Contact the placement desk

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

Tell us a little about your East Tennessee State University (ETSU) program and the practicum coming up, and a placement advisor will write back with what happens next. Use the message box in the form on this page to put your course, city, semester and remaining hours in a single note.

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Message the placement desk

Tell us your ETSU program, NRSE course, city, semester and the hours you still need.

Numbered steps. What happens after you send it: 1 A placement advisor reads it; 2 We reply; 3 The search starts; 4 You get the details ETSU needs; 5 ETSU reviews. — What happens after you send it: 1 A placement advisor reads it; 2 We reply; 3 The search starts; 4 You get the details ETSU needs; 5 ETSU reviews.

What to include

Five details let us start looking the same day. The more specific you are, the more useful our first reply will be.

Your program and concentration. Choose it from the Program menu, for example MSN Family Nurse Practitioner or the ETSU-TTU joint DNP.
The NRSE course. The number tells us the population focus and hours, for example NRSE 5022 for women's health or NRSE 5502 for the first Executive Leadership practicum.
Your city and state. We search in person near where you will do clinicals, so give the place you will actually drive from.
The semester. Fall 2026, spring 2027 or summer 2027, and whether the term has already started.
Hours still needed. If you are mid-course, give the hours logged in ProjectConcert and the total on your plan of study.

Helpful extras: names of practices or preceptors you have already contacted, whether a site has mentioned an existing agreement with ETSU, and where your ProjectConcert compliance file stands.

Why each detail matters

The course number drives the search. ETSU's clinical faculty judge each preceptor against the course's population focus, using the patient-mix section of the Preceptor Intent Form, so a preceptor who suits NRSE 5014 with older adults may not suit NRSE 5024 with children and adolescents.

Your location decides where we look and which rules apply. An address outside Tennessee tells us to raise regulator approval early, since ETSU reviews each out-of-state placement individually. The semester and your remaining hours set the pace: a practicum eight weeks out and one a year out call for different plans, and a mid-term gap needs a weekly hours target.

Knowing who you have already contacted saves time and means each practice hears one clear request.

What happens after you send it

A placement advisor reads itYour message reaches the placement desk, and an advisor reviews your program, course and timing.
We replyWe reply by email, call or text, as the form's consent line describes, to confirm details and answer first questions.
The search startsWe look near you for preceptors and sites whose patients and credentials fit the course, and confirm interest and dates.
You get the details ETSU needsWe hand you what the Intent Form and your Preceptor & Clinical Agency Onboarding entry in ProjectConcert ask for, and flag any contract question.
ETSU reviewsYou submit it; faculty decide on the preceptor and Student Services checks credentials. We stay available all term.

For the full picture, read how it works. For what shapes a quote, see cost.

If your situation is urgent

Say so in the form. The Clinical start menu includes "Already started, behind on hours" and "Within 8 weeks," and we look at those requests first. Put the key facts in your message: the course, hours logged, hours needed and the last day of your term. If a preceptor has just left, add the date of your last clinical day and whether the site could keep you with someone else.

While you wait for our reply, these guides can help: falling behind on hours, a preceptor who dropped out and needing a preceptor fast. Every page also has a chat button if you would rather talk it through straight away.

Preceptors and clinical sites

Nurse practitioners, physicians, nurse administrators and nurse educators who would like to teach ETSU students can pick "I'm a preceptor (not a student)" from the Program menu. In your message, tell us your credential and specialty, your practice's city, the patients you see most and the terms you could take a student.

We will explain what ETSU asks of a preceptor, from the Intent Form details to the ProjectConcert welcome email and evaluations, and connect you with students whose courses fit your practice. Tennessee-licensed APRNs may also want to read about the state's preceptor incentive. The precepting page has more.

Questions only ETSU can answer

Some answers live with ETSU, and we will help you ask for them. Your plan of study and catalog year come from your advisor and Degree Works. Approving a preceptor is your clinical faculty's decision, checking credentials is Student Services' job, and contract status sits with the College. Your compliance due dates are on ProjectConcert's Clinical Requirements tab.

When you write to ETSU, use your @etsu.edu address, which the catalog names as the official channel. If you are unsure which office to ask, mention it in your message to us and we will point you to the right role.

Questions ETSU students ask

How soon will I hear back?

A placement advisor replies by email, call or text after reviewing your message. Requests marked "Already started, behind on hours" or "Within 8 weeks" in the Clinical start menu are looked at first, so choose the option that fits and put your key numbers in the message.

Do I need a preceptor's name before I contact you?

No. Your program, NRSE course, city and semester are enough to start a search. If you do have a name, or a lead that fell through, include it along with anything the preceptor or site has already told you, so we build on it rather than start over.

Can I contact you a year before my practicum?

Yes, and early is better. Choose "Two semesters or more away" in the Clinical start menu. Starting early leaves room for the Intent Form, ETSU's approvals and any contract a new site needs, none of which ETSU publishes a timeline for.

What will a placement cost?

It depends on your program, the course, your location and your timing. Our cost page explains what shapes a quote, and your placement advisor gives you the details for your situation after reviewing your message and confirming what the search involves.

Can I talk to someone instead of using the form?

Yes. Every page has a chat button, and you can start there if you prefer a conversation. The form is still the quickest way to give us your program, course, city and hours in one place, so we may ask you to send it as well.

Placement helpHow it worksHow we place East Tennessee State University nursing students: course-matched preceptors near home, a complete Intent Form file, early contract flags, backup.Placement helpCostWhat shapes a quote for an ETSU preceptor placement: your course's population, clinical hours, how many practicums, where you live and how soon you start.Placement helpNeed a preceptor fastYour ETSU practicum starts soon and no preceptor is approved. What must clear before day one, the 2026-27 dates to watch, and a fast-track plan that works.For preceptorsPrecept an ETSU studentFor preceptors: what ETSU asks when you precept a graduate nursing student, from the Intent Form to ProjectConcert evaluations, and how to join our network.Placement helpAbout usAn independent preceptor placement service built around ETSU's clinical process: the students we serve, what we do on every placement and how we check facts.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against ETSU's own catalog, College of Nursing pages, plans of study and ProjectConcert guides. Your plan of study, your syllabus, your course faculty and the graduate clinical coordinator have the final word.

ETSU asks you to lead the preceptor search. We make it the fastest part of your program.

Tell us your ETSU concentration, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who fit the course's patient population and prepare everything your Preceptor Intent Form and ProjectConcert entry need.

Preceptors matched to the course: young and middle adults for NRSE 5012, older adults for NRSE 5014, women for NRSE 5022, children for NRSE 5024, psychiatric care for NRSE 5405
Credentials, license numbers, certification dates and the site's patient mix ready for faculty approval
In your own community, in Northeast Tennessee or wherever ETSU approves your clinicals

Start your placement plan

Program, city and semester is all we need to begin.