The single question that stalls more Administrator-in-Training candidates than any exam topic is a logistical one: who will precept me, and how do I find them? Here is the honest starting point. There is no national directory of available preceptors, and most state boards do not publish one either. Finding a preceptor is a relationship you build, and it is far more findable than it feels on day one. This guide covers what a preceptor is, where to look in the order that actually works, how to ask, and what your state board has to approve.
The Administrator-in-Training internship is the supervised, hands-on portion of becoming licensed. You learn the job by doing it under someone who already holds the license. That supervisor is your preceptor: typically a currently licensed nursing home administrator, in good standing, whom your state board approves to train you. The internship runs alongside your exam preparation, not after it, and its length is set by your state, not by NAB. You can look up your state's hour requirement on our AIT Hours by State page.
Because the board has to approve the preceptor and, in many states, the program itself, the right first move is not to start cold-emailing strangers. It is to understand what your board will accept, then work the channels below.
Preceptor qualifications, program structure, and approval steps are set by each state licensing board and change over time, so your board is the authority on all of it. To save you hunting for it, our AIT Hours by State table puts a direct link to the official board or NAB source for all 50 states and the District of Columbia right next to each state's hour requirement. Start there, confirm the current rule, then work the channels below.
Start with the people closest to you and move outward. Each step reaches administrators the previous one could not, so work them in order rather than jumping to the hardest one first.
If you work in long-term care in any role, your own building's administrator is the most natural preceptor you will ever have. They already know your work, precepting a candidate is a recognized part of the profession, and your employer benefits from growing an administrator. If they are not able to precept, ask who they would recommend. Administrators know other administrators, and a warm referral is worth more than any list.
Many candidates work for organizations that operate several facilities. A sister building, a regional operator, or a well-run facility near you may have an administrator open to precepting, especially if your employer supports the placement. Regional and corporate directors of operations often know exactly which of their administrators mentor well.
Every state has affiliate associations that exist to connect people in exactly this field. The state affiliate of the American Health Care Association (AHCA/NCAL) and the state affiliate of LeadingAge both hold events, run workforce and education programs, and know their member administrators. A short, honest note to the association's education or membership contact, explaining that you are an AIT candidate looking for a preceptor, is a normal request they field regularly. To find yours fast, our AIT Hours by State page has a "Find a program" line for every state, with its AHCA/NCAL affiliate and LeadingAge partner linked directly.
The American College of Health Care Administrators is the professional society for long-term care administrators, and mentorship is part of what it does. A local or state ACHCA chapter is one of the highest-density places to meet licensed administrators who value developing new ones. Attending a single chapter meeting or educational session puts you in a room full of potential preceptors and the people who can introduce you to them.
Directors of health administration, health services administration, and long-term care programs place candidates into internships as a routine part of their work. Even if you did not attend the program, a program director or career office can often point you to preceptors and approved sites, because maintaining those relationships is their job. One short, personal message is usually enough to start the conversation.
Beyond setting the rules, some boards publish resources that point you straight to a placement: a list of approved AIT programs, a roster of approved or certified preceptors, or a formal state-run AIT program you apply to directly. Not every board offers these, but where one does it is the most direct route on this list, because the names it hands you are already board-approved. Check your board's website, or ask its licensing staff what it keeps, before you assume you have to find a preceptor entirely on your own. As of 2026, the boards in Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Virginia publish an approved-preceptor list or run a formal AIT program you can go to directly, and each one is linked on our AIT Hours by State page.
Some AIT positions are advertised like any other job, on association career pages, general job boards, and the careers pages of regional operators and larger chains. Search for "administrator in training," "AIT," and "administrator resident." A posted role is more often a paid one, because a company advertising an AIT is usually hiring to fill a coming administrator vacancy, so this is the channel most likely to carry a salary or a stipend. Read the terms closely, since these placements are also the ones most likely to ask for a commitment to stay on after you are licensed.
