Behind on clinical hours? Close the gap before the term ends

Updated September 27, 2026, reviewed by the NAU Preceptor placement team

Falling behind in NUR 661, NUR 663 or NUR 665 is recoverable when you catch it with weeks to spare. Work out whether you are short on total hours, on a patient category such as pediatrics or women's health, or on required exam counts, then add approved clinical days or a second approved preceptor, and bring course faculty in before the final month.

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180clinical hours in NUR 661, the summer practicum

300clinical hours in each of NUR 663 and NUR 665

Work out what kind of behind you are

Being behind at NAU can mean three different things, each with its own fix. The first is total hours: 180 for NUR 661, then 300 apiece for NUR 663 and NUR 665, which adds up to 780 in both FNP programs. The second is the patient mix. In NAU's 2022-23 guidelines, the suggested program-wide split puts about 100 hours in pediatrics, about 450 with adults, about 100 in women's health and 75 to 150 in specialty care.

The third is visit counts, the minimum numbers NAU sets for certain encounters, for example five each of pelvic and prostate exams. A log can look healthy on hours and still come up short on children or pelvic exams when the site sees mostly adults. Export your log from the tracking system your course uses and sort it by category before deciding what to do. The FNP hour mix has the full list.

PMHNP students face a different picture: NAU publishes no hour total for NUR 680, so confirm your target with your program coordinator before measuring a shortfall.

The catch-up math

Take the hours still owed, spread them across the remaining weeks, then across the weekdays you can realistically give. The grid shows the weekly load for a few common gaps. Leave out any week the university is on break, such as spring break on March 15 to 19, 2027, unless the FNP Program Coordinator has approved clinical time then.

Weekly clinical hours needed to close a gap
Hours still owed	8 weeks left	6 weeks left	4 weeks left
60	7.5	10	15
120	15	20	30
180	22.5	30	45

When the weekly figure climbs past what your job and family allow, that is the signal to talk with faculty rather than push harder alone. For timing, fall 2026 finals begin Dec. 7 and the term closes Dec. 11, 2026. Pacing your clinical hours shows how a full term lays out when you start on time.

Ways to add hours NAU can approve

Options to raise with course faculty

More weekdays with your current preceptor, where their schedule and the site allow it
Longer clinical days on the days you already attend
A second preceptor for the category you are missing, such as a pediatric or women's health office, submitted on its own Green Form and approved before you begin there
Weekend, holiday or break days, only with the FNP Program Coordinator's approval given in advance

Every option runs through NAU's approvals: the FNP Program Coordinator approves each preceptor, and each site needs an affiliation agreement with NAU. A second preceptor at a site new to NAU means a new agreement, which can take longer than the weeks you have, so favor sites where an agreement is likely already in place and ask the Clinical Placement Coordinator to confirm.

Closing a pediatric or women's health gap

Category gaps are easy to miss, because an adult-heavy office can fill your hour count without touching the pediatric and women's health lines. Check your category totals every few weeks so a gap surfaces while there is still term left to fix it.

The usual fix is a focused second site: a pediatric practice, a family clinic with a busy well-child schedule, or a women's health or prenatal office. A few weeks there can cover what months at the main site would not. That preceptor must satisfy the same state standard NAU uses, comparable population focus included, so ask the FNP Program Coordinator whether a pediatric or women's health specialist fits your program before you commit.

Plan the next practicum with the gap in mind. If NUR 661 ran light on children, build pediatric volume into the NUR 663 or NUR 665 site from the start, and confirm with faculty how the program-wide mix is counted.

Bring course faculty in early

Course faculty oversee your clinical experience and act as NAU's liaison with the site, so they are the right first call once you see a gap. Go to them with numbers: hours logged, hours owed by category, weeks left and the fix you propose. Keep a note of what you agree, and update faculty each week until the gap is closed.

The stakes are real: under the AY 21-22 graduate handbook, a score under 84 percent in an MS-FNP or certificate course is a C or worse, and such a course has to be taken again. Whether an incomplete is possible depends on Graduate College policy, which faculty can walk you through. A practicum left unfinished can also hold up the next, since each FNP practicum requires the one before. NAU progression rules and delayed graduation cover the rest.

How we help you catch up

When hours run short, the most useful help is usually a second qualified preceptor for the missing category, close enough to fit around your main site. Your placement advisor searches for pediatric, women's health or family practices near you, vets each clinician on license, experience, focus and certification, and prepares the Green Form packet with the CV, license, certification and site approval.

We also look ahead: if this practicum ran light on a population, we build that volume into your next site so the program-wide mix comes out right, across whichever of NUR 661, NUR 663 and NUR 665 are still ahead of you. If the real problem is a preceptor who has left, see preceptor dropped out. Send us a summary of your hour log to begin.

Questions NAU students ask

Are weekend clinical days allowed for catching up?

Not without a sign-off first. Under the 2022-23 FNP guidelines, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and break weeks are closed to clinical time unless the FNP Program Coordinator agrees beforehand. If your preceptor works weekends, ask early and show the hours you need; logging weekend time and asking for approval afterward gets the order wrong.

How many hours a week does a 300-hour practicum take?

Spread over a full 16-week fall or spring term, 300 hours comes to just under 19 a week, assuming clinical time starts in week one. Each week that slips at the start raises the weekly load, which is why the document and Green Form deadlines matter so much. NAU sets no published weekly pace, so agree yours with your preceptor and faculty.

Does the PMHNP track have a required hour mix?

NAU publishes neither a PMHNP hour total nor a population split, so there is no NAU mix to measure yourself against. Your program coordinator sets the target for NUR 680; ask for it in writing early in the term, and log your hours by whatever categories the coordinator names.

Should I switch preceptors if my site is too slow?

Adding usually beats switching. A second approved preceptor for extra days or a missing category keeps the hours you are already earning, while a switch restarts approval and may need a new agreement. Either way the FNP Program Coordinator approves the preceptor, so talk to course faculty first and submit a Green Form for any new clinician.

HoursPacing clinical hoursHow to spread 180 or 300 NAU practicum hours across a term: weekday math, break and weekend rules, late starts and how a preceptor's schedule sets your pace.FNPFNP hour mix and visit countsHow Northern Arizona University's FNP guidelines split 780 clinical hours: 100 pediatric, 450 adult, 100 women's health, 75-150 specialty, and visit minimums.HoursClinical hours by programClinical hours in each Northern Arizona University NP program: 780 for FNP, units for the PMHNP practicum, 1,000 for the DNP, and what makes an hour count.Mid-termPreceptor dropped outYour preceptor left partway through an NAU practicum. Who to tell, why patient care pauses, how a replacement gets approved, and how to protect your hours.ProgressionProgression rulesWhat keeps you on track in NAU's graduate nursing programs: the 84% passing line, repeating a C, dismissal triggers, time limits and gaps in enrollment.GraduationDelayed graduationHow one missed NAU practicum can push graduation back a year: the practicum sequence, conferral dates, time limits, and how to plan your way back on track.

Last checked 2026-09-27

We check these pages against Northern Arizona University's own catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your program coordinator and course faculty have the final word.

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