Graduate Nurse Education Project Payments to Clinical Sites: Assessing the Impact on Preceptors Willingness to Precept NP Students

     The innovative Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) Demonstration Project (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2013) has ushered in a new concept in APRN education: payments for precepting students analogous to the established Graduate Medical Education (GME) model (American Medical Association, 2007; CMS, 2011). Although other types of compensation for precepting (CE, gift cards, free tuition) have been studied previously, the impact of relatively large monetary payments for precepting APRN students has not been studied, and this study contributes to growing the body of knowledge regarding payments to clinical agencies and the effect on preceptors’ perceptions in accepting APRN students in the clinical setting.

     This IRB approved pilot study used an anonymous survey mailed to GNE participating preceptors that included basic demographic information, a 10-item scale on the impact of GNE payments on the preceptors willingness to precept, and three narrative questions about positive and negative impacts of the GNE payments. A total of 20 surveys were returned showing a sample of mostly female (57%) NP (48%) preceptors with an average of 18 years practicing and 8 years precepting. Scale results indicated overall that preceptors did not perceive the GNE payments as an incentive or influential in the decision to precept APRN students. Narrative comments reflect that participants felt preceptors should precept without payments, but that the GNE payments were a 'bonus'. Additional narrative responses indicated that GNE payments help offset the cost of decreased efficiency when precepting a student. Participants noted the concern that some preceptors may be precepting for the money, not for the desire to educate.

     The results of this study help to illuminate preceptor perceptions about the new GNE project money that is now being provided to clinical agencies. The GNE payments are seen as beneficial in recouping lost patient revenue due to precepting, but are not viewed overall as an inducement to precept an APRN student. Further surveys of larger sample will be undertaken.