Your CUW preceptor, found and approval-ready.

CUW's catalog is clear: students identify and secure their clinical preceptors, and graduate faculty approve them. Our placement desk does the securing. We line up clinicians near you who fit your NURS clinical, with the license, certification and site details CUW reviews, and we flag early whether the site needs a new clinical contract.

Get matched How it works

Start your placement plan

Tell us your CUW track, your city and your next clinical course. Your placement advisor replies with preceptor and site options that fit it.

750clinical hours in the MSN FNP and AGPCNP, 250 a course

3clinical courses to fill, each with an approved preceptor

26states where CUW's disclosure lists the MSN NP as meeting requirements

What CUW does, and where we come in

CUW supplies the online courses, the graduate faculty who approve each preceptor and site, the Graduate Clinical Coordinator who helps, the clinical contract with each new site, and the Advanced Health Assessment intensive in Mequon. CastleBranch handles the background check.

The search is yours. CUW asks students to identify and secure their own preceptors, and its 2022 blog noted that a job in a health system does not by itself open a clinical spot there. That is the work our desk takes on: we find preceptors who fit your track, confirm the practice suits the course, and gather what CUW's faculty review, so what reaches CUW is complete the first time.

From "I need a preceptor" to CUW's approval

Our steps follow the order CUW's own process runs in.

Your track and course

Your CUW track, your next NURS clinical, your city, and the semester it starts.

The search

Clinicians near you who fit the course: primary care for FNP and AGPCNP, mental health settings for PMHNP.

Approval-ready

Preceptor license, board certification, CV and site details gathered for CUW's graduate faculty.

All three clinicals

We see each clinical through to approval and keep the next course's search moving at the same time.

Pick your CUW program

Your clinical courses and hours, who can precept you, where, and when to start looking. From CUW's own catalog and program pages.

750clinical hours minimum, 250 in each of three FNP clinicals

NURS 7151250 h NURS 7152250 h NURS 7153250 h

Who precepts: A preceptor you secure, approved for appropriateness by CUW's graduate faculty
Where: Primary care practices near home, in a state CUW's disclosure lists for the MSN
Start looking: After the on-campus Advanced Health Assessment intensive; the three clinicals run in sequence

Plan my MSN FNP placement MSN FNP guide

750clinical hours minimum, 250 in each of three AGPCNP clinicals

NURS 7265250 h NURS 7266250 h NURS 7267250 h

Who precepts: Primary care preceptors for adolescents through older adults, approved by graduate faculty
Where: Outpatient primary care near home; sites reviewed and approved by CUW's nursing faculty
Start looking: Secure the site early: a new clinical contract can take weeks, and no patient care starts without one

Plan my MSN AGPCNP placement MSN AGPCNP guide

500clinical hours minimum across three psychiatric practicums

NURS 7510125 h NURS 7515200 h NURS 7520175 h

Who precepts: Psychiatric preceptors CUW approves; CUW publishes no PMHNP-specific credential list
Where: Mental health settings in approved locations
Start looking: Per-course hours follow CUW's 2023 PMHNP certificate plan, which uses the same three courses

Plan my MSN PMHNP placement MSN PMHNP guide

1,008hours: 750 clinical plus 258 leadership

NURS 8123120 h NURS 8124hours: see course page NURS 8125hours: see course page NURS 9030hours: see course page

Who precepts: Primary care preceptors for the residencies, then an agency mentor for the DNP project
Where: Primary care sites near home and the organization where your project runs
Start looking: 750 clinical hours across the residencies plus 258 leadership hours in the project courses

Plan my Post-BSN DNP placement Post-BSN DNP guide

700hours in the catalog: 500 psychiatric plus 200 leadership

NURS 7510125 h NURS 7515200 h NURS 7520175 h NURS 9040hours: see course page

Who precepts: Psychiatric preceptors for the practicums and a mentor for the leadership hours
Where: Mental health settings and a leadership setting near home
Start looking: The program page counts 1,000 residency hours in total, with prior-degree hours making up the rest

Plan my PMHNP DNP placement PMHNP DNP guide

750clinical hours minimum in the FNP or AGPCNP certificate (PMHNP: 500)

FNP750 h AGPCNP750 h PMHNP500 h

Who precepts: The same preceptor approval as the matching MSN track
Where: Near home, in a state CUW's disclosure lists for the certificates
Start looking: Hours from an earlier APRN degree may be considered case by case

Plan my CAGE placement CAGE guide

The CUW pieces you will work with

Named the way CUW names them in its catalog, program pages and documents.

ProcessThe placement processHow a Concordia University Wisconsin NP clinical comes together: securing a preceptor, faculty approval, the contract, clearance and your first day.SearchFinding your own preceptorWhat Concordia University Wisconsin means when NP students identify and secure their own preceptors, and how to run a search graduate faculty will approve.FormThe practicum proposal formThe Clinical Practicum Site Proposal and Preceptor Information form at Concordia University Wisconsin: one per preceptor and site, 4 weeks ahead, what it asks.ContractsClinical contractsHow clinical contracts work for Concordia University Wisconsin NP students: 8 to 12 weeks in CUW's archived handbook, and no patient care until one is signed.CalendarClinical deadlinesPlan CUW clinicals backward from the start date: the archived 4-week proposal rule, contracts of up to 12 weeks, health system cutoffs and 2026-27 term dates.ComplianceCastleBranchWhat CUW's Castle Branch background check on acceptance covers, which program pages name it, what the archived order steps said, and how it ties to clinicals.

