The Sacred Heart University clinical placement process, start to finish

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

At Sacred Heart University, an online student names the site and the preceptor, and the school takes it from there: two approvals, a Contract Request Form, an affiliation agreement, a compliance review and, last of all, a "Cleared for Clinical" email. This page walks that path in order and marks where each program departs from it. Every stop has its own detail page, linked as you go.

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Week 10of the prior course: when the next online FNP placement is due

9 monthsthe longest a new site's affiliation agreement can take, per the MSN guide

Numbered steps. The online NP path, one stop at a time: 1 Identify a site and a preceptor; 2 Academic advisor approval; 3 Final approval by the NP clinical coordinator; 4 Health system sign-off, where it applies; 5 Submit the Contract Request Form. — The online NP path, one stop at a time: 1 Identify a site and a preceptor; 2 Academic advisor approval; 3 Final approval by the NP clinical coordinator; 4 Health system sign-off, where it applies; 5 Submit the Contract Request Form.

Who searches and who says yes

Sacred Heart divides the work cleanly. In every online nursing program, the student locates the clinical site and the preceptor; Sacred Heart then approves both, writes the contract with the site and decides when the student may begin. The online MSN FNP page puts it in one line: "you'll secure a clinical placement." Everything after the search is a set of reviews, and each review needs something specific from you.

The campus hybrid BSN-to-DNP (FNP/DNP) is the one mixed case. Hybrid students set up their own NU 552 observation, then work with the FNP/DNP Clinical Placement Coordinator on sites for later courses. Campus BSN and accelerated BSN students are scheduled by the school, so this page speaks to online and hybrid DNP students. For the search itself, start with finding your own preceptor.

The online NP path, one stop at a time

This is the sequence for the online MSN FNP, the MSN PMHNP and both post-master's NP certificates, drawn from the 2026-27 MSN and Post-MSN Certificate student guide.

Identify a site and a preceptorChoose a practice and a clinician that fit the course objectives and student learning outcomes. Credentials differ by track; check them on who can precept.
Academic advisor approvalPropose the site and preceptor to your academic advisor. Nothing moves to the next desk until the advisor agrees.
Final approval by the NP clinical coordinatorEmail the preceptor's current resume, license and board certification to the MSN Online NP Programs Clinical Coordinator at NPapprovalrequest@sacredheart.edu. What that review covers is on the preceptor approval page.
Health system sign-off, where it appliesWhen the preceptor belongs to a partnering healthcare organization, that organization approves the placement first, and Sacred Heart's approval waits for it.
Submit the Contract Request FormOnce the coordinator's approval email arrives, complete your program's Contract Request Form. It is emailed automatically to the Clinical Contract & Compliance Coordinator.
The affiliation agreementThat coordinator confirms an agreement already on file or initiates a new one. New sites take the longest; see affiliation agreements.
Health Account complianceUpload your exam, TB test, CPR card, RN license, liability insurance and the other Student Practice Requirements by your program's due date.
The clearance emailThe Clinical Placement Compliance Coordinator sends "Cleared for Clinical/Observation" once compliance, an approved preceptor and a confirmed agreement are all in place.
Your first day on siteDisplay your SHU Student ID, agree a schedule with your preceptor, and begin logging hours and completing the student-preceptor agreement in E*Value.

How the other online programs differ

The route is the same shape everywhere, but the reviewers, the forms and the timing change by program:

Placement route by Sacred Heart online and hybrid program
Program	Who reviews the preceptor	When the placement is due	Contract Request Form used
Online MSN FNP; post-master's FNP certificate	Academic advisor, then the MSN Online NP Programs Clinical Coordinator	Week 10 of `NU 552`, then week 10 of each clinical course for the next one	MSN/FNP Online CRF; PM FNP Online Certificate CRF
Online MSN PMHNP; post-master's PMHNP certificate	Academic advisor, then the same NP coordinator	The Clinical Placement Team's published deadline	MSN PMHNP CRF; PM PMHNP Certificate CRF
Online MSN CNL, NE, NMEL	Academic advisor, from the preceptor's CV and RN license	The Clinical Placement Team's published deadline	MSN Online (CNL, NMEL, NE) & RN-BSN, RN-BSN-MSN CRF
RN-BSN; RN-BSN-MSN	Academic advisor, from the preceptor's CV and RN license	Nine months before the first clinical practice course	The same shared MSN Online and RN-BSN CRF
Hybrid FNP/DNP	Program Director and course faculty, for independent placements	Before each course starts, by the semester's placement deadlines	FNP/DNP Hybrid, PM/DNP Hybrid & PM/DNP Online CRF
Post-master's DNP	Advisor, with a practice mentor agreement	Form due before the end of `NU 823`	The same DNP form

The CNL, Nursing Education and NMEL tracks skip the NP coordinator: once the advisor approves, the student goes straight to the form. Those clinical courses run eight weeks and take place in person on site. RN-BSN students may train inside the institution that employs them, with one limit explained on clinicals where you work.

The hybrid FNP/DNP and the post-master's DNP

Hybrid BSN-to-DNP students begin much like online students. The NU 552 observation, eight to ten hours with a nurse practitioner, physician or physician assistant, is theirs to arrange, and the site must already have an active affiliation agreement on file. For NU 562, NU 622, NU 632, NU 831 and NU 832, the FNP/DNP Clinical Placement Coordinator works with each student to set up a site with an approved preceptor before the course starts.

