How USC Eliminated Faculty Burnout and Achieved 100% Placement Success Through Strategic Partnership

The University of Southern California’s Nurse Practitioner program supports students nationwide and internationally. But USC’s clinical team wasn’t equipped to manage the complex logistics of nationwide preceptor placements. With students scattered across the country and even internationally, USC's small clinical team found themselves setting 3 AM alarms for coordination calls while trying to maintain their full teaching and administrative responsibilities.

When USC partnered with NPHub and Chief Nursing Officer Joseph De Veyra, DNP, RN, PCCN, MPH, MBA—who had an established relationship with USC faculty—the transformation was immediate. USC eliminated faculty placement burden, successfully placed students in previously impossible geographic locations, and allowed their academic team to return to their core educational mission. The partnership essentially expanded USC's two-person placement capacity to a dedicated workforce of 60+ people, proving that the right strategic partnership can solve seemingly impossible operational challenges.

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Challenges

USC's small clinical team was overwhelmed trying to handle nationwide preceptor logistics with limited resources. Faculty members already carrying full teaching loads suddenly found themselves thrust into recruitment roles they were never trained for.

Dr. Cynthia Sanchez exemplifies the impossible demands placed on academic staff—coordinating placements across multiple time zones meant setting 3 AM alarms to reach sites on the East Coast or internationally in places like Guam, all while maintaining her full educational responsibilities.
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"We tried doing it ourselves for one semester, and it was very tiring because we had to get higher faculty involved. It was way too much work for someone with a full teaching assignment… Finding placements isn't a normal faculty job. And also, finding that time again to call places that are all over the country. We even had a student who was in Guam."

- Dr. Cynthia Sanchez, Clinical Placement Coordinator at University of Southern California 

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The geographic scope compounded the challenge:

• Students scattered nationwide vs. USC's locally-concentrated network
• Time zone coordination nightmares across multiple states
• Competition from other programs in dense markets
• Rural areas with limited preceptor availability
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The result was exhausted educators pulled away from their core mission to handle specialized logistics they weren't equipped to manage, creating an unsustainable cycle that threatened both faculty well-being and student success.

Initiating Partnership

USC's path to NPHub began through a trusted relationship that made all the difference during their placement crisis. When Joseph De Veyra, NPHub’s Chief Nursing Officer and a former student of Dr. Hildebrand (FNP and Clinical Associate Professor at USC Department of Nursing) at California State University, reconnected with the faculty, his credibility instantly set NPHub apart from other options.
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"It was that relationship, because Janet knew Joseph. People could always talk a good talk, but if you've never really dealt with them before, you don't know. But because Janet knew Joseph, and she knew he was reliable—he was her former student, and he was very on the ball—we thought it would work."

- Dr. Cynthia Sanchez, Clinical Placement Coordinator at University of Southern California 

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What USC didn't initially realize was that Joseph's nursing expertise represented NPHub's broader approach. Led by practicing nurse practitioners including Joseph de Veyra (DNP, RN, PCCN, MPH, MBA), Tennisha Edwards (DNP, MSN, RN-BC, CPNP-PC), and Afreen Jivani (MSN, RN, FNP-C), NPHub's team understands clinical placement challenges from the practitioner's perspective, not just the administrative side.

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NPHub essentially became an extension of USC's clinical team, allowing faculty to reclaim their time and focus on education while students gained access to quality placements nationwide.

Results

Is USC's partnership with NPHub successful? You can ask Dr. Cynthia Sanchez.

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"It's been great. We had a lot more students who were placed that we didn't have to come up with alternative schedules and different things for them." 

- Dr. Cynthia Sanchez, Clinical Placement Coordinator at University of Southern California 

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Since partnering with NPHub, USC has eliminated the unmanageable faculty burden of 3 AM coordination calls and nationwide placement logistics. The partnership has dramatically increased placement efficiency—USC essentially expanded from a small clinical team to accessing NPHub's 60+ preceptor-expert workforce.

Ready to transform your preceptor matching operations? NPHub specializes in working with NP programs that want to:

• Eliminate faculty placement burden and burnout
• Access nationwide preceptor networks beyond local limitations
• Handle crisis placements and last-minute emergencies
• Allow faculty to focus on education, not logistics
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Facing your own placement crisis? Don't let faculty burn out while students delay graduation. Contact us today to learn how NPHub can support your NP program.