How Concordia University Wisconsin runs NP clinicals, guide by guide

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the Concordia Preceptor placement team

CUW's current rules for graduate clinicals live in the 2026-27 academic catalog and the program pages, while the working details (the proposal form, contract lead times, logs) come from archived CUW handbooks and forms. These guides take each piece in turn: the preceptor you secure, faculty approval, the contract, clearance, every NURS clinical course and the state disclosure. Where two CUW sources disagree, the guide shows both.

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CUW systems. CUW's current rules for graduate clinicals live in the 2026-27 academic catalog and the program pages, while the working details (the proposal form, contract le — Every CUW clinical guide in one place: securing preceptors, faculty approval, clinical contracts, CastleBranch, NURS courses and states.

Where CUW keeps each rule

The catalog is the current word: students identify and secure their preceptors, graduate faculty approve them for appropriateness, and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator helps. It also fixes the credits, course numbers and minimum hours for 2026-27, and each program page adds the on-campus pieces and the CastleBranch background check.

Older CUW documents still explain the mechanics: a practicum proposal for each preceptor and site, clinical contracts that took weeks, and Typhon logs in the 2013-2015 handbooks. The guides date those details so you can confirm the current version with your course faculty.

Read these three first

New to CUW's online program? Three guides come first, in this order: the placement process, the deadlines guide and your track's row in the clinical hours planner. Ready for help with the search? Send us your track and city.

Preceptors and approval

The placement processHow a Concordia University Wisconsin NP clinical comes together: securing a preceptor, faculty approval, the contract, clearance and your first day.Finding 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.The 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.Clinical 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.The Graduate Clinical CoordinatorWho does what in Concordia University Wisconsin NP clinicals: the Graduate Clinical Coordinator, the older contract and education coordinators, and faculty.Preceptor requirementsPreceptor requirements for Concordia University Wisconsin NP students: license, board certification, years of practice and NP hours, with dates and sources.Who cannot precept youCUW's conflict rules for NP preceptors: not your own or a family member's provider, not your own unit at work, and the questions CUW's pages leave open.Clinicals where you workDoing CUW NP clinicals with your own employer: the same employer is allowed, your own unit is not, and a health system job is no automatic placement there.Primary care sitesWhich sites fit CUW's FNP and AGPCNP clinicals: primary care as the main site, capped specialty and secondary hours, and the settings named for PMHNP students.Health systems' own processesHow Froedtert and MCW, Aurora, Ascension, Children's Wisconsin, UW Health and Marshfield take NP student requests, and what that means for a CUW student.

Deadlines, compliance and tracking

Clinical 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.CastleBranchWhat 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.Clinical requirementsBefore CUW clinicals: each site's vaccine rules with no CUW waivers, current CPR, the technical standards and the Student Responsibilities Agreement.RN license for clinicalsThe RN or NP license CUW requires during clinicals, what changes outside Wisconsin, the Nurse Licensure Compact and Wisconsin's preceptor license rule.Logs and evaluationsHow CUW NP students have logged hours and been evaluated: the archived Typhon process, preceptor evaluations, the per-semester site visit and what is current.Student systemsThe CUW systems an online nursing student uses: the Portal, Self-Service Banner, Canvas, Webmail, Concordia Central, the library and where clinical forms fit.

Hours and clinical courses

Clinical hours by programClinical hours for every Concordia University Wisconsin NP, DNP and certificate track, where each figure is printed, and where CUW's own pages disagree.Clinical hours historyHow Concordia University Wisconsin's NP clinical hours rose from 600 to 720 to 750, how the course numbers changed twice, and which tracks CUW added or retired.NURS 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.NURS 7152 Clinical II - FNPCUW's NURS 7152, the middle FNP clinical: 250 hours across the life span, the community partnership piece, and whether to keep or change your preceptor.NURS 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.NURS 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.NURS 7266 AGPCNP Clinical IICUW's middle AGPCNP clinical: 250 more hours, a community prevention focus, and the choice between keeping your Clinical I preceptor or adding one.NURS 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.NURS 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.NURS 7515 PMHNP Practicum IICUW's largest psychiatric practicum: 200 hours on complex disorders, a spring start in the certificate plan, and a placement to plan during Practicum I.NURS 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.Post-BSN DNP clinical residenciesCUW's Post-BSN DNP residencies: NURS 8123-8125 for FNP, NURS 8226-8228 for AGPCNP, 120 hours in Residency I, and how the 1,008 hours add up.DNP project practicum and mentorCUW's DNP Project Practicum Immersions (NURS 9030-9032) and DNP Project I-II: leadership hours, choosing a health care agency, and your mentor.

Calendar, campus and progress

NURS 6038 on-campus intensiveCUW's NURS 6038 Advanced Health Assessment and its days on campus in Mequon: the 2-3 vs 3 vs 4 day conflict, who attends, and why it starts your clinical clock.Semester calendar 2026-27Concordia University Wisconsin's 2026-27 dates: 16-week semesters, 8-week sessions, summer terms, add and withdraw deadlines, and the incomplete-grade window.Pacing your clinical hoursHow CUW NP students fit 250 clinical hours into one term: the 2022 guidance of about 30 shifts over 13 weeks, the 8-week question, weekly targets and breaks.

Where you live

Licensure disclosure by stateWhich states CUW's disclosure lists as meeting licensure requirements for each nursing program, the 2024 change, the split states and the missing PMHNP rows.Clinicals outside WisconsinDoing Concordia University Wisconsin clinicals in another state: your responsibility under the catalog, the destination board's rules, licenses and Washington.Nursing accreditation (CCNE, HLC)What CUW's nursing accreditation covers: CCNE for the BSN, MSN, DNP and certificates, the stale 2024 date, the February 2024 visit, and HLC for the university.

Questions CUW students ask

Does CUW publish its clinical handbook online?

No current graduate clinical handbook is public. The catalog and program pages carry the rules, and CUW's older NP clinical handbooks and forms are only available as archived copies. The current forms come from your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator.

Who approves my preceptor at CUW?

CUW's graduate faculty approve each preceptor and site for appropriateness, according to the 2026-27 catalog, and the AGPCNP page says CUW's nursing faculty review and approve the sites. The Graduate Clinical Coordinator is available to help along the way.

Are the archived CUW handbook rules still in force?

Some may be and some may have changed. Details such as the 4-week proposal deadline and contracts of 8 to 12 weeks come from CUW documents dated 2013 to 2023. Treat them as a planning guide and confirm them with your course faculty.

Do these guides replace CUW's catalog?

No. Each one condenses CUW's public catalog, program pages and published documents, as they stood in September 2026, into something you can plan with. On your own clinicals, the final word belongs to your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator.

Last checked 2026-09-26

We check these pages against CUW's own academic catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.

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.