Finding FNP Preceptors Near Me
If you’ve searched for “FNP preceptors near me,” you need a preceptor you can reach on every clinical day, near where you live and work. This guide uses Clinical Match Me’s own placement data to show where family nurse practitioner (FNP) students live, how far they’re willing to travel and which rotations they need nearby. Then we’ll explain how to find a local preceptor, on your own or with our help.
TL;DR
- In Clinical Match Me’s placement data from October 2025 to September 2026, <1% of FNP requests were for remote rotations, so plan on an in-person preceptor.
- FNP students chose a distance search for 65% of their placement requests and listed states for the rest.
- When FNP students searched by distance, the median distance they set was 50 miles.
- Family medicine and primary care, pediatrics and OB/GYN are the rotations FNP students request most, so you may need more than one local practice.
- Under the national NP education standards, your faculty approve every preceptor and clinical site, including the ones you find yourself.
Why do FNP students need a preceptor nearby?
Because FNP students almost always request in-person rotations. In Clinical Match Me’s placement data from October 2025 to September 2026, only <1% of FNP placement requests were for remote rotations, compared with 25% of PMHNP requests. So you’ll want a preceptor close enough to drive to for the whole rotation.
You’ll probably need more than one preceptor, too. The 2022 Standards for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education set a minimum of 750 direct patient care hours for every NP track, and FNP certification through ANCC or AANPCB requires at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours. In our data, the median FNP placement request was for 150 hours. Each request is for one rotation with one preceptor, so reaching your program’s total usually takes several rotations.
Our guide to FNP clinical hours and rotation requirements explains what counts toward your total.
Where do FNP students live?
FNP students made 52% of the placement requests that named a program track on Clinical Match Me from October 2025 to September 2026, more than any other track. Our students come from all 50 states, and this chart shows the ten states where the largest shares of our FNP students live.
The chart counts each FNP student once, by the state they live in rather than the states where they asked to rotate.
How far do FNP students travel for a preceptor?
For FNP students on Clinical Match Me, “FNP preceptors near me” can mean a distance or a set of states. Some search by distance, for preceptors within a set number of miles of their zip code. The rest search by state, for preceptors anywhere in the states they choose.
In our placement data from October 2025 to September 2026, FNP students chose a distance search for 65% of their placement requests. That’s a larger share than PMHNP students, who searched by distance in 45% of their requests.
When FNP students searched by distance, the median distance they set was 50 miles. In 58% of those searches, they were willing to travel 50 miles or more. Choose a distance you could drive on every clinical day, from the first week of your rotation to the last.
When FNP students searched by state instead, 35% of those requests included at least one state besides their home state, compared with 43% of PMHNP state searches. Listing another state can help if you live near a state line or can stay with family during your rotation. Before you add a state, ask your program whether it can approve a preceptor there.
For the same figures across every NP track, read our guide to finding a preceptor near me.
Which FNP rotations will you need nearby?
In Clinical Match Me’s placement data from October 2025 to September 2026, family medicine and primary care was the most requested FNP rotation, at 36% of FNP requests. Pediatrics came second, at 24%, and OB/GYN third, at 12%.
FNP programs prepare you to care for patients of every age. The AANPCB certification board, for example, requires preparation in the “family/individual across the lifespan population focus.” Check your handbook for how many hours or cases your program wants in pediatrics and women’s health.
Then plan your local search around each rotation you need. A family practice that sees children and adults may help with more than one requirement, while for a pediatric or women’s health rotation, you may need a second practice nearby. Our guide to NP clinical rotations by specialty explains what each rotation teaches.
Where can I find FNP preceptors near me?
Start with your program, then the clinicians you know, then local practices. Here’s where to look, and what to do once you find a preceptor.
- Ask your clinical coordinator. Your coordinator may know local practices that have precepted students from your program, and which sites already have an affiliation agreement with your school.
- Ask the clinicians you work with. NPs, physicians and physician assistants where you work, and classmates who’ve finished a rotation, can often suggest a preceptor or introduce you to one.
- Search local practices for each rotation. Look for family medicine practices, community health centers, pediatric offices and OB/GYN clinics within the distance you’d drive.
- Check NP association websites. Some state and local NP associations host a preceptor directory you can search by city, state or zip code.
- Send a short, specific request. Include your program, the rotation, your dates and the hours you need. If you don’t hear back, follow up once by phone.
- Send your school the preceptor’s details right away. Under the national standards, faculty approve every clinical placement, including preceptors that students find themselves. Your start date depends on your schedule and how fast your school approves the affiliation agreement. Our guide explains what an affiliation agreement is.
FNP preceptors near me: questions students ask
How do I find an FNP preceptor near me?
Start your search for “FNP preceptors near me” with your program’s clinical coordinator, then ask the clinicians you work with and search local practices for each rotation you need. Some NP associations also host preceptor directories you can search by zip code. Or submit a placement request on Clinical Match Me and receive offers from preceptors in the area you choose.
How far do FNP students travel for clinicals?
In Clinical Match Me’s data from October 2025 to September 2026, FNP students who searched by distance set a median of 50 miles, and 58% of those searches were for 50 miles or more.
Can I do FNP clinicals in another state?
It depends on your program, so ask before you contact practices in another state. In Clinical Match Me’s data, 35% of FNP requests that listed states included a state besides the student’s home state.
Can FNP clinicals be done remotely?
Your program decides. Under the 2022 national standards, care you give patients through telehealth can count toward your direct patient care hours. Still, only <1% of FNP requests in Clinical Match Me’s data were for remote rotations, so plan on finding a preceptor nearby.
Does my FNP preceptor have to be a nurse practitioner?
Not always. The 2022 national standards describe a preceptor as “a qualified clinician” who meets eligibility criteria your faculty set, and they name physicians and physician assistants as well as NPs among the clinicians who serve as preceptors. Check your program handbook for its rules before you widen your search.
How does Clinical Match Me find FNP preceptors near you?
With Clinical Match Me, you can skip the search for “FNP preceptors near me.” Submit a placement request with your specialty and rotation dates. Choose the states you’re willing to travel to, or enter your zip code and how far you’re willing to travel. We’ll match you with preceptors in those areas.
Preceptors who match your profile review your placement request and send you offers. Then compare offers, choose the best preceptor for your schedule and learning goals, and start your rotation. Our AI preceptor outreach contacts qualified providers near you, even when there are no matching preceptors in our network.
Most preceptors on Clinical Match Me charge a flat rate of $1,995 for rotations up to 250 hours, so that rate applies to an FNP rotation of median length. That price includes our fee and the preceptor’s honorarium (their compensation for teaching you), and payment plans are available for up to 24 months. Our NP preceptor cost page explains how pricing works.
Although many students are placed within days, try to submit your placement requests as early as possible. The sooner you do, the sooner we can place you. Learn more about how we help you find an FNP preceptor for family medicine, pediatric and women’s health rotations.
Clinical Match Me is a preceptor placement service for NP and PA students. Our founder is a nurse practitioner who experienced the same struggle you’re facing, and since 2014 we’ve helped more than 10,000 students find preceptors.
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About this data
The Clinical Match Me figures in this article come from anonymized placement requests that students, most of them NP students, made on Clinical Match Me from October 2025 to September 2026. Every figure is a share or a median of those requests, except the home-state chart, which counts each FNP student once. We update the figures every month, and the last update was October 2026.
These figures describe students who used Clinical Match Me, not every FNP student in the country. We link each requirement to its source: the national NP education standards, ANCC or AANPCB.
You’re welcome to reuse these figures under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license. Just credit Clinical Match Me as the source and link to this page.
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