How USC Went from Losing 60% of Tuition to 100% Placement Success in One Partnership

The University of Southern California's Nurse Practitioner program serves students nationwide, but for five years USC was hemorrhaging 60% of tuition revenue to a placement vendor before the partnership abruptly ended, leaving faculty scrambling to handle preceptor placement logistics they were not equipped to manage. 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—a trusted former USC student—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

After five years of paying an unsustainable 60% of tuition revenue to their previous NP preceptor placement vendor, USC decided to terminate the relationship, leaving their small clinical team to handle nationwide preceptor logistics with no additional 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 USC student, reconnected with faculty, his established credibility immediately set NPHub apart from competitors.

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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's a 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.