Your AGACNP preceptor, secured for the hardest acute rotations
An independent AG-ACNP preceptor matching service, AGACNP Preceptor secures verified acute-care preceptors and inpatient sites for students at any accredited program, and you pay only when matched. Acute-care and ICU rotations are the scarcest placements in nurse practitioner education, gatekept through hospital credentialing and affiliation agreements, so we source the rotations no one will just hand you.
Tell us your school and city. It is free to ask, with no obligation.
The acute-care waveform your hours must cover
AGACNP is an inpatient, acutely-ill role. Every peak on this trace is a rotation you have to secure, and each one lives behind a hospital's credentialing wall.
We build one plan that reaches across the whole trace, sourcing a qualified acute-care preceptor and a credentialed inpatient site for each rotation, verified to your program's rules before you commit.
Why is an AGACNP preceptor so hard to find?
Securing acute-care and ICU clinical sites is among the hardest placements to obtain independently. Hospitals tightly gatekeep inpatient students through credentialing, affiliation agreements, and limited preceptor availability, so acute-care rotations are far scarcer than primary-care ones. A primary-care NP student can knock on a clinic door; you are asking a health system to credential a student inside its ICU, and that is a different order of difficulty.
- Inpatient units credential students, they do not just accept them.
- Every site needs a signed affiliation agreement with your school.
- Acute-care preceptors are few, and their time is scarce.
- ICU and step-down slots fill long before the term starts.
- Most AGACNP programs are online and do not assign placements.
- That whole inpatient search is what we take off your plate.
An adult-gerontology, acute-care population
AGACNP is an adult-gerontology acute role, so your patients run from adolescents and young adults through adults to older adults, including the frail elderly. Unlike a Family Nurse Practitioner, an AGACNP does not care for children or early adolescents. The population age floor sits at roughly adolescence, but the work is acute and inpatient, not pediatric.
Care settings you rotate through
- ICU and critical care. Managing the acutely unstable adult and older-adult patient.
- Step-down and progressive care. The PCU tier between ICU and the floor.
- Emergency department. Undifferentiated acute presentations across the adult-gero span.
- Inpatient specialty services. Cardiology, pulmonary, and hospitalist medicine.
- Procedures and acute-care skills. The hands-on competencies your program logs.
One team for the inpatient search
Instead of cold-emailing hospital education offices for an ICU slot that may not exist, you hand us the search. We source practicing acute-care preceptors, confirm each meets your program's eligibility, and work the affiliation agreements that inpatient sites require. You pay only once a preceptor and site are confirmed.
- Tell us your program. Your school, city, and which acute rotations you still need.
- We source across the trace. Qualified preceptors for ICU, step-down, ED, and inpatient specialty.
- We verify eligibility. Each preceptor checked against your program's rules, then the affiliation agreement and hospital credentialing.
- You start on schedule. Sites confirmed, hours logged, no acute rotation left hanging.
How many clinical hours does an AGACNP program require?
The 2022 NTF Standards for Quality NP Education set a minimum of 750 direct patient care clinical hours per NP population track, up from the 500-hour floor still used for certification eligibility by ANCC and the AACN Certification Corporation. So total AGACNP clinical hours typically run from about 500 in legacy or certification-minimum programs to 750 or more in current NTF-compliant programs. Your school sets the exact figure, and we place to it.
| Benchmark | Hours | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 national minimum | 750 direct patient care hours per NP track | NTF Standards for Quality NP Education |
| Certification-eligibility floor | 500 faculty-supervised hours | ANCC (AGACNP-BC) and AACN Certification Corporation (ACNPC-AG) |
| Typical program range | about 500 to 750 or more total | Varies by university; confirm yours |
Simulation hours do not count toward the direct patient care minimum. The AACN Certification Corporation floor is specifically hours in acute or critical-care settings caring for acutely ill adult-gerontology patients. AGACNP graduates certify as AGACNP-BC (ANCC) or ACNPC-AG (AACN Certification Corporation).
Who can serve as an AGACNP preceptor?
Your preceptor must practice in acute care. Generally that is a practicing AGACNP or acute care NP, a physician in an acute-care role, or, at many programs, a physician assistant in an acute-care setting. We verify each candidate against your school's specific rules before you commit.
Acute care NP
A practicing AGACNP or acute care NP (ACNP) precepting within their setting.
Acute-care physician
An MD or DO in an acute-care role: intensivist, hospitalist, emergency medicine, or a relevant inpatient specialty.
Acute-care PA
A physician assistant practicing in an acute-care setting, accepted by many programs. We confirm yours allows it.
Eligibility rules vary by program, and some schools are stricter about who may precept inpatient hours. We check every preceptor against your school's exact requirements, so you never log hours that will not count.
"Acute-care students hit a wall that primary-care students never see. A clinic can say yes in a phone call, but an ICU rotation means hospital credentialing, an affiliation agreement, and a preceptor with almost no free hours. Our whole job is to work that inpatient search in parallel so a student is not left one rotation short the month before they are meant to start."
Good to know before you start
How many clinical hours does an AGACNP program require?
The 2022 NTF Standards for Quality NP Education set a minimum of 750 direct patient care clinical hours per NP population track, up from the 500-hour floor still used for certification eligibility by ANCC and the AACN Certification Corporation. So total AGACNP clinical hours typically run from about 500 in legacy or certification-minimum programs to 750 or more in current NTF-compliant programs. Confirm your program's exact requirement with your school, and we place to it.
Why is an AGACNP preceptor so hard to find?
Securing acute-care and ICU clinical sites is among the hardest placements to obtain independently. Hospitals tightly gatekeep inpatient students through credentialing, affiliation agreements, and limited preceptor availability, so acute-care rotations are far scarcer than primary-care ones. That inpatient search is exactly what we take off your plate.
Who can serve as an AGACNP preceptor?
Generally a practicing AGACNP or acute care NP, a physician in an acute-care role such as an intensivist, hospitalist, emergency medicine, or relevant inpatient specialty, or a physician assistant practicing in an acute-care setting, which many programs accept. We verify each preceptor against your school's rules before you commit.
What rotations and populations must AGACNP clinical hours cover?
AGACNP is an adult-gerontology acute-care role, so your hours span acutely and critically ill patients across ICU or critical care, step-down or progressive care, the emergency department, and inpatient specialty services such as cardiology, pulmonary, and hospitalist medicine, plus procedures and acute-care skills. The population runs from adolescents and young adults through adults to older adults, including the frail elderly. AGACNPs do not care for children or early adolescents.
Do you work with my university's AGACNP program?
Yes. We are a program-focused service, not a school service, so we place AGACNP students from any university. We source preceptors and acute-care sites that meet your program's requirements and its affiliation-agreement process, whatever school you attend.
Are you affiliated with a university?
No. We help AGACNP students meet their program's requirements; we do not act for any school.
Secure the rotation no one else will hand you
Tell us your school, your city, and the acute rotations you still need. We will come back with a plan for the full AGACNP trace and a realistic path to placed.