All CUW clinical systems

Your track, your clinical hours

Every CUW nursing program with clinical hours, and the preceptor it calls for.

FNPMSN Family Nurse PractitionerConcordia University Wisconsin's online MSN FNP: 41 credits, 750 clinical hours across NURS 7151-7153, the Mequon intensive, and a preceptor plan for all three.AGPCNPMSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NPConcordia University Wisconsin's MSN AGPCNP: 41 credits, 750 hours across NURS 7265-7267, and preceptors who see adolescents to older adults in primary care.PMHNPMSN Psychiatric Mental Health NPCUW's new online MSN PMHNP: 41 credits over six semesters, 500 practicum hours in NURS 7510, 7515 and 7520, the 3-day workshop, and mental health preceptors.DNPPost-BSN to DNP (FNP or AGPCNP)CUW's Post-BSN to DNP: 70 credits, three primary care residencies and 258 leadership hours with an agency mentor, and how to line them all up early.PMHNP DNPPMHNP DNP for certified NPsCUW's PMHNP DNP for certified NPs: 51 credits, 500 psychiatric clinical hours plus 200 leadership hours, and why the program page counts to 1,000.CertificateCAGE certificate (FNP or AGPCNP)CUW's CAGE certificate for FNP or AGPCNP: 750 clinical hours in three primary care courses, prior hours weighed case by case, and 24 states on CUW's list.

All CUW programs

The clinical courses

What each NURS clinical asks of a preceptor and a site.

FNPNURS 7151 Clinical I - FNPCUW's NURS 7151, the first FNP clinical: 250 hours and 4 credits, its prerequisites, the primary care preceptor it needs, and the paperwork before day one.FNPNURS 7153 Clinical III - FNPCUW's NURS 7153, the final FNP clinical: 250 hours focused on children, older adults and women's health, the specialty-hour caps, and finishing on schedule.AGPCNPNURS 7265 AGPCNP Clinical ICUW's first adult-gerontology primary care clinical: 250 hours, three prerequisites, an adult patient panel, and a preceptor search that starts early.AGPCNPNURS 7267 AGPCNP Clinical IIICUW's final AGPCNP clinical centers on older adults in outpatient care: 250 hours, back to back with Clinical II, and the last step to 750 hours.PMHNPNURS 7510 PMHNP Practicum ICUW's first psychiatric practicum, shared by the MSN PMHNP, PMHNP DNP and certificate: 125 hours, assessment first, and preceptor rules to confirm.PMHNPNURS 7520 PMHNP Practicum IIICUW's final psychiatric practicum: 175 hours with patients and families, a summer slot in the certificate plan, and the last step to 500 PMHNP hours.

When a clinical is at risk

Fast help for the weeks that matter most.

UrgentNeed a preceptor fastA CUW proposal deadline or semester start is close and you have no preceptor. Count back from the date, pick sites that can move, and see how we speed it up.StuckCan't find a preceptorStuck without a preceptor for a Concordia University Wisconsin NP clinical? Why searches stall, how to widen the net, and how we take the search over.Mid-coursePreceptor dropped outYour preceptor quit partway through a Concordia University Wisconsin clinical. What to do first, how to protect your hours, and how a replacement is approved.HoursBehind on clinical hoursBehind on hours in a Concordia University Wisconsin clinical course? Find your weekly pace, the archived rules on spreading hours, and safe ways to add more.TimelineDelayed graduationHow a missing preceptor can push back graduation from a Concordia University Wisconsin NP program, the time limits that apply, and how to protect your date.Decision guidePlacement options comparedThree ways Concordia University Wisconsin NP students land a preceptor: a self-run search, your network or employer, or our placement service, side by side.

Before you start

Does CUW find preceptors for online NP students?

CUW's catalog says students identify and secure their own clinical preceptors, graduate faculty approve them for appropriateness, and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator is available for assistance. Our desk does the searching so the preceptor you bring is one CUW can approve.

How long before my clinical should I have a preceptor?

Well ahead. CUW's archived proposal form asked for it no later than 4 weeks before clinicals, and its handbook said a new clinical contract could take 8 to 12 weeks, with no patient care before the contract is in place. Confirm current deadlines with your course faculty.

How many clinical hours does a CUW NP track take?

The 2026-27 catalog lists 750 for the MSN FNP and AGPCNP (250 in each of three clinicals), 500 for the PMHNP programs, and 1,008 for the Post-BSN to DNP, including 258 leadership hours.

Who can precept a CUW NP student?

Current CUW pages say only that preceptors are approved by graduate faculty. CUW's 2022 FAQ asked for at least two years of clinical experience, a state license and board certification, and its 2014-15 handbook allowed NPs, PAs, CNMs, MDs and DOs, with some hours required with an NP.

Do you work with CUW students outside Wisconsin?

Yes. We search wherever you live, in a state CUW's disclosure lists for your program. The MSN primary care NP row says 26 states meet requirements; check your state's guide before you plan clinicals there.

CUW asks you to secure your preceptors. We make the search the easy part.

Tell us your CUW track, your city and your next clinical course. We line up preceptors who fit the NURS course, gather the license, board certification and site details CUW's graduate faculty review, and flag early whether the site needs a new clinical contract.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP and AGPCNP, mental health settings for PMHNP, an agency mentor for DNP projects
Preceptor license, certification, CV and site details ready for CUW's approval
All three clinical courses planned together, close to home in a state CUW's disclosure lists for your program

Start your placement plan

Track, city and next clinical course is all we need to begin.