How to Find a Preceptor, Site, and Project for Your ACE Practicum
Every American College of Education (ACE) MSN student has to secure three things on their own before the 200-hour practicum can begin: a qualified preceptor or mentor, an approved location, and a workable project. This guide walks through how each piece fits together, what makes a preceptor acceptable, and how to lock all three down without stalling your program.
What exactly do I need to find?
You need three separate things: a preceptor or mentor, a site, and a project. ACE's graduate nursing programs put the burden of sourcing all three on the student, which is where most people get stuck.
Here is what each piece means for an ACE education or administration practicum:
- Preceptor or mentor: an experienced professional who supervises your field experience and signs off on your hours.
- Site: an approved location where the work happens, which can be a school, hospital education department, clinic, or administrative office depending on your track.
- Project: a defined body of work you complete over the 200 hours that maps to your program's learning outcomes.
Because ACE's MSN tracks are Nurse Educator and Nurse Administrator, the practicum is an education or administration field experience. It is not a nurse practitioner rotation and does not involve direct patient care.
Who qualifies as a preceptor for the ACE practicum?
A qualifying preceptor is an experienced professional whose role and credentials match the track you are in, whether Nurse Educator or Nurse Administrator. The goal is a mentor who can meaningfully supervise the kind of work your program expects.
For a Nurse Educator practicum, that usually means someone working in nursing education, curriculum, faculty development, or staff education. For a Nurse Administrator practicum, it typically means someone in nursing leadership, management, or administration. Because ACE's programs are education and administration focused, your preceptor does not need to be a nurse practitioner, and the experience is not a clinical rotation.
Confirm your program's specific preceptor requirements with ACE before you commit, since the school sets the final criteria.
How do I find an approved site?
Start with the workplace or institution you already have a relationship with, then confirm it can host your project and that a qualified preceptor is available there. An approved site is any location where the education or administration work of your project can realistically be carried out.
Common places students look include their current employer, a partner school or university, a hospital's education or professional development department, or an administrative office. The site has to be willing to host you, provide access to the work, and support your preceptor's supervision for the full 200 hours.
If your employer cannot host you, or you would rather keep the practicum separate from your day job, you will need to source an outside site, which is often the hardest part to arrange alone.
What makes a workable project?
A workable project is one that fits the site, matches your track's learning outcomes, and can genuinely be completed in the hours available. It should be scoped so a preceptor can supervise it and sign off on real deliverables.
For a Nurse Educator track, projects often involve curriculum, teaching, or staff development work. For a Nurse Administrator track, they tend to involve process, policy, or operational improvement. The project is what turns 200 loosely defined hours into a defensible field experience, so vague ideas tend to get rejected while specific, outcome-aligned ones move forward.
Align the project with your preceptor and site early, because all three pieces have to agree before ACE will approve the practicum.
What if I cannot find an ACE preceptor on my own?
If self-sourcing has stalled, an independent placement service can secure the preceptor, site, and project for you. This is the service we provide.
That means we match you with a qualified preceptor or mentor, an approved site, and a workable project as a single package. Pricing runs $1,500 to $2,500 per placement, and you pay when you are matched, not before.
This is the same practicum ACE requires, arranged for you rather than left to cold outreach. It is not an NP rotation, not a clinical rotation, and does not involve direct patient care.
Preceptor, site, and project by ACE MSN track
| Component | MSN Nurse Educator | MSN Nurse Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Preceptor or mentor | Experienced nurse educator, curriculum, or faculty-development professional | Nurse leader in management or administration |
| Approved site | School of nursing, academic program, or education department | Healthcare organization leadership or management setting |
| Project | Curriculum, teaching, or staff-development work | Process, policy, or operational improvement work |
| Practicum hours | 200 | 200 |
| Direct patient care | No | No |
Good to know
Does ACE find my preceptor for me?
No. American College of Education requires the student to find their own preceptor or mentor, a location, and a project for the 200-hour practicum. That is why many students use an independent placement service to secure all three.
How many practicum hours does the ACE MSN require?
Each ACE MSN track, Nurse Educator and Nurse Administrator, requires a 200-hour practicum. The hours are supervised by your preceptor at an approved site and tied to a defined project.
Is the ACE practicum a clinical rotation with patients?
No. ACE's MSN tracks are Nurse Educator and Nurse Administrator, so the practicum is an education or administration field experience. It is not a nurse practitioner rotation and does not involve direct patient care.
Can I use my current employer as the site?
Often yes, if your employer can host the project, provides access to the work, and a qualified preceptor is available there for the full 200 hours. Confirm the specifics with ACE, since the school approves the site.
Are you affiliated with American College of Education?
No. We secure a qualified preceptor or mentor, an approved site, and a workable project so your 200 practicum hours can be completed.
How do I find an ACE preceptor?
Work the three pieces this guide covers: identify a qualified preceptor or mentor, confirm an approved site, and define a project, then align them before ACE reviews the practicum. Many students begin with their own employer and professional network, and those who stall bring in an independent practicum placement service to secure the match. Whichever route you take, confirm the preceptor's fit with ACE before you commit the 200 hours.
Is ACE Preceptor a practicum placement service?
Yes. ACE Preceptor is an independent practicum placement service, which means we take on the sourcing ACE assigns to you and deliver a qualified preceptor or mentor, an approved site, and a workable project together.
Can you help me find a preceptor near me?
Yes. We search for a preceptor or mentor and an approved site in your region so your education or administration field experience is somewhere you can actually reach for all 200 hours. Share your city and track on the form below, and we look for a nearby fit instead of leaving you to cold outreach.
How do I get a practicum mentor for my ACE program fast?
Speed comes from starting before your term and running the search in parallel rather than one email at a time. When you hand us the placement, we source a qualified mentor, an approved site, and a project at once, so the practicum is confirmed while your coursework keeps moving. Early applications get the most runway before mentor rosters and site paperwork fill up.
What is the best way to find an ACE preceptor?
The best way is to secure the preceptor, the site, and the project as one aligned package, since ACE approves the practicum only when all three agree. Self-sourcing through your workplace works when a qualified preceptor is available there; when it is not, a placement service arranges the full set for your track. Always confirm the final criteria with ACE, because the school sets them.
Do you place preceptors for ACE students, or just refer them?
We place them, not just refer them. A referral service points you toward a name and leaves you to do the arranging, while we confirm the actual preceptor or mentor, the approved site, and the project as a finished placement. That distinction, a real placement service versus a lead list, is exactly why students come to us after self-sourcing stalls.
Secure your practicum, not your weekends
Tell us your ACE track, your city, and your practicum timeline. We will come back with a placement plan and a realistic path to a preceptor, an approved site, and your 200 hours.