How placement help works for MRU nursing students

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the MRU Preceptor placement team

Send us three things: your MRU program, the clinical course coming up and your home area. We look for a preceptor and site matched to that course, help you collect what MRU checks, and search again if a preceptor falls through. MRU approves every preceptor and grades every course, and our job is to have everything MRU reviews complete, correct and in line with its rules on the first submission.

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Start with your next clinical course

Program, city and semester. A placement advisor replies with what a preceptor who fits that course looks like near you.

Numbered steps. Step by step, from first message to first shift: 1 Tell us the course, not just the program.; 2 We search in person, near you.; 3 We check fit before introducing anyone.; 4 You build the approval packet.; 5 You submit it to MRU.. — Step by step, from first message to first shift: 1 Tell us the course, not just the program.; 2 We search in person, near you.; 3 We check fit before introducing anyone.; 4 You build the approval packet.; 5 You submit it to MRU..

Who does what

MRU's catalog puts the search on you. For the nurse practitioner certificates, the MSN-FNP and the MSN in Healthcare Systems Leadership it says: "Students are required to secure their own preceptor." We work on that search with you. Everything that makes a preceptorship official stays inside MRU.

Your MRU clinical course: who handles each part
Part of the process	Who handles it
Searching for a preceptor and site that fit the course, near where you live	You and the placement desk
Collecting the preceptor's credentials, license and site details	You, with our help
Verifying the preceptor's credentials	MRU; several programs' fee tables list a Practicum Credentialing Fee for this check
Approving the preceptor before any hours	MRU: the Office of Academic Affairs for most NP tracks; a Program Coordinator, graduate clinical coordinator or program faculty in some programs
Clinical clearance: American Data Bank, Level II background check, drug screen, immunizations	You, through MRU's vendors and MRU Health
Proof of liability insurance, at least 15 days before the externship	You
Hours, logs, case lists, the three-signature evaluation and the grade	You, your preceptor, your clinical instructor and MRU

Where a row belongs to MRU, we get you ready for it, with every piece MRU reviews complete and matched to your course, which keeps that step moving. The approval page lists the approver program by program.

Step by step, from first message to first shift

Tell us the course, not just the program. Give us the course code, the semester and the area you live in. The course decides the preceptor: MSN5700 is adult and older-adult primary care, MSN6150 runs from infancy to adolescence, and the PMHNP certificate needs 115 child and adolescent hours inside its 765.
We search in person, near you. A placement advisor contacts practices and clinics within a drive you can manage, asking about the patient population, the schedule and whether the preceptor can carry the course's hours to its last day.
We check fit before introducing anyone. For a Florida site that includes a Florida license, which the Board of Nursing's qualified-preceptor rule requires. For every site it includes a specialty that matches the course.
You build the approval packet. We help you gather the preceptor's credentials, license details and site information. MRU keeps its exact document list in the nursing student handbook on the portal, so we follow what your handbook asks for.
You submit it to MRU. The approver for your program reviews it and MRU runs its credential check. MRU does not publish how long approval takes, which is one more reason to start early.
Clearance and insurance run alongside. American Data Bank, the Level II check with fingerprints, immunizations and liability insurance do not wait for a preceptor, so start them now.
We stay on call. If the preceptor withdraws partway through, we search again for the same course.

What we need from you at the start

A complete first message saves a week of back-and-forth.

Your MRU program and the clinical course you need a preceptor for, with its semester
Your home area and how far you can realistically drive on a clinical day
The days and shifts you can give; MRU warns that externship hours may fall on nights, weekends or holidays
Any practice or preceptor you have already asked, so nobody gets a second call
Where you work, since some South Florida systems do not let employees rotate where they are on staff
Anything your handbook or syllabus says about preceptor qualifications

Not sure which course comes next? Your degree plan shows the order, and the clinical hours hub lays the courses out by program.

How MRU's rules shape the search

Several MRU rules narrow who can precept you, and we build them into the search from the first call.

Approval comes first. MRU requires every practicum hour to be done with a University-approved preceptor, so a preceptor who wants you to start next Monday has to wait for MRU. We tell practices that up front.

One setting for the capstone. MSN6400 is done in one clinical setting across the lifespan, with at least 180 clinical hours in its description, so it needs a preceptor who can host the whole course.

Program needs. The AGACNP certificate's 810 hours are acute care across three courses. The MSN in Healthcare Systems Leadership asks for a nurse preceptor with a master's degree or higher, working in administration and management, for MSN5855.

