Sacred Heart University PMHNP clinical hours and the under-18 rule

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

Sacred Heart University's online MSN PMHNP and post-master's PMHNP certificate each require 540 clinical hours: 180 in NU 571, 180 in NU 572 and 180 in NU 573. Inside NU 572, at least 100 of those hours must go to patients under age 18. That pediatric minimum shapes the whole search, because it narrows which preceptors can carry the middle course.

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540clinical hours in the online PMHNP

180hours in each of three practicum courses

100minimum NU 572 hours with patients under 18

Three practicums, 180 hours each

All three are 6-credit courses, with NU 571 listed as 3 didactic and 3 clinical credits. The catalog sets the PMHNP at 540 clinical hours or more, plus 10 lab hours completed during residency 1; the MSN student guide states the 540 without a lab figure.

On the SHU Online program page the three courses carry longer names, for instance "PMHNP II: The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner's Role with Children and their Families"; credits and hours are identical. MSN and certificate students alike take NU 509 Advanced Psychopharmacology for the PMHNP before the first practicum; the NU 509 page covers it, and the clinical hours overview sets the PMHNP beside the other programs.

PMHNP clinical courses (2026-2027 catalog titles and descriptions)
Course	Catalog title	Clinical hours	Catalog focus
`NU 571`	Role Development for the PMHNP I	180	Late adolescence through adulthood; assessment, diagnosis, and psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of adults
`NU 572`	PMHNP II: Care of Children and Families	180, with at least 100 caring for patients under 18	Pediatric and adolescent patients; crisis intervention and psychiatric emergencies
`NU 573`	PMHNP III: The PMHNP in Complex Systems	180	Older adults, couples and families; co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions; the capstone

`NU 571`: the adult foundation

NU 571 sets 180 supervised hours across the lifespan with the emphasis on late adolescence through adulthood, inside a variety of behavioral health settings. The work is assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning for adults, both psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic.

Its prerequisites run through the core and specialty courses, including NU 509, NU 551, NU 552 and NU 566, with a path in for post-master's certificate students who have program director approval. A preceptor with a broad adult caseload, who lets you see patients across many diagnoses, suits this first practicum. The NU 571 page has the site profile.

As the first practicum, NU 571 is also your first trip through Sacred Heart's approval chain: your advisor signs off, the NP clinical coordinator gives final approval, and the Contract Request Form follows. Registration for the course waits on that approval.

`NU 572` and the 100 hours under age 18

The catalog is specific: "A minimum of 100 hours of clinical practicum is specifically devoted to the care of patients under age 18." Of the 180 hours in NU 572, then, at least 100 must involve children or adolescents. The course also covers crisis intervention and managing psychiatric emergencies, within a variety of behavioral health settings.

That rule decides the search. An adult-focused psychiatric practice that sees the occasional teenager will struggle to produce 100 hours in 16 weeks, while a practice or clinic whose caseload leans toward children, adolescents and their families can. Ask about the age mix before the site goes to your advisor, and keep your own running tally of under-18 hours beside the E*Value log so any shortfall shows by midterm. The NU 572 page goes deeper.

The mistake to avoid: submitting an adult-heavy site for NU 572 and hoping enough young patients turn up. The 100-hour minimum is written into the course, so confirm the under-18 caseload before anything else.

`NU 573`: complex systems and the capstone

NU 573 closes the sequence with individuals, including older adults, couples and families, and with patients whose medical and psychiatric conditions occur together. The catalog asks for increased independence within the PMHNP role, and the program capstone is built into this course.

Its catalog prerequisites list NU 571 and the foundation courses, with certificate students admitted by approval, and the SHU Online page calls it "PMHNP III: Advanced Role Development of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Complex Systems." A preceptor who carries complex, multi-condition patients and lets you run more of each visit suits this final practicum, and a setting where psychiatric and medical care meet fits the co-occurring focus. The NU 573 page covers the course in full.

