Preceptor Spotlight: Jarrod Georgacakis

By Ted Gregory 

Photos by Erik Unger

Jarrod Georgacakis thought he wanted to be a social studies teacher but found that nursing was a better fit. Turns out he has become a skilled and valued teacher anyway.

A nurse practitioner in the surgical trauma intensive care unit at Advocate Christ Medical Centerin Oak Lawn, Illinois, Georgacakis also is a preceptor. In 2024, he was among nine chosen by Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing students and faculty as Outstanding Preceptors.

Precepting resonated with Georgacakis’s lifelong desire to teach. But he found he learns as much from his students as they do from him.

“Students have a lot to offer preceptors,” said Georgacakis, BSN ’14 and MSN ’20. “They take in a lot of information, but they also have a lot to give and that’s one of the big reasons I enjoy working with them.”

He hopes to continue serving as a preceptor for the rest of his career, as long as he feels that he can make a difference.

“By the time the students are getting ready to finish up and they’re able to walk through something that they weren’t able to walk through at the beginning of the semester, and we’re both able to figure that out together,” he said, “that’s a really fulfilling feeling.” 

December 2024