A hybrid student may still find an independent rotation, which the Program Director and course faculty approve before a contract is executed. Asking the coordinator for a match means accepting the placement offered as a binding commitment, and the guide expects every student to network actively. All clinical hours fall between the semester's start and end dates.

The DNP project adds a practice-site track in both DNP programs: identify an external practice mentor, submit the form (plus a practice mentor agreement form in the post-master's program) before the end of NU 823, secure Sacred Heart IRB approval, and wait for the "Cleared for DNP project" email. The DNP guides allow 6 to 8 months for a new contract. The FNP/DNP guide says to start during NU 821; the post-master's guide says during NU 823.

What has to be true before day one

Three conditions must line up before clearance goes out: every Student Practice Requirement is met in your Health Account, the preceptor is approved, and the affiliation agreement is confirmed. Registration has a gate of its own. An NP student may register for a clinical course only after the advisor approves the site and preceptor and the NP coordinator completes the documentation.

Change anything after clearance, such as a new preceptor or an added site, and the chain restarts at the form. What happens to hours logged without clearance is covered on the Cleared for Clinical page, and every desk named here appears on who does what.

The NP coordinator's approval email is not clearance. Only the "Cleared for Clinical/Observation" email lets you start at the site.

How we shorten the path

Most delays in this chain happen at the handoffs: a packet missing board certification, a site contract contact nobody asked for, a health system that approves on its own clock. We work each handoff before it arrives. Your placement advisor finds a preceptor and site that fit your Sacred Heart course in your own community, gathers the CV, license and certification the reviewers ask for, and secures the site's contract contact so the agreement can begin the day your form goes in.

We also keep your program's deadline in view, confirm the site sits in a state where you can train (NP clinicals never take place in New York), and stay on call through the course. When a preceptor steps away, we line up the replacement and the details for the new form. Sacred Heart makes every approval; we make sure what reaches Sacred Heart is complete the first time. To begin, use the form below.

Questions Sacred Heart students ask

How long does the Sacred Heart clinical placement process take?

It depends mostly on the site. With an affiliation agreement already on file, the steps after approval can move quickly. A brand-new site can take up to nine months under the MSN and RN-BSN guides, or 6 to 8 months under the DNP guides. Sacred Heart publishes no typical total, so count backward from your program's deadline and pick sites with that lead time in mind.

Can I register for a clinical course before my preceptor is approved?

Not in the online NP programs. The MSN student guide allows clinical-course registration only after the academic advisor approves the site and preceptor and the NP clinical coordinator completes the preceptor and site documentation. Registration opens in April for fall, October for spring and February for late spring and summer, so a late approval can hold up a whole semester.

Is the process the same for the post-master's NP certificates?

Largely, with two differences. Certificate students use their own Contract Request Forms, the PM FNP Online Certificate or PM PMHNP Certificate version, and compliance is due by week 10 of the course taken before the first clinical course: NU 550 for FNP and NU 509 for PMHNP. The approvals, the affiliation agreement and the clearance email work the same way.

Who do I contact if my placement stalls?

Start with whoever holds it. Fit questions go to your academic advisor; NP preceptor packets go to NPapprovalrequest@sacredheart.edu; contract problems come to you from the Clinical Contract & Compliance Coordinator by SHU email. Replies to clinical and compliance messages are expected inside 48 to 72 hours, so check that inbox daily while a placement is moving.

Where are the forms and the detailed instructions?

Sacred Heart posts the Contract Request Forms on the College of Nursing's Forms page. FNP students find the full process in the FNP Clinical Requirements Blackboard organization, PMHNP students in the psychiatric-mental health clinical requirements organization, and CNL, NE and NMEL students in the Graduate Nursing Clinical Requirements organization. Your program's 2026-27 student guide holds the policy text.

DeadlineWeek-10 deadlineWhen Sacred Heart University wants your next site and preceptor filed: the FNP week-10 rule, Clinical Placement Team dates, RN-BSN nine months and DNP NU 823.ComplianceHealth Account and complianceWhat goes in your Sacred Heart University Health Account: physical, TB, CPR/BLS, RN license, insurance, a flu shot by November 1, and each program's due date.CalendarRegistration and modulesWhen Sacred Heart University opens registration (April, October, February), what months modules M1 to M6 cover, and why clinical courses wait for approval.SystemE*ValueWhat Sacred Heart University students do in E*Value: clinical and case logs, the student-preceptor agreement, evaluations, DNP hours and the on-time rule.ServiceHow it worksFrom intake to your final clinical hour: how we find a Sacred Heart preceptor near home, prepare the approval details and stay on call through the course.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Sacred Heart's own catalog, program pages and 2026-27 student guides. Your student guide, your academic advisor and your course faculty have the final word.

Sacred Heart asks you to secure your clinical placement. We make that the easy part.

Tell us your Sacred Heart program, your city and your next clinical course. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare what your advisor, the NP clinical coordinator and the Contract Request Form ask for, early enough for the affiliation agreement.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care of adults, women and children for FNP, psychiatric care across the lifespan for PMHNP
Preceptor CV, license, board certification and the site's contract contact ready before your week-10 deadline
Close to home in any state where Sacred Heart's program meets licensure requirements, with New York's rule planned around

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