The three points of contact: your job in each Gonzaga practicum

The rule behind the three contacts

Gonzaga's FNP Clinical Faculty Packet ties the model to state law: "The Washington Administration Code (WAC) #246-840-533 states that nursing faculty, responsible for the overall supervision and evaluation of the student, must confer simultaneously with each primary preceptor, and student three times during the student learning experience: Beginning of semester. Mid semester. End of semester."

Gonzaga is a Washington program, and its packets apply the model to NP practicums in whichever of the ten western states you precept. The same Washington rule expects preceptors to be oriented in advance to the course objectives and to written role expectations, so the first contact is a natural moment to confirm your preceptor has the right course's objectives. For how the rule shapes precepting more broadly, see Washington's rules for NP preceptors.

WABON opened rulemaking on these education rules in December 2025, so the wording may change. Until it does, plan on all three contacts in each practicum course unless your syllabus says otherwise. Gonzaga's PMHNP pages, for instance, list no site visit in the extension course NURS 683M.

Point of contact one: your goals on the table

The first contact is short, but it sets the direction of the semester. Gonzaga's packet describes a call of five to ten minutes to "review student-set goals for the semester." Those goals are yours to write, and the preceptor guides ask you to bring them in writing, along with a CV or resume, before your first clinic day.

Good goals name the course, the populations you still need to see and the skills you are building. FNP students add the week-by-week objectives the FNP guide asks for. From your second practicum onward, last semester's end-of-term feedback belongs in the list, because Gonzaga's model feeds POC 3 comments into the next set of goals.

Aim to hold the call in the first week or two of the semester, once you know your clinical faculty assignment. Offer your preceptor two or three times that sit around their patient schedule, then send one calendar invitation to all three people with your goals attached.

Point of contact three: the evaluation conference

At the end of the semester, the packet says "the preceptor will complete the preceptor evaluation with the student," with faculty part of the conversation. The feedback becomes the starting point for your goals in the next practicum, which is why the three contacts work as a loop across your program rather than three unrelated meetings. Use the time well: ask which skills grew most and which need work in the next course, and write the answers down while they are fresh.

The evaluation form reaches the preceptor by email. Gonzaga moved evaluations for many practicum courses into CORE from Spring 2026, while other courses still use web forms; the guide to preceptor evaluations lists which courses use which. Let your preceptor know the email is coming so it does not sit unread in a busy inbox.

Why students choose us: preceptors ready for all three

A provider who has never worked with Gonzaga may not expect a faculty call in week one, a graded visit mid-term and a conference at the end. When we match you, we explain the three points of contact to the preceptor before they agree, so the time involved is clear and the visit day holds no surprises.

We place Gonzaga students with preceptors in their own state who meet Gonzaga's rules, and we prepare the details faculty need for the site placement request: credentials, license, board certification, site contact, schedule and course fit. Gonzaga's faculty approve the placement and lead the contacts; our part is a preceptor who is ready for all three from the first conversation. Use the form below to start.