How USU's clinical machinery actually works

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

USU runs practicums through the Office of Field Experience, a three-part PAC checklist, Project Concert and Complio. Each page below takes one piece, names it the way USU's handbooks do, and says what USU publishes and what it leaves to your coordinator.

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How USU's clinical machinery actually works. USU runs practicums through the Office of Field Experience, a three-part PAC checklist, Project Concert and Complio. Each page below takes one piece, names it t — Every United States University clinical system in one place: the Office of Field Experience, PAC, Project Concert, Complio and each practicum by course number.

Start here if your practicum is two sessions away

Read the placement process and then the deadlines. Together they show USU's order: the Interest Form with three preceptors per setting, Appendix H, Program Director approval, the Affiliation Agreement, Complio clearance and the OFE Approval Letter.

If you already have a preceptor in mind, check USU's preceptor requirements first. If a practicum is already at risk, the placement help pages are written for that moment.

OFE and approval

Clinical placement processHow a USU nursing student gets from preceptor leads to an OFE Approval Letter: Appendix G and H, Program Director approval, the agreement, Complio, week one.Office of Field Experience (OFE)What United States University's Office of Field Experience does for nursing clinicals, who works there, and how to reach it by email or your CPC's Calendly.Clinical Placement Coordinator (CPC)How to find your USU Clinical Placement Coordinator in MYPORTAL, book them on Calendly, what reply times to expect and what to bring to every CPC meeting.PAC checklist (Appendix A)USU's PAC model (Preceptor, Agreement, Compliance) and every item on the Appendix A PAC for Clinicals checklist, explained in order for FNP students.Interest Form (Appendix G)USU's Appendix G Preceptor and Clinical Placement Interest Form: three leads per setting, the 6-month vs 16-week timing, and what OFE does once you submit.Preceptor Information Form (Appendix H)Appendix H, USU's Preceptor Information and Acknowledgement Form: who completes it, Exhibits A and B, one form per student, site and specialty, and DocuSign.Preceptor requirementsWho can precept USU nursing students: FNP rules on NPs, MD/DOs, CNMs and PAs, the 135-hour NP minimum, the 1:2 ratio, plus NE, HCL, RN-BSN and DNP rules.Program Director approvalHow USU's Program Director reviews your preceptor: what OFE sends, the 4–16 week wait, the criteria behind a denial, and when a preceptor is re-reviewed.Affiliation agreementsHow USU affiliation agreements work: OFE sends the contract to your site, both legal teams review it, allow 4–6 months, and why you don't contact the site.OFE Approval LetterThe OFE Approval Letter is the last step before USU clinical hours: no site time or hours before it, the week-one upload, and limits on specialty letters.OFE placement supportWhat USU's Office of Field Experience does when your leads fail: who gets priority, the 24-business-hour rule, what declining means, and losing OFE help.Clinical deadlinesUSU's clinical placement timeline in one table: 3 preceptors 6 months out, approvals 16 weeks out, Complio review times, change requests and the week-one start.Changing preceptors or sitesHow USU handles a preceptor or site change: the Preceptor Fit rule, 16 weeks' notice, OFE's help when a preceptor drops, and the withdraw-and-retake risk.Clinicals at your employerCan you do USU clinicals where you work? FNP rules on written disclosure, separate unpaid hours and supervisors, and how Nurse Educator and DNP rules differ.Out-of-state clinicals and excluded statesWhich states USU won't enroll by nursing program, why it wants clinicals in your home state, license rules, the telehealth state rule and California's 1486.Clinical site visitsHow USU's Clinical Site Supervisor reviews your site and preceptor: virtual or in-person visits, Appendix K in Project Concert, and how to prepare.

