Lynn McComas is the chief nursing officer at AMOpportunities and the founder of PreceptorLink. She is a recognized expert in precepting nurse practitioners and advanced practice provider students and has been matching preceptors since 2014. With over two decades in primary care, McComas has served as a coach, advisor, mentor, and preceptor for countless healthcare professionals, including NPs, nurses, and medical assistants. She co-founded a successful skills and procedures business and speaks nationwide on NP-related issues.
McComas is also a regular contributor on LinkedIn, KevinMD, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram @preceptorlink, X @LynnMcComas, and her blog, where she addresses the growing NP and PA professions and the urgent need for preceptor sites.
Her unique perspective, shaped by her business, clinical, and educational experiences, positions her as a key voice in tackling preceptor shortages. McComas is committed to driving change through a paradigm shift in NP education, reducing barriers, offering preceptor incentives, and advocating for reforms within the profession.
If the computer is getting more of our attention than the patient, we have a problem. It is not a small annoyance. It is not just part of the job. It is pulling clinicians away from patients, draining attention from the exam room, and quietly chipping away at the quality of clinical education. We can debate workflow, efficiency, and EHR optimization all day long. But here is what I see …
Can AI scribes give clinicians time to teach again?
As nurse practitioners, our professional licenses are more than credentials. They are symbols of trust, responsibility, and commitment. It is vital we never take them for granted, because when they are compromised, not only do we suffer, but our entire profession pays the price.
We must be vigilant: Safeguarding our licenses is on us alone
No one cares about our NP licenses as much as we do. They grant us the privilege …
Protecting what matters most: Guarding our NP licenses with integrity
They left quietly. Logged their last note. Disconnected their badge. Maybe cleared out a drawer, maybe not. And just like that, another clinician walked away from medicine. No exit interview. No debrief. No conversation about what led up to that final decision. Just silence.
In most professions, when someone resigns, leadership wants to know why. What worked? What didn’t? What could we do better next time? But in medicine? We barely …
What if medicine had an exit interview?
Let’s talk about a trend I’m seeing—and honestly, I can’t stay quiet about it anymore.
Across the country, more and more NP programs are telling highly experienced family nurse practitioners (FNPs) working in acute care settings that they can’t precept ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) students. Meanwhile, those very same programs are approving Physician Assistants to precept ACNP students in those exact same roles.
I’m all for collaboration, and I respect the …
The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
A few years ago, my college-age sons utilized the Common App for college applications. It’s a logical and brilliant concept: one online application that students can use to apply to multiple colleges and universities at once. And it’s accepted by thousands of colleges and universities worldwide. I remember thinking, “Why aren’t we doing this for nurse practitioner (NP) programs?” It seemed like a great solution, so I decided to research it.
Anyone …
How a standardized agreement could end the preceptor shortage
Imagine walking into a doctor’s office or hospital and being treated by someone who has never actually touched a patient before. Sounds absurd, right? Yet, this could become a reality if we continue to push aside the hands-on training of our future health care providers.
This may seem extreme, but it reflects a recent message sent by HR to one of our most dedicated preceptors. (Parts of the message are redacted …
The future of health care depends on hands-on training: We cannot afford to cut corners
“Nurse practitioner (NP) education is seriously underfunded. The profession is attempting to saddle private physicians with this cost.”
That is how “Dr. X” replied to my email asking whether he would be willing to precept a nurse practitioner student for her clinical rotation. I read through his clearly disgruntled letter and wanted to explain to him why NPs have to train “on the backs” of physicians and why funding for nursing …
Why nurse practitioners train on the backs of physicians
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