Your clinical supervisor at Ohio University: the second person in every practicum
Ohio University's MSN FAQ says nurse practitioner clinicals take place "with an approved preceptor and an assigned clinical supervisor." The preceptor teaches you at the site; the supervisor is assigned to you rather than chosen by you. Public pages say little beyond that pairing, so this page sets out what is published, what to confirm in week one, and how to keep your supervisor informed all term.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your Ohio University program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your course.
Two roles in every practicum
Ohio University uses two different verbs for the two people who shape your practicum. The preceptor is approved: you bring a candidate and faculty decide. The clinical supervisor is assigned: the role comes to you as part of the course. That difference tells you who to go to for what.
| Preceptor | Clinical supervisor | |
|---|---|---|
| Official wording | "an approved preceptor" | "an assigned clinical supervisor" |
| How the role is filled | You identify them, with faculty approval; the coordinator can help | Assigned to you |
| Where Ohio University names it | MSN FAQ for each NP track; Nurse Leader page | MSN FAQ for each NP track; Nurse Leader page |
| Contact rhythm | Every clinic day | Set by your course; confirm in week one |
| Where detailed duties live | Preceptor packet | Syllabus and Graduate Nursing Student Handbook |
What Ohio University publishes about supervision
The pairing appears in three places. The MSN FAQ closes its setting descriptions for AG-ACNP, FNP and PMHNP with "an approved preceptor and an assigned clinical supervisor." The MSN Nurse Leader page says its practicum "must be completed with an approved preceptor at an approved site, with an assigned clinical supervisor." The DNP FAQ describes clinical practice hours as "faculty-supervised, in collaboration with a preceptor or mentor."
Past those lines, the role's duties are not on public pages. That includes whether your supervisor is also your course faculty member, how often you meet and how your clinical grade is reached. Your syllabus and the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook, sent on request from graduatenursing@ohio.edu, hold those answers, and the handbook carries the School of Nursing's grading policy.
Evaluations and site visits: what to confirm
Ohio University's public pages do not describe preceptor evaluation forms, student evaluations of sites, or faculty site visits in person or online. Those details come with the course, so ask about them in the first week rather than meeting them at midterm.
Questions for your supervisor in week one
- How will my preceptor evaluate me, and when are those evaluations due?
- Will there be a site visit or a virtual check-in with my preceptor, and who arranges it?
- How are my hours documented and verified, and what goes into Typhon?
- What counts as a clinical hour in this course, and what does not?
- Who should I contact first if a clinic day is canceled?
Two published details frame those questions. The FNP FAQ tells students to budget time to document clinical encounters, and an archived copy of the graduate forms page lists a "Graduate Clinical Hour Completion/Extension" form, a sign that finishing or extending hours has its own paperwork. Typhon at Ohio University explains what the Knowledge Center says the system is for.
Keeping your supervisor in the loop
- Introduce yourself and your siteIn week one, send your supervisor your preceptor's name, practice and planned clinic days from your Ohio University student email.
- Share the calendarFlag any on-campus intensive dates in Dublin and any weeks your preceptor is away, so the hour plan is visible from the start.
- Report problems the week they happenIf clinic days fall through, say so at once. Hours are far easier to recover with ten weeks left than with three.
- Route any preceptor change through approvalA new preceptor mid-term still needs faculty approval, so involve your supervisor before you start with anyone new.
The mistake is telling your supervisor about a preceptor problem only after hours have slipped. Early notice leaves more ways to fix it; see behind on clinical hours if you are already there.
Supervision under Ohio law and other states' rules
For clinicals in Ohio, Revised Code 4723.32(F) allows an APRN student to practice when the work falls under the program and the student acts under the supervision of an APRN serving that program as a faculty member, teaching assistant or preceptor. Our standard care arrangement guide covers the Ohio rules in more depth.
Other states add their own conditions for the people supervising you. Ohio University's licensure disclosures note, for example, that Connecticut requires clinical faculty to be licensed there, and that a faculty member involved in direct patient care in Montana must hold Montana APRN and RN licensure. If your clinic is outside Ohio, ask how supervision will be arranged for your state.
How we support you through the term
Our work continues after approval. Your placement advisor stays reachable through the semester, keeps your preceptor's documents current and helps you answer any question your supervisor raises about the site.
Before the term opens, we also confirm the clinic-day pattern with your preceptor in writing, intensive dates included, so you can hand your supervisor a clear hour plan in week one instead of building it as you go.
If your preceptor steps away, we find a replacement quickly and prepare the approval file so your supervisor and faculty can review it without delay; preceptor dropped out walks through the steps. Ohio University faculty keep every decision, and we keep the practical side moving. Use the form below to start.
Questions Ohio University students ask
Is the clinical supervisor the same person as my preceptor?
No. Ohio University's MSN FAQ names both: "an approved preceptor and an assigned clinical supervisor." The preceptor is the clinician you work beside at the site and the person faculty approve; the supervisor is assigned to you. Your syllabus explains how the two share responsibility in your course.
Will my Ohio University clinical supervisor visit my site?
Ohio University's public pages do not say whether site visits happen in person, online or at all. Ask your supervisor in the first week, then let your preceptor know what to expect so the clinic can plan around any visit or call.
Who evaluates me during an Ohio University practicum?
Evaluation forms and who completes them are not published on ohio.edu. Your course materials should set out the preceptor's part and the faculty's part, and the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook holds the grading policy; request it from graduatenursing@ohio.edu if you have not received a copy.
Who do I tell if my preceptor cancels clinic days?
Tell your clinical supervisor or course faculty as soon as it happens, and keep a written record in your student email. If the preceptor cannot continue, any new preceptor needs faculty approval before you begin with them, so start that conversation the same week.
Does the MSN-to-DNP have a clinical supervisor?
The DNP FAQ describes clinical practice hours as faculty-supervised, in collaboration with a preceptor or mentor, and individualized to your program of study. Faculty also work closely with you on choosing the preceptor-mentor and setting. Confirm the supervision structure for NRSE 8920 and NRSE 8921 in each syllabus.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against Ohio University's own catalog, program pages and Nursing Knowledge Center. Your syllabus, the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and your faculty have the final word.
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