Find a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Preceptor Near You

Behavioral-health prescribers are in short supply nationwide, and the ones who exist are already stretched thin. A psychiatrist or PMHNP carrying a full panel does not have obvious gaps to slot a student into, and supervising a learner adds real time to every visit. That is the core reason a PMHNP placement is tougher to line up than a family-practice one: fewer eligible preceptors, higher demand for their hours, and almost no slack in their schedules.

The eligibility rules narrow the pool further. For psychiatric-mental health hours, your preceptor generally needs to be a board-certified PMHNP or a psychiatrist (MD/DO) practicing in mental health, not a primary-care provider who happens to manage some psych medications. Herzing reviews and must approve every preceptor and site, and the clinical application requires the preceptor's CV plus a signed preceptor agreement. So a willing provider is not enough on its own. They have to be the right kind of provider, and the paperwork has to clear.

There is also a geography problem. Outside metro areas, psychiatric prescribers can be thin on the ground, and the few who practice locally may already precept for another program. Many students find that the closest approvable option is a drive away, which makes starting early and casting a wide net more important here than in almost any other track.

Psychiatry is one of the most telehealth-friendly specialties, and a meaningful share of behavioral-health care now happens over video. That opens up preceptor options that a primary-care student would not have, because a supervising psychiatric provider does not always have to be in the same room as you.

Whether telepsych hours count toward your practicum depends on two things: your state's rules for supervised student telehealth, and what your program is willing to approve. Some states and sites allow a portion of psychiatric clinical hours to be completed via telehealth under direct preceptor supervision; others require in-person contact for a set share of hours. We do not promise a telehealth-only placement, and you should never assume it is allowed. We confirm what your state and your Herzing handbook permit before counting on any telepsych arrangement.

Used correctly, telepsychiatry widens the map. A board-certified PMHNP two counties over, or a group practice that runs a hybrid clinic, can become a viable preceptor when part of the supervision happens by video. We factor that in when we search, rather than limiting you to providers within driving distance of your home.

We are an independent placement service. We are not Herzing University and not affiliated with or endorsed by it. What we do is the legwork Herzing expects you to lead: identifying a qualified, Herzing-approvable psychiatric preceptor in your specialty and state, and lining them up early enough to clear the program's own deadlines.

Our process for psychiatric placements looks like this:

• We map the board-certified PMHNPs and psychiatric prescribers around you, including telepsych-capable practices where your state and program permit it.
• We confirm a candidate is the right type of provider for psych-mental health hours and is willing to take a student for your term.
• We help assemble what the clinical application needs, including the preceptor's CV and a signed preceptor agreement, so the site can be submitted for Herzing approval.
• We aim to have this in motion well before your clinical application deadline, so timing is on your side rather than against it.

Herzing's model is student-first by design: you are encouraged to find your own site, with support from a Clinical Placement Advisor and a master's-prepared Clinical Coordinator, plus an approved-site fallback list. Herzing's APRN Clinical Placement Pledge is a real promise to step in and secure a placement, but only after you have completed every required step and met the deadlines that trigger it. That makes it conditional, reactive, and deadline-gated, and it is a placement backstop, not a tuition refund. Our job is to close the gap before you ever have to test those conditions. For the full Pledge breakdown, see how clinical placement works; for the timing that triggers it, see clinical deadlines.

For the full PMHNP track overview, including coursework and the psychiatric immersion experience, see our PMHNP preceptor page. When you are ready to start the search for your state and term, tell us where you are and we will get to work.