NU 571: Sacred Heart's first PMHNP practicum, 180 hours with adults

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

NU 571 is where Sacred Heart University's PMHNP students start logging clinical hours: 6 credits and 180 supervised hours in behavioral health settings, weighted toward late adolescence through adulthood. The catalog and the SHU Online program page give it two different titles, and the preceptor rules come from more than one source, so both are laid out below.

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180supervised clinical hours in NU 571

6credits: 3 didactic and 3 clinical

One course, two titles

The 2026-27 graduate catalog lists NU 571 as Role Development for the PMHNP I. The SHU Online program page calls it PMHNP I: Role Development of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Credits (6) and hours (180) match in both, and the course number is what the Contract Request Form asks for, so the title difference changes nothing about your placement.

The catalog splits the credits as 3 didactic and 3 clinical. Prerequisites are NU 501, NU 530, NU 550, NU 566, NU 552, NU 551, NU 603 and NU 509. Post-master's certificate students have a second route in: admission to the certificate with program director approval.

Sacred Heart's certificate catalog page gives PMHNP courses a length of 16 weeks. The MSN PMHNP does not appear on any of the registrar's 2026-27 calendar pages, so use your course site and advisor for exact term dates.

What the 180 hours involve

The catalog describes 180 supervised hours with patients "across the lifespan with emphasis on late adolescence through adulthood" in a variety of behavioral health settings. The skills it names are assessment, diagnosis, and psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of adults.

The role-development wording in both titles is the key. This is the course where you begin working as a PMHNP under supervision: taking the psychiatric history, forming a diagnosis, choosing medication and therapy approaches, and presenting the plan to your preceptor. Averaged across 16 weeks, 180 hours comes to a little over 11 hours a week, and more if clearance arrives after the term begins.

Hours count only after the "Cleared for Clinical" email, only at the approved site and only with the approved preceptor. Anything logged outside those conditions is deleted from E*Value and brings a program warning.

Who can supervise NU 571

Sacred Heart's sources list PMHNP preceptor credentials differently. The student guide governs approval; the inquiry form and the archived portal show whom Sacred Heart recruits.

PMHNP preceptor credentials by Sacred Heart source
Credential	Student guide 2026-27	PMHNP inquiry form	Archived PMHNP portal
Psychiatric-mental health NP	Yes, as APRN	Yes	Yes
MD or DO	Yes	Board certified in psychiatry	Yes, board certified in psychiatry
Licensed clinical social worker (MSW)	Not listed	Yes	Yes
Licensed mental health counselor	Not listed	Yes	Yes
Clinical psychologist (PhD, PsyD)	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Experience	Not stated	At least one year in a clinical setting	One year of psychiatric mental health care

Medication management is part of this course, which makes a prescribing preceptor, either a PMHNP or a psychiatrist, the most direct fit. If the only preceptor open to you is a therapist-level clinician, clear it with your academic advisor before submitting anything. The full comparison is on preceptor requirements.

Settings that match the course

The description says a variety of behavioral health settings without naming them. Outpatient psychiatric practices, community mental health centers and integrated behavioral health clinics inside primary care all see the adult caseload the course describes. Sacred Heart's clinical affiliations page lists community-based health care facilities and specialty medical offices among its placement types.

If the practice belongs to a partnering health system, that system approves the placement first, before Sacred Heart's NP clinical coordinator grants preceptor approval. Telehealth has a narrow role: the catalog allows MSN NP hours occasionally via telehealth as the preceptor directs. And no NP clinical hours may be completed in New York, whatever the setting; see the New York rule. When you screen a practice, ask how many new adult evaluations it books each week, since new evaluations give you the most practice at diagnosis.

From NU 509 into NU 571, and on to NU 572 and NU 573

NU 509 Advanced Psychopharmacology is on the prerequisite list for good reason: its medication reasoning becomes daily practice here. NU 572 requires NU 571 and turns to children and families, with at least 100 hours devoted to patients under 18. NU 573 also lists NU 571 among its prerequisites and moves to older adults, couples, families and co-occurring conditions.

PMHNP placement deadlines are published by the Clinical Placement Team rather than fixed at week 10, but the registration rule is firm: without an approved site and preceptor, you cannot register for the next clinical course. Use the weeks of NU 571 to lock in the next placement, especially the pediatric volume NU 572 demands. The PMHNP clinical hours page shows how the three practicums add up to 540.

How we set up NU 571 for Sacred Heart students

We search for PMHNPs and psychiatrists in your community whose adult caseload fits NU 571, confirm each credential against the student guide's approval list, and assemble the approval file: CV, license, board certification and the site's contract contact. When a candidate also treats adolescents, we flag it, since that preceptor may open a path into NU 572.

Should your preceptor reduce days or step away during the term, your placement advisor starts a replacement search right away and prepares the details a new Contract Request Form needs, so the gap in your hours stays as short as possible. Share your state and term through the contact form.

Questions Sacred Heart students ask

What is the official title of NU 571?

The 2026-27 graduate catalog titles it Role Development for the PMHNP I. The SHU Online program page uses PMHNP I: Role Development of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Both describe the same 6-credit course with 180 clinical hours, and forms identify it by the number NU 571.

Can a licensed clinical social worker precept NU 571?

Sacred Heart's PMHNP inquiry form recruits licensed clinical social workers with an MSW, but the 2026-27 student guide's approval list names MD, DO and APRN preceptors. Because the course covers psychopharmacologic treatment, ask your academic advisor before building NU 571 around a social worker, and have a prescriber option ready.

Does NU 571 include adolescents?

Partly. The catalog describes care across the lifespan with emphasis on late adolescence through adulthood, so older teenagers can be part of your caseload. The course that requires work with patients under 18 is NU 572, where at least 100 of the 180 hours are devoted to them.

Can certificate students enter NU 571 without the MSN prerequisites?

The catalog lists an alternative to the MSN prerequisite list: admission to the post-master's PMHNP certificate with program director approval. The SHU Online certificate curriculum places NU 509 before NU 571, and certificate compliance is due by week 10 of NU 509.

How many hours a week does NU 571 take?

Spread across a 16-week course, 180 hours averages a little over 11 hours a week. Hours count only after the Cleared for Clinical email, so a later clearance raises the weekly load. Agree on a steady schedule with your preceptor before the term begins and log every session in E*Value.

PMHNPNU 509 Advanced PsychopharmacologyNU 509 Advanced Psychopharmacology for the PMHNP at Sacred Heart University: its place before NU 571, when certificate compliance is due, and how to use it.PMHNPNU 572 PMHNP IINU 572 at Sacred Heart University: 180 PMHNP clinical hours, at least 100 with patients under 18, both course titles, and finding a child and adolescent site.PMHNPNU 573 PMHNP IIINU 573 at Sacred Heart University: the final 180-hour PMHNP practicum with older adults, couples and families, the built-in capstone, and both course titles.HoursPMHNP clinical hours (540)Sacred Heart University's online PMHNP requires 540 clinical hours, 180 each in NU 571, NU 572 and NU 573, with at least 100 hours caring for patients under 18.PreceptorsPreceptor requirementsWho can precept a Sacred Heart University nursing student: FNP, PMHNP, CNL, NE, NMEL, RN-BSN and DNP mentor rules on licenses, experience and conflicts.PMHNPOnline MSN PMHNPSacred Heart University's online MSN PMHNP: 42 credits, 540 hours in NU 571, 572 and 573, at least 100 hours with patients under 18, and who can precept you.

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.

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