NSU clinical systems and rules, guide by guide

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Nova Preceptor placement team

Nova Southeastern's clinical process is easier to manage one piece at a time, so each piece has a guide: getting a preceptor named early enough, the points the clinical coordinator confirms, clinical hours for every course, DISA CastleBranch and site clearance, grades and appeals, intensives, and NSU's student systems. Every guide rests on NSU's nursing handbook, its catalogs and its program pages, and marks the places where those sources part ways.

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NSU clinical systems and rules, guide by guide. Nova Southeastern's clinical process is easier to manage one piece at a time, so each piece has a guide: getting a preceptor named early enough, the points the — Every NSU clinical guide in one place: the two-semester preceptor notice, the 150-mile rule, clinical hours, CastleBranch, grades, intensives and SharkLink.

Where NSU's official detail lives

Credits, clinical hours and progression rules are set by NSU's 2026-27 Graduate Catalog together with its program pages. The placement rule itself lives in the Nursing Student Handbook 2025-2026, alongside the attendance rules and the appeals process. For APRN clinicals, the practical detail, such as preceptor qualifications and the way hours are recorded, is in the graduate clinical guide that the handbook directs APRN students to follow; NSU hands that guide to enrolled students instead of posting it publicly.

If a question goes past NSU's public material, the guide says as much and steers you to the graduate clinical guide, your Canvas course, your clinical coordinator or your program director. Facing your first NSU clinical? Read the placement process page before the rest, then the page on who does what.

How your placement advisor uses these guides

These pages double as the checklist our advisors use for NSU students. A preceptor we propose for NSG 5549, or for a psychiatric clinical such as NSG 5719, has already been checked for specialty, for the Florida license rule and for timing, so the match suits the course well before your clinical coordinator sees it.

The placement rule

The placement process, step by stepNSU's APRN clinical placement path in order: find a preceptor and site, notify the coordinator two semesters ahead, approval, paperwork, site visit, weekly hours.The two-semester preceptor deadlineHow to work out NSU's "two semesters prior" preceptor notice from the term your clinical starts: a term-by-term table, full-time vs flex, and what to send.The 150-mile placement ruleWhat happens when an NSU APRN student names no preceptor: a coordinator placement within 150 miles of your home ZIP code that NSU calls "not negotiable."Bringing your own preceptorNaming your own preceptor at NSU: who fits each FNP, AGACNP and PMHNP clinical, Florida's license rule, what preceptors ask, and what the coordinator checks.The clinical coordinatorWho NSU's clinical coordinator is, what they receive, confirm and approve, how they place students who name no preceptor, and how to work well with them.Preceptor requirementsWho can precept an NSU nurse practitioner student: NSU's one public standard, what the graduate clinical guide holds, Florida's rule and each course's fit.Clinical site requirementsWhat "appropriate clinical experience" means for each NSU clinical course, ACON's affiliation agreements, and what sites require of students before day one.The graduate clinical guideNSU's handbook tells APRN students to follow the graduate clinical guide, which is not posted online. What it likely covers, what to read first, where to get it.Clinical paperworkNSU wants APRN students' clinical paperwork in before hours start, plus a site visit to meet the preceptor. What the paperwork spans and what goes wrong.Weekly clinical hours ruleNSU APRN clinical hours start with the didactic course, run every week and can't be compressed. How to plan clinic days around a nursing job, course by course.Clinical absences and make-upNSU's clinical absence rules: two hours' notice to your preceptor, site and program director, every absence made up, and no excuse for religious holidays.Clinicals at your employerCan NSU nursing students do clinicals where they work? NSU publishes no rule either way. The related policies, what to ask and what makes a workplace fit.When a placement falls throughWhen an NSU preceptor drops out or a site cancels: the day-one compliance rule, removal from a site, withdrawal and re-enrollment rules, and a fast replacement.

Hours and clinical courses

Clinical hours by programNSU clinical hours for every nursing program: 855 per MSN APRN track, the older 765 plan, certificate conflicts, 1,455 for BSN to DNP and DNP project hours.95 hours per credit hourWhat NSU's 95 practicum hours per credit hour means: 190, 95 and 285-hour clinicals, why MSN totals moved from 765 to 855, and the older certificate figures.FNP clinical coursesNSU's five FNP clinicals, NSG 5549, 5559, 5589, 5569 and 5599: order in the full-time and flex plans, paired courses, intensives, settings and preceptor timing.FNP pediatrics and women's healthPreceptors for NSU's 95-hour FNP clinicals, NSG 5589 pediatrics and NSG 5569 women's health: settings that fit, Florida's license rule, same-semester planning.AGACNP clinical coursesNSU's AGACNP clinicals NSG 5629, 5639, 5659 and 5669: paired courses, the Palm Beach intensives, acute-care settings and what hospitals need before day one.PMHNP clinical coursesNSU's PMHNP clinicals NSG 5719, 5729, 5739 and 5799: child and adolescent and psychotherapy content, psychiatric settings, Florida prescribing rules, preceptors.Capstone clinicals (285 hours)NSG 5599, NSG 5669 and NSG 5799: NSU's 285-hour, 3-credit capstone clinicals, the certificate versions, and why the capstone preceptor is planned first.DNP project practicum (600 hours)NSG 7431, NSG 7444, NSG 7445 and NSG 7451 carry 150 practicum hours each at NSU. What a DNP project site needs, and how BSN to DNP students reach it.DNP 500 clinical hours and NSG 7460NSU's post-master's DNP needs 500 post-BSN clinical hours verified on letterhead. When the check falls, and how NSG 7460 adds 150 hours at a time.Certificate hours and gap analysisNSU's postgraduate APRN certificate hours by track (765, 735 or 855), the three Ps you need first, and the formal gap analysis that can waive courses or hours.

