2023 Preceptors of the Year

Submitted on Jul 21, 2023

The University of Michigan School of Nursing Office of Professional Graduate Studies would like to announce the 2022-2023 Preceptor of the Year Awards winners! These awards are given yearly both to individual preceptors and departments who have shown exceptional dedication to providing learning experiences and support to our students as they transition to advanced practice providers. The recipients of this recognition are selected from nominations from faculty and student evaluations. This year we are giving out four awards, one in each of the following categories:

Individual Preceptor within the MM family – Meredith Smith, MS, AGACNP, RN
Departmental Preceptors within the MM family – Medical Observation and Medicine Faculty Hospitalist Advanced Practice Provider teams
Individual Preceptor from a partnering institution – Amber Todd, Sparrow Hospital
Departmental Preceptors from a partnering institution – Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital Madison Heights ICU and Hospitalist Advanced Practice Provider Team

Individual Preceptor within the Michigan Medicine Family

Our winner for individual preceptor within Michigan Medicine is Meredith Smith, MS, AGACNP, RN

“Meredith is a graduate of our adult acute care program. Since the completion of her studies and work with the electrophysiology service at MM she continues to demonstrate the knowledge and confidence in her own clinical practice and we are fortunate to have her routinely demonstrate those skills to our students as she precepts them. She works well with students regardless of the program and personally, I have worked directly with her on several occasions. Feedback from the students speaks to her ability to offer them tailored and individualized work. But beyond that, she has grown in her role as an educator to know how to push students to their highest capability and also offer them honest and direct appraisals of their work. We are fortunate to have Meredith work with all of our NP students. I am proud to have her as a graduate of our program and confident that she will continue to help us develop strong graduates.”

- Raymond Blush, DNP, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC

Meredith has been a dedicated preceptor for 11 students totaling over 1600 hours within the past five years and is one of our most requested preceptors. She graduated from the University of Michigan School of Nursing with her BSN in 2012 and then her MS in 2015 in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. She has been practicing as an NP in Electrophysiology at the University of Michigan Health for nearly eight years. She was actually hired onto the team after completing a clinical rotation during her NP program. Her role takes her into both the ambulatory and inpatient environments. She truly enjoys introducing students to her subspecialty of cardiology.

From Meredith’s students:

“Meredith has been kind, enthusiastic, helpful, knowledgeable, and professional in her role as a preceptor. She was sure to challenge me but was also encouraging while I was learning.”

"Meredith demonstrates excellent professional APRN practice within her Electrophysiology specialty, providing a well-rounded experience for the APRN students she mentors. She does a wonderful job making the learning process of electrophysiology feel less overwhelming. Meredith encourages student participation in critical thinking with patient cases and provides in-depth knowledge on practice interventions and chronic illness management. Meredith models strong APRN practice in advocating for outstanding patient care and collaboration within her Electrophysiology team. Meredith’s genuine personality makes students feel welcomed and engaged in the clinical environment. Meredith is an exceptional preceptor and a valued professional mentor."

Departmental Preceptors within the Michigan Medicine Family

Our winners for Departmental Preceptors within Michigan Medicine are the Medical Observation and Medicine Faculty Hospitalist Advanced Practice Provider teams

“Over the past 14 years, I have been fortunate to call the Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Physicians on the MOS, MFH, and MPS services colleagues and friends. Over that timeframe, I have seen change, growth, and adaptation to various obstacles that anyone might expect to encounter when offering exceptional care, on exceptional services, in an exceptional institution such as we do between MOS, MFH, and MPS at Michigan Medicine. And while there have been numerous changes over these years there is one element that remains a constant: dedication to offering exceptional education and training to our Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner students. In the past 5 years alone these three services and our advanced practice clinicians have precepted no less than 25 students for over 3600 hours of direct face-to-face clinical instruction. These are by far the leading services across Michigan Medicine for working with AGACNP students. This dedication to education is a hallmark of these services and our leadership, but beyond that is a marker of the individual and group mentality of wanting the best for all members of our community, whether they are established colleagues or honing their clinical acumen. This also comes regardless of the background of the clinician or of the learner. On countless occasions we have had NP students that our clinicians know as nursing partners; NP students that are precepted by NPs, PAs, and physicians; and by my count over 10 graduates of our AGACNP program that have gone on to work as APPs [and preceptors] with these three services. Personally, I know that when I have students in my program that may need more individualized attention or a bit more mentorship, I can turn to my colleagues. Not in an effort to keep the students within my space so I can pay closer attention, but rather because I know that I can count on my colleagues to offer that experience and dedication to all of our students, honest appraisal of their work, and dedicated feedback to help them succeed. I should also mention that this dedication comes outside the clinical setting as well as several have lectured, often routinely, throughout our curriculum.

I could go on to speak about individual accolades of select colleagues and preceptors as there are several who do so routinely, but I think a better approach would be to acknowledge these three services as an entity as there are numerous clinicians who work across all three teams. As an educator, I am grateful for the constant dedication to our students that is demonstrated semester after semester, year after year. As a clinician I am overwhelmed by the continual effort of this team to offer the best education and training, demonstrated by their own knowledge and skill set, and shared routinely with our students to help them grow. And as a colleague, I am forever grateful to know that I am part of the best service in all of Michigan Medicine who skill in taking care of some of the most complex and challenging clinical issues is only eclipsed by the dedication to our entire team to ensure that all members of our advanced practice community are working at their highest capacity, particularly as they are developing their AGACNP role.”

- Raymond Blush, DNP, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC
Special thanks to Francesca Gigg NP, Lynda Mitsgutsch PA, William Hovey PA, Mary Read NP, and Kathleen Towns PA-C!

Individual Preceptor from a Partner Institution

Our winner for individual preceptor from a partnering institution is Amber Todd

About Amber:

Amber has been a long-time preceptor who routinely takes students from our Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP program. In fact, she has been a preceptor for 14 students totaling over 1850 hours within the past five years. Amber can be counted on to offer education that is thoughtful of the individual student providing them with honest and constructive feedback, sound appraisal of their work, and overall mentorship. Amber has also been instrumental in working with students that need extra guidance and support. Additionally, Amber has been a frequent instructor in the Nursing Skills course where she has helped students develop their skill sets prior to starting their clinical rotations. Amber is an exceptional clinician, leader, and educator with whom we are proud to partner!

From Amber’s students:

“Meeting and working with Amber was life-changing for me. After I talked her into taking me on as a student, beyond teaching me to be an excellent NP, she gave advice about what I would need to do after graduating to start my career. She also advocated for me to land my first job. Congratulations for this well-deserved honor.”

“Amber is one of the patient preceptors whose dedication to her student’s learning is unmatched.”

Departmental Preceptors from a Partner Institution

Our winners for Departmental Preceptors from a Partner Institution are Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital Madison Heights ICU and Hospitalist Advanced Practice Provider Team
The ICU and Hospitalist Advanced Practice Provider team consists of 19 Nurse Practitioners who provide 24/7 coverage of provider services in a 167-bed suburban community hospital. The average experience level of the preceptors on the team is greater than 10 years. They have been providing preceptor services for over 20 years and are committed to the clinical education of the future workforce. Students have the opportunity to experience the admission process, continued patient management, as well as discharge services which provide them with a holistic view of the patient experience. In the last 5 years, this team has supported 30 University of Michigan students totaling over 5000 hours of direct face-to-face clinical instruction. In fact, the group has hired several University of Michigan graduates who were students on their service. The following NPs are part of this amazing team:

Medicine Team: