Your USU program, and the practicum it needs

Updated September 23, 2026 · Reviewed by the USU Preceptor placement team

USU's programs ask for very different practicums: 540 FNP hours with NP or physician preceptors, 100-hour residencies for educators and leaders, 90 community hours for the RN-to-BSN, and a 1,000-hour DNP immersion with a Project Mentor. Pick yours.

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Tell us your USU track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what a USU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.

Bar chart of clinical and practicum hours by USU program: DNP 1,000 post-baccalaureate; MSN FNP 540; Nurse Educator 100; Health Care Leadership 100; RN-to-BSN 90. — Clinical and practicum hours by USU program: DNP 1,000 post-baccalaureate; MSN FNP 540; Nurse Educator 100; Health Care Leadership 100; RN-to-BSN 90.

Hours at a glance

The clinical hours page shows the sources and USU's rules on what counts.

Practicum hours by USU program
Program	Hours	Who you need
MSN Family Nurse Practitioner	540 (4 × 135)	Board-certified NP or MD/DO
MSN Nurse Educator	100	MSN- or doctorate-prepared nurse
MSN Health Care Leadership	100	Nurse leader
DNP	1,000 post-baccalaureate	Project Mentor
RN-to-BSN	90	Agency leader at a community agency

MSN Family Nurse PractitionerFinding preceptors for USU's online MSN FNP: four 135-hour practicums, who can precept, the 6-month and 16-week deadlines, and states where it isn't offered.MSN Nurse EducatorUSU's online MSN Nurse Educator: 30 credits, one 100-hour teaching residency, who can precept it, when to line them up, and where the program isn't offered.MSN Health Care LeadershipUSU's online MSN in Health Care Leadership: 30 credits, the 100-hour MSN587 residency with a nurse leader, how to time it, and the states it isn't open to.Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)USU's online post-master's DNP: 1,000 practice hours, the Project Mentor you find, when to start, where it isn't offered, and its CCNE status stated plainly.Online RN-to-BSNUSU's online RN-to-BSN: 120 credits in about a year, a 90-hour community practicum across NUR378 and NUR499, the license you'll need, and where it isn't open.RN-to-MSN (non-FNP)USU lists an RN-to-MSN bridge in five non-FNP specializations but publishes no curriculum. What its records show, likely practicum hours, and what to ask USU.Closed MSN tracks (still enrolled)Still enrolled in USU's MSN Administration, Informatics, Forensic or Public Health track? The practicum courses, hours and preceptors, and what to confirm.

Questions USU students ask

Does USU offer an RN-to-MSN FNP?

No. USU's disclosures list RN-to-MSN tracks only in non-FNP specializations. The FNP is an MSN for nurses who already hold a BSN. See the RN-to-MSN page.

Is the post-master's FNP certificate still open?

No. USU stopped taking applications in April 2024 and listed the certificate in teach-out. The FNP clinical handbook still covers students who were already enrolled.

Can I take USU's FNP from any state?

Not from every state. USU's disclosures exclude Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland and DC for the FNP. See placement by state.

Last checked 2026-09-23

We check these pages against USU's own catalog, handbooks and disclosures. USU's current handbook and your Clinical Placement Coordinator have the final word.

Six months out is USU's rule. We start now.

Tell us your USU program, your state and when your next practicum opens. We look for preceptors who meet USU's rules and help you build the packet the Office of Field Experience and Program Director review.

Preceptors matched to the course: family practice, pediatrics, women's health, urgent care within USU's caps
Appendix H, license, CV and board certification gathered the way OFE asks
In person near you; telehealth only inside USU's 40-hour limit

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