The Minnesota Board of Executives for Long-Term Services and Supports will be holding Special Session Board Meeting on September 9th , 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM on Webex and at 335 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, Minnesota 55102. The purpose of this meeting it to review proposed changes to MN Administrative Rule (s) 6400.5000 – 6400.8000.
A practicum is an internship taken for academic credit through an accredited college or university but performed at a nursing facility or campus setting under the direction (preceptorship) of a licensed nursing home administrator. It must be a “for credit” academic course (not an AIT directed solely by a facility or management company). It may be paid or unpaid, depending on the arrangements you are able to make with the facility or the management company responsible for the facility. The majority of practicums (99%) are unpaid, but there is no prohibition on paid practicums.
The practicum course must be conducted at a nursing facility and where the other domains of practice can be met for senior services programming requirements.
Yes, upon mutual agreement of the academic institution and nursing facility preceptor, a licensed nursing facility may serve as the practicum site for a student who is employed by the nursing facility, provided that the student is relieved of all previous duties during the time of the practicum experience.
If you are already employed at a facility, there is no prohibition in board rules on doing your practicum at that facility provided you are relieved of your previous duties while engaged in the practicum. Some sponsoring academic programs advise strongly against and may even prohibit doing a practicum in a facility where you are employed. Even if you can shift your mindset, other staff may frequently have difficulty seeing you in the intern or “preparing administrator” role, and may call on you to perform your previous duties. Doing your practicum in another facility also gives you an opportunity to learn how others do things and may expose you to a totally different environment from that you’ve known. The board encourages applicants to use the practicum as the best possible learning experience to broaden your perspective on the full gamut of nursing facility settings.
The practicum must be supervised by a preceptor who is a currently licensed nursing home administrator or health services executive who has been licensed and practicing as a nursing home administrator or health services executive for at least two years. A preceptor may not supervise a student who is a related individual or who resides in the immediate household of the preceptor.
