Student Placement Process

The Center for Nursing Excellence (Center) at UCLA Health coordinates student placement within UCLA Health. To ensure a consistent process for all requesting schools please see the process below to guide you through the steps to make a cohort request, preceptor request, and/or observation request. All requests must be submitted by school on behalf of the student(s). 

STEP 1: Affiliation Agreement

In order to make a request for placement, the school needs to currently have an active Affiliation Agreement. All student training (for schools of nursing) between UCLA Health Sciences and another entity require an affiliation agreement.

Please contact Jade Cruz at [email protected] to initiate an affiliation agreement.

STEP 2: Request for Placement

OPTION A: Making a Preceptorship Request

For preceptorship requests, school coordinators will submit a Clinical Request on behalf of the student by the below deadlines. Due to the high number of requests that UCLA Health received for each placement cycle, following all the mandatory and required steps will maximize your potential for success. Placement assignments are determined by availability of preceptors needed to meet course objectives and adherence to our student placement process and deadlines. We kindly ask that students and/or instructors do not approach staff at UCLA to be potential preceptors and/or for site securement for cohorts or observations. Placement is highly competitive and we want to ensure a fair process for all the requests we receive at UCLA Health. All communications regarding student placement will be between school coordinator and UCLA Health Center for Nursing Excellence. 

*When making a request, please note any placements that need extended periods (those that go beyond the quarter). 

OPTION B: Making An Observational and/or Cohort Request

All requests for cohort rotations and/or observations are aligned with the CCPS system - losangeles.centralizedplacements.org

STEP 3: Status Update

All approvals and declinations for preceptorship requests will be sent via email to the school's coordinator (unless otherwise notated). This status update will be sent 3-4 weeks after the close of the request deadline.

All approvals, declinations, or re-proposals for cohort rotations and/or observations are sent through the CCPS system to the school coordinator.

STEP 4: Clearance Paperwork

Only for APPROVED placements: For Preceptorship and Cohort requests, if a preceptor has been secured or a clinical cohort rotation has been approved, all of the student's information MUST be submitted to UCLA Health through the Clinical Facilities Form 30 days prior to the approved start date. It is the coordinator(s) responsibility to share this information with each instructor.All paperwork needs to be submitted through the Clinical Facilities online form by the clinical instructor/school. Incomplete paperwork may result in cancellation of your placement. Deadline for all completed paperwork is two weeks from the date of the acceptance email.

 STEP 5: Evaluation Form

At the completion of either your nurse preceptorship or cohort rotation, please complete the following appropriate evaluation:

• Student Nurse Preceptorship Survey
• Student Cohort Experience Survey