Where you live. If you train outside Florida, the state where the site sits governs your preceptor's license; see clinicals outside Florida.

What you can count on from us

Every part of our work is built around MRU's process, and these commitments come with every search.

Every preceptor and site checked against your course before you meet them. MRU makes the final approval decision; our part is making sure the candidate it reviews arrives complete and fits its rules.
Plain progress reports. At each stage you hear where the search stands and how your start date looks, so you can plan with MRU and your clinical instructor.
A preceptor with room for the whole course. Hours, evaluations and case lists belong to you and the people who sign them, and we look for a preceptor with the time to carry them to the last day.
You stay the student of record. Everything goes to MRU from you, under your own name, with the details we helped you assemble already in order.
A fair view of every route. If you would rather MRU appoint a preceptor for its Practicum Affiliation Fee, that is a reasonable choice, and this comparison sets the routes side by side.

Your clearance accounts, fingerprint appointment and insurance policy also stay in your name.

When something changes mid-course

Preceptors change jobs, go on leave or find their clinic too busy. If yours steps away, tell your clinical instructor first, then tell us. A placement advisor restarts the search for the same course while you sort out the paperwork with MRU.

The replacement still needs MRU's approval before you log another hour, and the course's hours, logs and three-signature evaluation are still due by its last day. The dropped-preceptor guide covers the Incomplete and withdrawal rules if time runs short. If the new preceptor works at a different site, that site's details go to MRU with the approval request.

To begin, use the form on this page or the contact page. Program, city and semester are enough for a first reply.

Questions MRU students ask

Can you get MRU to approve my preceptor faster?

MRU runs its own review and credential check at its own pace, and it does not publish how long either takes. What moves things along on your side is a complete packet the first time: we help you send the preceptor's credentials, license and site details in order, so the review has everything it needs from the start.

Do you find preceptors for online MRU students outside Florida?

Yes, if you live in a state MRU accepts. The MSN-FNP, the NP certificates, the RN-to-BSN and Healthcare Systems Leadership only admit students who live in Florida or a SARA member state, and you must stay in one for the length of the program. We search near your home, and your preceptor must meet the license rules of the state where the site is.

Can one preceptor cover all four FNP clinical courses?

Sometimes a family practice sees enough adults, women and children to cover more than one course, but it depends on the practice. Women's health in MSN6050 and pediatrics in MSN6150 may need a different setting from adult primary care, and MSN6400 needs one setting across the lifespan. We plan course by course.

How far ahead should I contact you?

A semester ahead is comfortable. MRU sets no public date for naming a preceptor and gives no public approval timeline, but proof of insurance is due 15 days before the externship and registration opens shortly before each term. For Spring 2027, which starts January 4, a search that begins this fall leaves room for approval and clearance.

Do you help DNP or Healthcare Systems Leadership students?

Yes, where a preceptor or site is needed. The Healthcare Systems Leadership practicum in MSN5855 needs a master's-prepared nurse leader in administration and management. DNP students get a project mentor assigned by the program director, and the 2025 catalog says program faculty approve practicum preceptors and sites, so check what your program still expects you to arrange.

ProcessThe MRU clinical placement processHow an MRU nurse practitioner clinical course goes from no preceptor to a signed final evaluation, pieced together from the catalog, with the gaps marked.QuoteCostWhat shapes a placement quote for MRU nursing students (course, specialty, location, timing, hours) and how it compares with the routes MRU itself offers you.DecisionMRU-assigned or your ownLet MRU appoint a preceptor for its Practicum Affiliation Fee, find your own, or get help finding your own: an honest look at each route for MRU NP students.ApprovalWho approves your preceptorWhich MRU office or role approves your preceptor in each nursing program, why approval has to come before any clinical hours, and what MRU leaves unpublished.South FloridaSouth Florida preceptorsFinding an NP preceptor in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach as an MRU student: what health systems publish, where private practices fit, and the license rule.Mid-coursePreceptor dropped outPreceptor quit partway through your MRU clinical course? Protect the hours you have, find a replacement MRU can approve, and know the Incomplete and W rules.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against MRU's own catalog, addenda and program pages. The nursing student handbook on the MRU student portal and MRU's Office of Academic Affairs have the final word.

MRU says secure your own preceptor. We start the search now.

Tell us your MRU program, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We look for preceptors who fit the course and help you gather what MRU checks before approving them.

Preceptors matched to the course: adult primary care for MSN5700, women's health, pediatrics, psychiatric or acute care
Credentials, license and site details collected before MRU's credential check
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, or wherever in a SARA state you live

Start your placement plan

Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.