Who can precept and where

Sacred Heart's sources list PMHNP preceptors differently. The MSN guide asks for an MD, DO or APRN license with board certification if appropriate. The current PMHNP preceptor inquiry form offers PMHNP, MD or DO board-certified in psychiatry, licensed clinical social worker with an MSW, and licensed mental health counselor, while an archived portal page also listed clinical psychologists and asked for a year of psychiatric mental health experience. The preceptor requirements page compares the lists.

Immediate relatives, spouses and anyone with a conflict of interest are ruled out. New York is closed to NP clinical hours, and Washington is marked "No" for PMHNP licensure though it is "Yes" for FNP, so Washington residents should read the licensure disclosures before they enroll.

Deadlines and pacing around the hours

PMHNP placements are due by the published deadline created by the Clinical Placement Team rather than a fixed week. The dates are not public; the process and forms sit in the PMHNP clinical requirements organization on Blackboard. The week-10 deadline page sets the programs' deadlines side by side.

Compliance comes first. MSN PMHNP students need every Student Practice Requirement in place by week 10 of NU 552, and certificate students by week 10 of NU 509. Each practicum runs 16 weeks, so 180 hours averages a little over 11 a week from a week-one start, and every week of waiting for the Cleared for Clinical email raises that figure. Certificate students also attend one in-person residency per year, per the SHU Online FAQ.

How we source PMHNP preceptors course by course

The pediatric minimum narrows the field for NU 572 more than any other rule in the program, and it is the reason many Sacred Heart PMHNP students start with us early. We screen every candidate for the course it will serve: adult breadth for NU 571, a real under-18 caseload for NU 572, and complex, co-occurring conditions for NU 573.

We check each preceptor's credential against Sacred Heart's lists, collect the CV, license and board certification along with the name of whoever signs contracts at the site, and line up all three placements so each is ready well ahead of the Clinical Placement Team's deadline. If a preceptor withdraws mid-course, a replacement search starts immediately. Every preceptor and site still goes through Sacred Heart's own approval; we deliver each one to that review complete. Use the form below with your program and start term.

Questions Sacred Heart students ask

Do the under-18 hours have to be at a child psychiatry practice?

No particular setting is named. The catalog sets the minimum at 100 hours with patients under 18 and describes pediatric and adolescent care within a variety of behavioral health settings. Any site your academic advisor and the NP clinical coordinator approve can work, as long as its caseload produces those hours inside the 16-week course.

How do I show I reached 100 under-18 hours in NU 572?

Sacred Heart's public sources describe no separate form for it. Your hours go into E*Value clinical logs, so ask course faculty at the start of NU 572 how hours with patients under 18 should be recorded there. Keeping your own weekly tally as well makes it easy to spot a shortfall while there is still time to fix it.

Can Sacred Heart PMHNP hours be done by telehealth?

Now and then. The catalog places MSN PMHNP clinical hours in person and allows occasional telehealth when the preceptor directs it. Choose a preceptor who sees patients face to face on most of your clinic days, and count any remote sessions as the preceptor's call rather than the core of the placement.

Does the post-master's PMHNP certificate need all 540 hours?

Yes. The certificate's catalog page ties 540 preceptor-supervised practicum hours to NU 571, NU 572 and NU 573, with each course running 16 weeks. The SHU Online page lists 21 credits, including NU 509, completed part time in 15 months in a cohort model.

When should I start looking for PMHNP preceptors?

Well before the Clinical Placement Team's deadline for your first practicum, and earlier still for a site with no existing Sacred Heart contract, since contracting a new site can stretch to nine months. Because NU 572 needs a pediatric-heavy caseload, it pays to search for that site at the same time as the one for NU 571.

HoursClinical hours by programClinical hours for every Sacred Heart University nursing program, with guide, catalog and web figures side by side where they differ, and how hours get logged.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.PMHNPPost-master's PMHNP certificateSacred Heart University's post-master's PMHNP certificate: NU 509, then 540 hours in NU 571, 572 and 573, compliance by week 10 of NU 509, and its conflicts.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.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.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.

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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