Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Clinical time is assignment/project based, not hour based.

Preceptors are required for clinical hours.

The cost of a general education course is $461 per credit hour, based on a 3 credit-hour course. Tuition is subject to change.

Yes—you will receive instructions for the online orientation in your acceptance letter. Students must complete orientation prior to the first day of class, or a registration hold will be placed for the next term.

Yes. The following are the clinical hour recommendations for the Psych Mental Health NP concentration:

• 170 hours with clients in a pediatric population (including children, adolescents, and families)
• 165 hours with adult clients
• 165 hours with geriatric clients

These are only recommendations of how to disperse your hours, not requirements. However, you are required to complete clinical hours in all areas to meet the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification requirements.

The earlier the better; students should submit preceptor requests no later than 90 days prior to the start of each clinical rotation to be sure they are approved and avoid any delays.

Clinicals for the Nurse Educator (NED) concentration include a combination of didactic content and direct care for advanced physical assessments. The didactic portion is set up in a Canvas shell and includes readings, lectures, videos, quizzes, assignments and discussion boards. Clinical hours will be completed individually with a preceptor; examples include wound care specialist; clinic or offices; an acute care unit; nurse midwife; an outpatient center, PACU or surgery center. Students must complete at least 50 hours of clinical. Clinicals within the NED capstone course include working with an academic or educational preceptor; the preceptor needs to be working as an educator in academia or the workplace. Students complete a project that is about education and teaching. Students must complete approximately 100 to 150 hours. Clinical hours in the Nurse Executive Leadership concentration entail spending 100 clinical hours with an MSN prepared nursing leader who is in a management role (nurse manager or above). These hours include but are not limited to shadowing the day-to-day operations in the leader role, attending meetings, or developing a mini-capstone project that will benefit the department/organization for where the student is attending clinical.

A clinical handbook and the MSN program handbook are provided in each MSN specialty Canvas site; program updates and announcements will be communicated by faculty via Canvas site.

A clinical coordinator and MSN concentration coordinator will both be assigned to work with students throughout the program. For questions regarding clinicals, students should reach out to their concentration coordinator directly.

PreCheck is the service you should use.

The number of preceptors varies based on clinical rotations. Students must complete 500-600 hours of clinical practice to complete the NP program. These hours may be split among multiple approved preceptors. Specialty settings should be limited to up to 125 hours per specialty rotation. Keeping all of this in mind, students can have anywhere from one to four preceptors throughout the MSN program.

NKU provides support for students who need assistance with locating a preceptor. Though we have resources available to assist students with placement, we highly encourage students to use their professional networks to also assist in preceptor placement, so they can manage their schedule (especially helpful for students who work). If students need assistance with clinical placement, NKU cannot guarantee a clinical placement within their immediate geographic location. Students may be required to commute outside of their local area for clinical placement.

This depends on how long the clinical clearance process takes at the facility. If the preceptor works at a facility where an affiliation agreement is in place, or the preceptor owns/manages the facility, the clearance process can be completed within a few days. If the preceptor is at a facility where an affiliation agreement is needed, there is no guarantee these negotiations will be finalized prior to the class starting. In this case, the student might be placed at an alternate clinical site in the interim.

Preceptor Qualifications by Concentration: FNP:

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher
• Can be an MD, NP or PA, or DO

AGACNP: 

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher
• Can be an MD, AGACNP, FNP, PA, or DO

AGNP:

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher
• Can be an MD, AGNP, FNP or PA, or DO

PMHNP:

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher
• Can be a PMHNP or psychiatrist
• May also have psychotherapy/counseling experiences with:
  • A psychologist, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) who are providing individual or family therapy services for up to 80 hours over the course of the program

MSN Nurse Educator: 

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher in nursing education

MSN Nurse Executive Leader (NEL):

• One year of experience
• Master's degree or higher
• Must be working in a leadership role

No, students are not permitted to use their direct supervisor as their preceptor. Students are also not permitted to perform clinical rotations during hours they are working as an employee at a facility.

Preceptors must be approved prior to the start of each clinical experience. Preceptor information must be submitted to the university a minimum of 30 days prior to the start of a clinical for approval; it is highly recommended that students submit 90 days prior.

Students should submit preceptor information via InPlace, the clinical management system. Once the clinical process is complete and the student has been verified as clinically ready, they will receive a notification from InPlace.

NKU does not contract with a third party to assist with locating preceptors or clinical sites. Students are discouraged from using a third party, especially if payment for services is required.

Students are responsible for ensuring that their preceptor signs the Preceptor Agreement. Students submit this documentation via InPlace, the clinical management system. If an affiliation agreement is needed, students should provide the university with a point of contact to initiate this process. Affiliation agreement negotiations are between the university and the clinical site. Students are only responsible for ensuring the university has a contact person to start this process.

NKU will provide the preceptor a professional development provision at the conclusion of the clinical experience.

Clinical rotations may be completed at the student’s place of employment; however, students must abide by the following rules:

1. Clinical hours cannot be completed in the student’s direct unit or patient care area
2. Immediate supervisor cannot be the student’s preceptor
3. Students cannot perform clinical hours during any time they are being paid as an employee

The clinical site must be appropriate for the specialty of the program and for the patient population required for each specific course. Contact your concentration coordinator for more details.

The university does have affiliation agreements for clinical opportunities, but this list is not distributed to students. If a clinical opportunity is available at one of these sites, the university will work with a student to secure placement. All clinical site and preceptor information will be verified as students submit their information for approval.

Hours are tracked via Medatrax, a clinical management system.

Clinical hour requirements vary based on the course. For additional information, see the course syllabus.

FNP:

• Primary care facilities (clinics, physician offices)
• Specialty offices for up to 125 hours (urgent care, cardiology, etc.)
• Long-term care facilities, hospice settings

AGACNP: 

• Acute care hospitals
• Emergency room and Urgent Care may be used for up to 50% of hours

AGNP:

• Primary care facilities (clinics, physician office)
• Long-term care facilities, hospice settings

PMHNP:

• Psych/Mental Health facilities
• Outpatient clinic and treatment facilities
• Inpatient hospital

MSN Nurse Educator:

• School of Education (nursing program)
• Education Department at a healthcare facility

MSN Nurse Executive Leader (NEL):

• Hospital setting or otherwise approved by the NEL coordinator

 

In order to graduate from the DNP program, students need to complete 1,000 post-baccalaureate practicum hours (that take place as part of an educational program). If you have a Master of Science in Nursing Degree (MSN), any practicum/clinical time completed in an MSN program counts toward the required 1,000 post-baccalaureate practicum hours. The MSN practicum hours must be verifiable and provided to faculty prior to the start of the DNP practicum.

The graduate GPA is calculated to determine admission into the program.

Yes, but students will still need to submit all required documentation to determine if they meet other admission requirements for the program.

Undergraduate statistics will meet the admission requirement. Students should contact their advisors about course options within NKU.