Teleprecepting: A timely approach to clinical education during COVID-19

Clinical training is a key component of nurse practitioner (NP) education. The rapid shift to telehealth necessitated by the pandemic has also created a need for socially distanced education and precepting. This article presents teleprecepting as a modality for clinical opportunities and connecting students to previously limited experiences, such as training in small specialties, in rural areas, and with interdisciplinary teams. Precepting NP students using telehealth follows similar principles as in-person teaching, but some modifications and additional considerations are needed to transition to the virtual environment. At a time when many NPs have swiftly adapted to telehealth in practice, this article will offer a brief “how-to” for teleprecepting. Prior to COVID-19, teleprecepting was piloted with less than 2% of NP students in the school's pilot teleprecepting project. Seven months after the initial surge of cases and restrictions, 72% of students (n = 151) in the family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, and pediatric nurse practitioner specialties had transitioned to teleprecepting. This project was implemented rapidly during the pandemic, and thus, evaluations comparing competency outcomes and experiences of students and preceptors are still in process. Additionally, feasibility of this educational model may change as telehealth regulations continue to evolve. COVID-19 poses challenges for both patient care and clinical training of NP students across specialties. With some adaptation, clinical placements can be transitioned to the virtual environment of telehealth. Future studies should examine student competencies based on teleprecepting experiences and preceptor training to support teleprecepting roles.