NKU clinical systems

How an NKU clinical rotation comes together

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the NKU Preceptors placement team

Before each 7-week clinical, NKU needs four things settled: a preceptor who meets its rules, a self-placement request in Medatrax, the preceptor's paperwork, and an affiliation agreement if the site has none. These guides cover each piece in NKU's own terms, with what NKU publishes and what sits in your Canvas clinical shell.

Find my preceptor Chat now

Get your placement plan

Tell us your NKU track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for you.

How an NKU clinical rotation comes together. Before each 7-week clinical, NKU needs four things settled: a preceptor who meets its rules, a self-placement request in Medatrax, the preceptor's paperwork, an — Every NKU nursing clinical system in one place: the self-placement request, Medatrax, preceptor rules, affiliation agreements, compliance, hours and courses.

Start here

The placement process guide puts every step in sequence, so read it before anything else. After that, the self-placement request and deadlines guides matter most, since timing is what most often pushes a rotation back a session.

Session starting soon? Jump to need a preceptor fast. Living somewhere other than Kentucky or Ohio? Check NP admission states before you plan anything else.

Sources behind the guides

Each guide cites NKU's own pages: the online program pages, NKU's preceptor website, the admission and state authorization pages, and archived NKU catalogs where the current catalog sits behind a verification screen. Where NKU's pages disagree, the guide says so and points you to your MSN Clinical Information Canvas or studentclinicalinfo@nku.edu.

Placement and approval

NKU clinical placement processHow an NKU online nursing clinical gets placed: Canvas shells, a preceptor who fits NKU's rules, the Medatrax request, three-part review and approval email.Self-placement requestWhat goes into an NKU self-placement request in Medatrax, the three review portions, the old InPlace wording in NKU's FAQ, and the approval email.NKU placement assistanceWhat NKU's MSN Student Placement Team and Clinical Operations and Outreach offer students who need help finding a preceptor, and how to ask for it.NKU preceptor requirementsNKU's preceptor rules: a year in role, an active license in an NKU-approved state, a job at the site, and who can precept FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP, NED and NEL.Preceptor paperworkThe preceptor documents NKU asks for: CV or resume, license, the Preceptor Responsibilities form, the Preceptor Agreement and the Medatrax Preceptor Profile.Affiliation agreementsHow affiliation agreements work for NKU clinicals: the site contact you provide, NKU's negotiation with the site, and why a new agreement can delay a term.Contracts & ComplianceWhat NKU's Contracts & Compliance team reviews in a Medatrax self-placement request, where PreCheck and Sentry fit, and how final placement approval works.Placement deadlinesNKU needs preceptor details 30 days before a clinical and highly recommends 90. See both dates for each upcoming 7-week session and how to plan back.Clinical setting rulesNKU limits FNP specialty hours to 125, AGACNP ER and urgent care to half, PMHNP therapy hours to 80. See each track's setting rules before you pick a site.Clinicals at your employerNKU allows clinicals where you work if the hours are off your own unit, away from your supervisor and unpaid. How to set up an employer rotation that clears.Asking a preceptorNKU pays preceptors a professional development provision, sends ANCC and AANPCP hours letters and names a Preceptor of the Year. Put them in your ask.State authorizationNKU's state tables for the MSN and certificates, post-master's DNP and RN-to-BSN, with the SC, VA, GA, NC and Missouri conflicts explained plainly.NP admission statesNKU's NP programs take applications from 11 states only. See the list, the three states added in late 2025, and what it means for licensing and moves.

Systems and logs

MedatraxHow NKU uses Medatrax for self-placement requests, preceptor profiles, weekly time-log checks and evaluations, and why one NKU FAQ still names InPlace.Canvas shells and myNKUWhich NKU Canvas shell holds what: concentration shells, the MSN Clinical Information Canvas, the DNP Info Site, and where myNKU lists your instructor.Clinical hour logsHow NKU clinical hours go into a Medatrax time log, get verified weekly by your preceptor and lock once verified, and how to certify hours after graduation.Preceptor evaluationsHow NKU preceptors evaluate students in Medatrax at term end, the video meeting with faculty, and the Clinical Instructor who oversees each L course.7-week clinical sessionsNKU's online nursing courses run in 7-week sessions, six starts a year, one clinical at a time. See session names, 2026-27 dates and how L courses line up.

