Sacred Heart University FNP clinical hours: 540 in four courses

The 540 hours, block by block

The catalog course pages for NU 561 and NU 621 list no hours, so their 180-hour figures come from the 2026-27 MSN student guide. The catalog does print the 90 for each of NU 606 and NU 607, and it gives the program total as a minimum of 540 clinical hours.

Post-master's FNP certificate students take the same four courses for the same 540 hours. To compare the FNP with other Sacred Heart programs, see the clinical hours overview.

NU 606 and NU 607: 90 hours each

The middle two courses are half the size and twice as specific. NU 606 Primary Care of Children runs from birth through adolescence across diverse infant, child and adolescent populations, taught through a collaborative community approach with interprofessional teams. You need a site where children make up a real share of the schedule, such as a pediatric office or a family practice with a busy pediatric panel.

NU 607 Primary Care for Women covers well woman care and care of the antepartum woman, from adolescence through the menopause transition, including cervical and breast cancer screening, contraceptive care, gynecologic conditions and healthy prenatal examinations. A women's health or family practice that sees prenatal visits matches that list.

Both courses share one prerequisite list, which includes NU 561. The FNP Contract Request Form records each site's primary and secondary population (Primary/Preventive Care, Women's Health, Pediatrics, Specialty Care), so the mix is on file for NU 606 and NU 607 alike.

Residency lab hours: 15 or 10

Lab hours sit outside the 540. The MSN guide asks for a minimum of 540 clinical hours and 15 lab hours, while the catalog lists 540 clinical hours and 10 lab hours completed during residency 1. Neither source folds lab time into the preceptor count.

Residency timing carries its own conflict. The SHU Online FAQ sets two one-to-two-day competency residencies in Fairfield, one during NU 552 and one in NU 621, after a virtual orientation early in the first term. The catalog mentions two onsite competency residencies and, elsewhere, a daylong residency each year. Dates are not published, so take them from course faculty and the student guide.

How we build your four-placement plan

Four preceptors, four population profiles and four approval windows, all inside 16-week courses: that is why Sacred Heart FNP students come to us. We map the whole sequence at once, adult primary care in NU 561, children's care in NU 606, women's health in NU 607 and complex families in NU 621, so the next placement is already moving when week 10 arrives.

Every preceptor we bring matches Sacred Heart's published profile: a physician (MD or DO), PA or APRN holding a license in your state, board certified if a physician or APRN, with a year or more in primary care. We collect the CV, license and board certification plus the contracts contact at the site for your Contract Request Form, keep every site outside New York, and get a replacement search moving the moment a preceptor steps away. Sacred Heart approves each placement, and we hand it a complete file every time. Tell us your start term in the form below.