Project Concert, Complio and D2L

Project ConcertHow USU nursing students use Project Concert: login, hours and journal logs, evaluations, portfolio, compliance status and the 48-hour logging rule.What counts as an FNP hourWhat counts toward USU's 540 FNP clinical hours: inpatient never, caps on urgent care, specialties and telehealth, journal minimums and the 48-hour rule.Complio (American DataBank)How USU uses Complio by American DataBank: the two packages to order, who pays, review times, expiry notices and the clinical pause that stops your hours.D2L, MYPORTAL and USU emailWhere USU clinical things live: D2L Brightspace courses, the Nursing Caring Corner, MYPORTAL for your CPC, USU Google email, and what sits outside all of them.Clinical evaluations (J, K, L)Who evaluates whom in USU clinicals: Appendices J, K and L, the site supervisor visit, the College Practicum Evaluation Rubric, and where it is all recorded.

Health and safety

Immunizations and medical clearanceUSU's clinical immunizations (TB, Tdap, MMR, varicella, hepatitis B, flu, COVID-19), the Appendix E Medical Clearance Form, Appendix F, and what waivers mean.Background check and drug screenUSU's Background & Drug Screen package in Complio: what has to clear, felonies and misdemeanors, slow state checks, the 10-panel screen and positive results.Student malpractice insuranceUSU's rule: your own NP student malpractice policy at 1 million per incident / 6 million aggregate, the college's coverage on top, and health insurance proof.BLS, HIPAA and bloodborne pathogensWhat USU accepts for BLS (American Heart Association, never online-only), the Appendix C HIPAA Confidentiality Agreement, and Bloodborne Pathogens training.RN license for clinicalsUSU requires an active, unencumbered RN license in your state on file and every clinical state. How compact licenses, telehealth and California fit in.

Courses and hours

Clinical hours by USU programEvery USU nursing program's clinical and practicum hours in one table, by course number, plus the rules USU uses to decide which FNP hours count.FNP592 Common Illnesses PracticumUSU FNP592, your first FNP practicum: 135 hours in 8 weeks with FNP591, family or primary care only, no urgent care, and OFE approval before day one.FNP594 Acute Clients PracticumUSU FNP594 acute care practicum: 135 hours in 8 weeks with FNP593, the first course that accepts urgent care, and approvals due before FNP592 even starts.FNP596 Chronic Clients PracticumUSU FNP596 chronic care practicum: 135 hours in 8 weeks with FNP595, where USU places pediatrics, women's health and geriatrics, each with its own rules.FNP597 Clinical ResidencyUSU FNP597 Clinical Residency and Practice Management: your last 135 FNP hours, taken with the MSN600 capstone, and the final chance to meet USU's minimums.MSN572 and the FNP immersionUSU MSN572 Advanced Health and Physical Assessment: the required FNP immersion, virtual or Phoenix by admit date, why it adds no hours, and FNP592 timing.MSN578 teaching residencyUSU's MSN578 Teaching Residency for Nurse Educators: 2 credits, 100 hours, who can precept it, which settings count and what OFE needs 16 weeks ahead.MSN587 leadership residencyUSU's MSN587 Residency in Nursing Leadership and Systems Management: 100 hours with a nurse leader, preceptor degree rules, the 1:1 ratio and OFE timing.DNP practice immersionUSU's DNP practice immersion: 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours, up to 500 transferred, DNP707 to DNP712 hours, Project Mentor rules and accreditation status.RN-to-BSN practicum (NUR378, NUR499)USU's RN-to-BSN practicum: 45 hours in NUR378 and 45 in NUR499 at a community agency serving vulnerable populations, with an agency leader you find.USU course calendar 2026-27USU runs 8-week sessions with 12 starts in 2026-27. See when FNP clinicals land in year two and where the 6-month and 16-week rules fall on the calendar.

Questions USU students ask

What system does USU use to log clinical hours?

Project Concert. USU's FNP handbook says hours and journal entries must be entered within 48 hours or they don't count, and evaluations run through it too. See the Project Concert page.

Does USU find preceptors for FNP students?

USU's catalog says students are responsible for identifying clinical placements and preceptors. The Office of Field Experience partners with you and may offer a placement if your leads fall through. See OFE placement support.

What does PAC stand for at USU?

Preceptor, Agreement, Compliance: the three things the Office of Field Experience needs approved before your practicum. For the DNP it becomes Project Mentor, Agreement, Compliance. The PAC checklist page goes item by item.

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

Start your placement plan

A placement advisor replies with what a USU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.