Psychiatric preceptors for NKU's online PMHNP track

The PMHNP program page lists 47 credits over 19 courses, finishable in as few as 22 months: eight core courses, five concentration courses, a capstone worth 3 credits and five clinicals worth 1 credit each "with a total of 750 clinical hours". The clinicals are MSN 664L, 665L, 667L, 668L and 669L. No NKU source shows a 666L, so plan for five rotations.

Older pages tell a smaller story. The 2023-24 catalog had four clinicals and 46 credits, NP pages from 2023 and early 2024 said 500 hours, and the NP answer in NKU's online FAQ, never revised, still reads 500 to 600. Follow the current 750 unless your PMHNP Canvas shell says otherwise. The PMHNP clinicals page covers each course.

First come four core courses numbered MSN 609 to MSN 612, covering pathophysiology (listed as BIO 669 in older catalogs), advanced assessment, pharmacology and the APRN role. A low APEA predictor result in pharmacology sends you through MSN 680 before the psychiatric courses.

Then the psychiatric block: MSN 671 and 672 Psychopathopharmacology I and II, MSN 673 assessment and diagnosis, MSN 674 psychotherapy and MSN 675 management of psych-mental health disorders, with MSN 676 as the capstone. MSN 664L needs 671 through 674 behind you. On the Fall 2024+ template, MSN 675 and 664L share a session, and the standard path covers 17 sessions from start to finish.

Admission today asks for 1,000 hours of RN practice with no psychiatric background required. The 2023-24 catalog once asked PMHNP applicants for 2,000 hours of RN experience in a psychiatric setting, so older advice may overstate the bar.

NKU keeps this list short: a PMHNP or a psychiatrist, graduate-prepared and at least a year into practice. Eligible settings span psych and mental health facilities, outpatient and treatment programs, and hospital inpatient units.

Also true for every PMHNP preceptor

• Twelve months in their current position at their current degree level
• A clear, active license and a practice in a state NKU accepts
• On staff at your clinical site, with capacity under NKU's student cap
• Outside your personal circle and your chain of command, and not a student in another specialty themselves

A psychologist, LICSW or LPCC can supervise psychotherapy or counseling experiences, but only up to 80 hours across the whole program. Everything beyond that needs a PMHNP or psychiatrist. The setting rules page lists every cap NKU publishes.

If you already work in behavioral health, your employer can host clinicals as long as you train away from your usual unit, someone other than your manager precepts, and the time is unpaid. Employer sites walks through each condition.

Every PMHNP clinical is described as care for patients across the lifespan. NKU's FAQ recommends about 170 hours with pediatric patients, 165 with adults and 165 with geriatric clients. It calls those figures recommendations rather than rules, but says hours in all three areas are needed for ANCC certification.

Together they make 500, which matches the older program total, so treat the split as proportions to aim for inside 750 rather than fixed quotas. With one clinical per session, balance comes from choosing each preceptor on purpose: a child and adolescent service for one rotation, an adult outpatient or inpatient setting for another, older adults somewhere along the way. Sequence it so each group has real time before MSN 669L.

The PMHNP accepts applicants only from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, a rule in force since Spring 2023 that picked up Florida, Virginia and West Virginia by early 2026. Preceptors must practice in a state NKU approves as well. See NP admission states.

Each clinical is a separate self-placement request in Medatrax, due at least 30 days before the session, with 90 days highly recommended. The request carries your preceptor's resume, license and signed responsibilities form, plus a site contact if NKU needs a new affiliation agreement. Approval comes by Medatrax email once the coordinator review, Contracts & Compliance and the remaining portion all clear. The request walkthrough shows each stage.

We plan for the lifespan from day one. A placement advisor maps PMHNP and psychiatrist preceptors near you across outpatient, inpatient and treatment settings, spreads pediatric, adult and geriatric patients over your five clinicals, and places any therapy experience inside the 80-hour cap.

Each preceptor is checked against NKU's credential, year-in-role, license, state, site and relationship rules before you reach out. We gather the paperwork and the site contact, so the Medatrax request lands early with nothing missing. NKU approves every placement; the file we build is ready for Contracts & Compliance on its first read. When a practice's schedule shifts mid-program, we find the replacement. Read how it works or start with the form below.