinical preceptors and rotations sites and ensure these sites meet program and course specific expectations including rotation-specific learning outcomes and objectives as detailed in SCPE syllabi. Provide preceptors with rotation syllabi and handbooks.
- Complete and maintain all preceptor agreements and site affiliation agreements.
- Orient clinical preceptors to clinical-phase-specific policies, procedures, and requirements.
- Ensure all students have current malpractice liability insurance
- Ensure clinical sites and preceptors receive student placement information and any necessary documentation well before the start of any clinical rotation and, preferably, prior to the start of the clinical phase of the program.
- Provide preceptors with all applicable program handbooks and course-specific material highlighting expectations, evaluations, learning outcomes and objectives of each supervised clinical practice experience course.
- Ensure open lines of communication and access with the program and respond quickly and effectively to all student, preceptor, and clinical site questions, concerns, or issues that may arise.
- Ensure preceptors and clinical sites are not overburdened from assisting in supervised clinical practice experiences and having students present in their practice.
- During program orientation and interview sessions and throughout each phase of their training, students are educated and reminded of their attendance expectations.
- To meet state licensing requirements across the nation, students must accrue 2000 hours or more of direct patient care experience throughout their clinical rotations with the understanding that ‘work’ hours will differ from one rotation experience to the next.
- Students must complete a minimum of 32 hours/week, often more depending on your schedule.
- Students are expected to be on site when their clinical preceptor is on site.
- Students are expected to match preceptor hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays if applicable.
- Students are expected to match preceptor hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays if applicable.
Northeast College of Health Sciences has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Northeast College of Health Sciences anticipates matriculating its first class in January 2026, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the September 2025 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
The M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies program is currently pending approval of the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
For more on institutional accreditation, please see our Consumer Information page.
We Value Our Preceptors.
Preceptors are the backbone of PA's clinical education. Your real-world insight, mentorship and dedication play a vital role in shaping competent and confident future healthcare providers.
As part of our accreditation requirements, we must secure potential clinical preceptors and sites well in advance of the program’s start. To that end, we’ve developed a clinical preceptor intent form to document your interest in possibly serving as a preceptor for our students.
We understand that circumstances can change-especially given how early we are requesting this information. Please know that completing this form is not binding, but rather an indication of your potential interest. We will update all agreements well before any students are officially placed at clinical rotation sites.
As we build our network of clinical sites, we’re looking for experienced providers and healthcare teams to help shape and support the next generation of compassionate, skilled physician assistants. Whether you’re an experienced clinician looking to give back or a student preparing for your rotations, you’re in the right place.
Download preceptor interest form download preceptor handbook
What You Can Expect as a Preceptor
We value and respect your time, expertise, and mentorship. Here’s what we expect from our clinical partners—and what you can expect from us and our students:
Preceptor & Clinical Site Responsibilities
- Provide students with an appropriate clinical environment and patient experiences aligning with the rotation’s objectives as outlined in the SCPE syllabi and current practice guidelines and standards of care.
- As appropriate for the preceptor and practice, ensure students are provided with increasing levels of patient care responsibility in accordance with their progressively increasing clinical experience. Orient students to your site, expectations, and safety policies.
- Ensure that the student does not independently render care and does not provide patient care beyond the role of a clinical rotation student.
- Ensure students do not substitute for or function as clinical or administrative staff during their clinical rotation.
- Review and co- sign all student documentation and charting.
- Orient students to rotation site(s), including but not limited to site-specific policies, ‘work’ hours, individual supervisors, and emergency procedures
- Review your expectations of students while on the rotation.
- Provide ongoing and timely feedback to students regarding their clinical knowledge and application to patient care and professionalism.
- Provide timely submissions of program-required rotation evaluations.
- At the preceptor’s discretion, assign ‘outside’ readings/research to promote further learning.
- Model the highest standards of professionalism.
- Notify the program’s Director of Clinical Education of any scheduling changes that may adversely impact a student’s rotation