Clearance and compliance

Clinical compliance overviewWhat NKU checks before an online MSN clinical starts: RN license, PreCheck, Sentry items listed in Canvas, liability insurance and Medatrax approval.PreCheck background checkHow NKU's PreCheck StudentCheck works: the state and federal background check that the online MSN and NP certificates require, and where it shows up later.Sentry compliance trackingHow NKU uses Sentry (SentryMD) with PreCheck to track clinical compliance, why the item list lives in your Canvas shell, and who answers questions.Student liability insuranceHow NKU bills student liability insurance as a class fee on each MSN and DNP clinical course, which courses carry it, and what NKU leaves unpublished.RN license and the compactWhat NKU asks of your RN license for online MSN, certificate and DNP clinicals, compact status in the 11 NP states, and where preceptors must be located.

Courses and hours

Clinical hours by trackNKU clinical hours in one table: 750 for each NP track, 200 for Nursing Education, 100 for Nurse Executive, 1,000 for the DNP, and the older 500/600 figures.Prerequisites before clinicalsThe courses NKU requires before your first NP clinical: MSN 609, 610, 611 and 612, the BIO 669 catalog note, MSN 680 remediation and the specialty courses.FNP clinicals: MSN 650L to 655LNKU's six FNP clinical courses, MSN 650L to 655L: 750 hours in primary care, what comes before each, where they sit in the sequence and who can precept.AGACNP clinicals: MSN 659L to 663LNKU's five AGACNP clinicals, MSN 659L to 663L: 750 acute care hours, 150 per course in the 2024-25 catalog, the ER and urgent care cap, and who can precept.PMHNP clinicals: MSN 664L to 669LNKU's five PMHNP clinicals (MSN 664L, 665L, 667L, 668L, 669L): 750 hours across the lifespan, the 80-hour counseling cap, age advice and who can precept.Nursing Education: MSN 614L and 670NKU's Nursing Education clinicals: 50 direct-care hours in MSN 614L and a 150-hour MSN 670 capstone, who can precept each, and where they fall in the plan.Nurse Executive capstone: MSN 631LNKU's MSN 631L Nurse Executive Leadership capstone: 100 hours with an MSN-prepared nurse leader, what counts, what comes first and where it can happen.DNP practicum: DNP 881 to 884NKU's post-master's DNP practicum: DNP 881 to 884, DNP 897 if needed, and how verifiable MSN clinical hours count toward 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours.

FAQ

Questions NKU nursing students ask

Which NKU guide comes first?

The placement process guide. It orders every step, from joining your concentration Canvas shell to the approval email Medatrax sends, and points to a dedicated guide for each one.

Why do some guides mention InPlace?

NKU's online FAQ still names InPlace as the clinical system, while every current NKU clinical page and NKU's 2026 job posting name Medatrax. The guides treat Medatrax as current and flag the older wording where it matters.

Where are NKU's clinical deadlines posted?

In Canvas. NKU publishes the rule (preceptor information at least 30 days before a clinical, 90 days recommended), and posts each term's actual deadlines in the MSN Clinical Information Canvas.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against NKU's own published sources. NKU's School of Nursing and your Canvas clinical shells have the final word.

Placement desk

Your NKU preceptor, found and filed early.

Tell us your NKU track, where you live and which 7-week session your clinical starts. We find a preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for your track and have your self-placement request ready well inside the 90-day window.

Built for FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP, Nursing Education, Leadership and DNP students
Preceptor CV, license and responsibilities form gathered for Medatrax
Near home, in a state NKU approves

Start your placement plan

A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site that fit NKU's rules for you.