The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) has accepted 88 nurses for its pilot Preceptor Incentive Program, with recipients from across Tennessee. Preceptor sites include hospitals, healthcare systems, specialty clinics, federally qualified health centers, and behavioral health sites.
The program aims to expand preceptor knowledge, increase clinical sites, and expand the capacity of nursing programs. Nurses will learn preceptorship techniques through The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Preceptor Course and improve communication skills through a course by THA. Nurses participating in the program are provided incentives in three tiers based on the number of hours supporting students.
“This program emerged from a lack of clinical sites and dedicated preceptors to support nursing students, creating a bottleneck in progression through their curriculum. We had an overwhelming response with nearly 400 applications,” said Dr. Ferrol Thomas, DNP, RN, THA Director of Workforce Strategies. “Ensuring outcomes remains a priority as we address Tennessee’s healthcare workforce shortage.”
Tennessee is projected to face a shortage of 8,500 registered nurses by 2035. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, a significant barrier to recruitment is the lack of clinical sites and preceptors, which contributed to the denial of over 65,000 qualified nursing applicants nationwide in 2023.
Dr. Thomas added, “The Preceptor Incentive Program directly addresses these barriers by increasing preceptors and clinical sites.”
Applications for the spring 2025 cohort open on December 3, 2024. Learn more about the program here.
