Contact the placement desk

Ways to reach us

Pick whichever fits your day. Every route reaches the same placement desk, and you can switch between them at any point in your search.

• The form on this page. Best for the full picture: program, city and term, plus a message box for everything else.
• Live chat. The chat button sits on every page and suits quick questions, such as whether a course needs a particular kind of preceptor.
• WhatsApp. The WhatsApp button opens the app with a message ready to send, so you can keep the conversation going from your phone between shifts.
• Text message. The text button opens your phone's messaging app with a note already started, for students who prefer plain SMS.

Chat, WhatsApp and text keep the thread on your phone, which makes them handy when you are at work. The form is the better choice when you want to set out a complicated situation in one place.

What to include in your message

The more we know at the start, the sooner the search can begin. These details let us match your course from the first call.

• Your APU program and campus, such as the MSN FNP at the Inland Empire campus
• The clinical course number and units, for example 3 units of GNRS 600 or the GNRS 536 population course, plus its paired lecture course
• The city where you live and how far you are willing to drive
• Your session start date, or the term you are planning for
• Hours already logged in Medatrax, if you are partway through a term
• Any preceptor leads, and whether you have spoken with APU's Graduate Placement Team
• Where your CastleBranch or Complio file stands
• The days you can be in clinic around your work schedule

Share only what a placement search needs. We use your details to plan the search and prepare your request form; our privacy page explains how we handle them.

What happens after you write

1. We review your detailsA placement advisor looks at your program, course, city and timing, and at anything urgent you flagged.
2. We reply with questions or a planIf something is missing, such as the course number or start date, we ask. Otherwise we outline how the search will run for your course and region.
3. You receive a quoteIt reflects your program, specialty, location and timing; our cost page explains each factor.
4. The search beginsWe contact preceptors matched to your course near home and keep you updated as leads develop.
5. We prepare your request detailsWhen a preceptor says yes, we collect everything APU's request form and the site's agreement call for, so you can submit it complete.

The full sequence, from first message to first clinic day, is laid out on our how it works page.

When you will hear back

We reply as quickly as we can, and urgent situations move to the front of the line. Put the most time-sensitive fact in your first sentence: a term that starts within weeks, a preceptor who just withdrew or an hours shortfall near the end of a session. That helps us see what needs attention first, and a clear opening line lets our first reply carry a real plan instead of a list of questions.

For the quickest back-and-forth, chat and WhatsApp work well because the conversation stays open on your phone. If your term is close, our guide for students who need a preceptor fast lists what you can do in parallel while we search, from clearing compliance items to checking a clinic's agreement status.

If you are a preceptor

Clinicians who would like to teach an APU student are welcome to write too. Physicians, NPs, PAs working with an on-site supervising physician, psychiatrists, clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators and nurse administrators each fit one APU course or another. Choose "I'm a preceptor (not a student)" in the program menu, then share your specialty, where your practice is, which weekdays suit teaching and roughly how many student hours per term fit your schedule.

Our page for preceptors explains who APU accepts, what California's rules ask of a preceptor and how a placement comes together. We match you with an APU student whose course suits your practice and handle the preparation, so your office sees a complete, well-organized request.

Questions only APU can answer

Some questions belong with APU's own offices, and asking there first saves time. Placement approvals, clearance and offers come from APU's Graduate Placement Team, reached through the Clinical Placement Team mailbox listed on the SON student hub. Compliance questions go to the SON help desk and its knowledge base, technology problems to APU's IT Support Center at support.apu.edu, and grades or incompletes to your clinical faculty and advisor. APU's Office of the Registrar posts the graduate forms for enrollment changes, incompletes and leaves of absence.

We are glad to help you work out which office to ask and what to include, and to prepare the placement details you bring to them, so each conversation with APU starts on the right foot.

Questions APU students ask