The Middleman Problem

Agencies Charge Students Thousands.
You See None of It.

Placement brokers collect $3,000–$10,000 per student. The preceptor who does all the teaching? They get nothing. The model is broken.

Create My Free Profile See the Numbers

Here’s what’s actually happening.

Placement agencies charge students between $4,000 and $10,000 for a single clinical rotation. The agency’s job? Make an introduction. That’s it. They email a preceptor, the preceptor says yes, and the agency collects thousands.

The preceptor — the person who actually teaches, supervises, evaluates, and mentors the student for hundreds of hours — sees nothing. Or maybe a token gift card. The student goes deeper into debt. And the agency moves on to the next placement.

Students can’t afford it. Preceptors don’t benefit from it. The only winner is the middleman.

Preceptors and students see the same problem.

“The clinic I work at gets paid by the placement company. I’m the one precepting the student. I don’t see a dime. The student paid $5K for this. Where is that money going?”

— @TheSkinClinic, via TikTok

“We need to help each other. I’m not going to charge a student thousands of dollars to learn. That’s not what healthcare is about. Let’s stop letting agencies profit off our profession.”

— @nurse.jaay, via TikTok

“A student told me she paid $7,000 for her placement. Seven thousand dollars. For someone to send an email. I would have taken her for free if she’d just asked me directly.”

— NP preceptor, via TikTok

How Preceptor.Network is different.

We don’t charge students thousands. We don’t take a cut of preceptor fees. And we don’t hide what anyone is paying.

Students pay a $10 flat match fee when they confirm a preceptor. That’s it from us. If a preceptor wants to charge their own fee for their time, they set it themselves and it’s displayed upfront on their profile — before the student ever requests a match. Many preceptors choose to precept for free.

No hidden broker margin. No surprise invoices. No middleman taking thousands while you do the work.

Side by side.

Broker / Placement Agency

  • Student pays $3,000–$10,000+
  • Preceptor receives $0 (or a token)
  • No pricing transparency
  • Broker keeps the margin
  • Student has no choice in who they get

Preceptor.Network

  • Student pays $10 match fee
  • Preceptor sets own fee (or $0)
  • Everything visible upfront
  • No hidden middleman cut
  • Student chooses their preceptor

Set your own terms. Skip the middleman.

Your time has value. Decide what it’s worth — or precept for free. Either way, it’s your choice, not a broker’s.

Create My Free Profile
Preceptor profiles are always free · Set your own fee or precept at no cost