10 Nursing Programs with Clinical Hour Requirements

7. Master of Science in Nursing — Nurse Practitioner (MSN-NP)

NP programs center on advanced clinical practicum hours required for national certification and state licensure as an advanced practice provider. Many NP tracks require several hundred supervised clinical hours in the chosen specialty, with placements in primary care, pediatrics, acute care, or psychiatric settings depending on the concentration. Preceptors must often meet program criteria and provide direct supervision, documentation, and evaluation. Programs differ on how they log hours, what counts as direct patient contact, and whether telehealth encounters are acceptable. Always confirm with the program which certifying body the clinical hours target, how many total supervised hours are needed for graduation, and what the school requires for preceptor qualifications and liability coverage. This prevents surprises at the point of seeking certification.