Clarkson's education and leadership practicums, NRS 894 and NRS 898

The two courses side by side

Both practicums are three-credit courses that sit late in their options, and both carry the same catalog note: "Requires preceptor and practicum site approval prior to registration." They serve the MSN Nursing Education and Nursing Healthcare Administration options and the matching post-graduate certificates. Where they differ is the setting and the coursework that has to come first.

The program pages carry the rest of each degree: see MSN Nursing Education and MSN Nursing Healthcare Administration.

Who can precept a practicum

The newest archived standard is in Clarkson's 2021-22 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook. It differs from the nurse practitioner rules in two ways: the experience has to be in education or administration, and only one preceptor is allowed per course, where NP courses allow two.

• For NRS 894: at least two years teaching as a nurse educator, whether in a school or a clinical setting.
• Two years of work as a nursing health care administrator for NRS 898.
• An MSN at minimum.
• One preceptor for the whole course.
• No family members, extended family included, which the handbook applies to every clinical and practicum course.

One older rule is worth knowing so it does not confuse you: the 2020-21 handbook asked practicum preceptors to be licensed nurse practitioners with two years as an NP. The 2021-22 edition replaced that with the educator and administrator standard above, which fits the courses. Clarkson also issued a Practicum Preceptor Handbook for AY 2024-25 that is no longer posted publicly, so ask your Graduate Nursing advisor for the current edition.

Approval steps and dates

The route below comes from Clarkson's DocuSign process document (last archived 2024) and the 2021-22 handbook. Whether DocuSign is still the tool in 2026 is something your advisor can confirm.

1. Identify the preceptor and siteThe DocuSign process cannot begin without the preceptor's information, so the search comes first.
2. File the practicum version of the formThe Clinical/Practicum Site & Preceptor Agreement Form has a Nurse Education version for NRS 894 and a Health Care Administration version for NRS 898.
3. Advisor and Compliance reviewThe Graduate Nursing advisor confirms the right course and term, and Compliance confirms an existing affiliation agreement or opens a new one.
4. Preceptor and final sign-offThe preceptor completes the license and credential fields, and Graduate Nursing gives final approval.
5. Faculty approval, then hoursCourse faculty approve before any practicum hour, and any hour done ahead of final approval falls outside the 150.

The handbook's paperwork dates (spring Nov. 1, summer Mar. 1, fall Jun. 1) come before registration, which waits on the submitted form, and an incomplete form at the end of the first week can mean withdrawing from the course. The deadlines guide keeps these in one calendar.

How our desk lines up practicum preceptors

Practicum preceptors are a narrower pool than NP preceptors: one person has to carry all 150 hours, and they must hold an MSN plus two years in the exact role. Our placement desk searches for that person near you, confirms the role, degree and experience before you ask, keeps the site outside your own department, and gathers the legal name, contact and credential details the practicum form needs.

Starting a term ahead leaves room for a new affiliation agreement if the site needs one. Education students get candidates from schools of nursing and hospital education departments; leadership students get nurse directors and administrators inside health systems. Should a preceptor step away partway through the term, your placement advisor restarts the search right away and lines up a replacement who meets the same tests. Send your practicum course and term through the form below.