Compliance and clearance

DISA CastleBranchHow NSU nursing students use DISA CastleBranch: immunization and physical exam records, the background check, weekly reminders and what a missing item costs.Background checksNSU nursing background checks: the level 1 check at acceptance, level 2 FDLE and VECHS fingerprinting when a clinical site asks, and the 10-day arrest rule.ImmunizationsNSU's immunization list for nursing clinicals: hepatitis B and titer, yearly flu and TB tests, MMR, Tdap, varicella, site extras, canceled placements.Drug screeningNSU nursing drug screens: NMS Management Services or CastleBranch, zero tolerance covering medical marijuana and CBD, IPN disclosure and site timing.Health insuranceNSU's health insurance rule for nursing students: the automatic UnitedHealthcare plan, waivers, bills from clinical training and coverage outside Florida.RN license for clinicalsRN license rules for NSU clinicals: Florida for AGACNP and certificates, any unrestricted RN for FNP and PMHNP, and chapter 464 at every Florida site.BLS, ACLS and PALSACLS for NSU AGACNP applicants, BLS, advanced life support and PALS when clinical sites require them, and how to keep every card current through clinicals.Clinical dress codeThe NSU College of Nursing clinical dress code: teal scrubs embroidered with your name and NSU, a white clinical jacket, your ID badge and the grooming rules.

Grades, progression and appeals

Grading and the B- ruleNSU graduate nursing grades: 80 points is a B-, nothing is rounded, the MSN allows one repeat and DNP courses need a B. Both scales and what they mean for you.Failing a clinical courseA failed NSU clinical course brings academic probation, a CSP referral, a wait for the course to run again and repeat tuition. Each step, and how to plan ahead.Withdrawals and incompletesDropping, withdrawing and incompletes in NSU nursing: program director approval, the two-withdrawal limit, clinical withdrawals, refunds and the 50% rule.Leave of absenceNSU nursing leave of absence rules: 14 days' notice, up to 180 days in 12 months, the administrative break for lockstep programs, check-ins and re-entry.CSP hearings and CWAC appealsHow NSU nursing's Committee on Student Progress hearings and College-Wide Appeals Committee appeals work: triggers, who decides, the five-day window, grades.

Campus, calendar and tools

On-campus intensives by trackEvery NSU nursing intensive by track: FNP, AGACNP and PMHNP campus days, the PMHNP Tampa Bay vs Palm Beach conflict, DNP virtual days, and clinical planning.Semesters and start termsNSU's fall, winter and summer semesters, the 8-week terms, 2026-27 dates, nursing start terms and deadlines, and how the calendar sets your preceptor notice.Full-time vs flex plansNSU's MSN APRN runs 6 semesters full-time or 8 to 9 on flex. Where each plan's first clinical falls, and when each preceptor has to be named with NSU.SharkLink, Canvas and SharkMailNSU's student systems for nursing: SharkLink 2.0, Canvas, SharkMail, Self-Service Banner, Degree Works, the SEA, SharkCard, SharkIT help and LockDown Browser.Who does what at NSUEvery NSU nursing role that touches a clinical course, from the clinical coordinator to CSP and CWAC, the handbook's channel of communication, and who to ask.2026-27 MSN changesWhat NSU's 2026-27 graduate catalog changed for MSN APRN students: online format, Florida RN for AGACNP only, no mileage rule, 855 hours, and what to confirm.Clinicals outside FloridaStudying NSU's online MSN from outside Florida or near the state line: the RN license rule, NSU's SARA status, the old 225-mile limit and what to confirm first.

Questions NSU students ask

Where do I find NSU's graduate clinical guide?

The handbook tells APRN students to follow the graduate clinical guide, but NSU does not post it on its public site. Look in your Canvas courses and ask your clinical coordinator or program director for the current version. Our graduate clinical guide page lists what to look up first.

Which system does NSU use for clinical compliance?

The only compliance vendor NSU names publicly for nursing is DISA CastleBranch, which holds immunization, physical exam and background check records and sends weekly reminders when something is missing. Clinical sites can add their own portals. See the CastleBranch guide.

Why do NSU's clinical hour figures differ between sources?

NSU changed its MSN curriculum. The 2026-27 catalog and current program pages give 95 practicum hours per credit hour, which adds up to 855 hours per track, while the 2025-26 catalog's older plan came to 765. Certificates still show older figures in places. The 95 hours per credit page sets them side by side.

Who at NSU approves my preceptor?

The clinical coordinator. NSU's handbook says the coordinator confirms that the preceptor meets NSU's requirements for clinical supervision and that the site provides the appropriate clinical experience. The clinical coordinator page explains what that review covers.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against NSU's own handbook, catalog and program pages. The graduate clinical guide, your course in Canvas, your clinical coordinator and your program director have the final word.

NSU lets you name your own preceptor. We make sure you have one, close to home and in time.

Tell us your NSU program, your home ZIP area and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors who fit the course and have everything ready for your clinical coordinator well before the two-semester notice.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP, acute care for AGACNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP, a practice site for DNP project hours
Named early enough for NSU's two-semester notice, with license, credentials and site details ready for the coordinator
Close to your home ZIP code, with clinic days we plan around your work schedule

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