Rules vary by state, but boards commonly look at the same handful of things. Knowing them lets you screen a potential preceptor before either of you invests time, so bring these to your first real conversation. Treat this as a prompt list to verify with your board, not a set of requirements you can assume.
Ask about pay early, and be ready for a real range. Many AIT internships are unpaid, especially when you arrange your own placement or train into the role at the facility that already employs you. Some are paid positions or carry a stipend, most often when a company is deliberately growing an administrator to fill a coming vacancy. There is no single rule, so treat pay as one of the terms you settle up front, not a surprise you find later.
One arrangement to understand before you sign: some paid programs ask you to commit to staying with the company for a set period after you finish and get licensed, or to repay part of the training cost if you leave early. That can be a fair trade for a paid placement and a guaranteed first job, but read it closely and know the length and the terms before you agree to anything.
Something many candidates never hear: several large operators run formal, paid AIT programs as their pipeline for future administrators, and they recruit for them like any other job. Instead of arranging your own placement and negotiating pay, you apply, and if hired you train as a salaried employee with a preceptor the company provides. Two verified examples as of July 2026:
Other regional operators run similar programs under the same "Administrator in Training" title; search that exact phrase on the career sites of the large operators in your state, and ask your state association which members are training AITs. Two honest caveats: these are competitive hires, not open enrollment, and paid programs often come with the stay-or-repay commitments described above, so read the terms. But if you are searching for a preceptor with no connections, applying to a program that supplies one is often the strongest move available.
NHAExamPrep.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or compensated by any employer listed here. These are verified examples of programs that exist, not recommendations; evaluate any offer and its terms yourself.
The ask is simpler than most candidates fear, because you are offering something administrators generally want to give and want in their buildings: a motivated future colleague. Keep it short, specific, and easy to say yes to.
"Hi [name], I am pursuing my nursing home administrator license and completing the Administrator-in-Training internship my state requires. I am looking for a licensed administrator to precept me, and your name came up as someone who does this well. Would you be open to a short conversation about what that would involve? I am happy to work around your schedule."
Name the specific commitment, offer to make it easy on them, and follow any lead they give you, even if it is a referral rather than a yes. Every administrator you talk to knows others.
A few things make a real difference. Be clear that you understand this is a real commitment of their time. Ask early, because good preceptors and approved placements fill up. And keep notes on who you contacted and what they said, so a "not right now" in the spring can become a "let's talk" in the fall.
Subject: AIT preceptor inquiry from a licensure candidate in [city]
"Hi [Administrator name], my name is [your name] and I am working toward my nursing home administrator license in [state]. I need to complete the state's Administrator in Training requirement ([hours] hours) under a licensed preceptor, and I am reaching out because [how you found them: a referral, the board's preceptor list, your facility's reputation]. I know precepting is a real commitment of your time, so I will keep this short: I am [one sentence on your background and current role], I can work around your schedule, and I will handle the board paperwork. Would you be open to a 15 minute conversation? Thank you either way. [Name, phone number]"
Keep it under 150 words, attach nothing, and send it to one administrator at a time, personalized. A readable email from a real person beats a blast every time.
"Hi [name], following up on my note from last week about the AIT preceptorship. I completely understand if the timing is not right. If you know another administrator who might consider it, I would be grateful for an introduction. Thanks for your time."
One follow-up, then move on. The referral ask matters: administrators who cannot precept you usually know one who can, and an introduction from a colleague is worth ten cold emails.
You do not have to wait for a preceptor to start getting organized. Our free Interactive AIT Planner lays out the phases of a training program, the department rotations, and a self-assessment that shows where to focus your hours, so that when your preceptor says yes you already have a plan to hand them. It saves your progress to a free account if you want it to follow you across devices, and it works fully without one.
The free AIT Planner maps every phase, rotation, and domain of the internship, plus a hours-by-state requirement lookup, so you can walk into your first preceptor conversation with a plan already in hand.
Open the free AIT Planner