MRU's BSN clinicals: courses, hours and externship rules
MRU's pre-licensure BSN spreads 675 clinical hours across 11 onsite courses over three years. Clinicals happen at contracted externship agencies on schedules the agencies set, so BSN students do not hunt for preceptors. What matters is knowing which course is which after the 2026 renumbering, staying cleared, and handling schedule changes well.
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BSN facts
The pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing is 120 semester credits over 36 months and nine semesters, taught face-to-face at the Miami Springs campus. MRU's 2026 curriculum splits its 2,340 hours into 1,485 lecture, 180 lab and 675 clinical. It prepares graduates for an entry-level registered nurse role through the NCLEX-RN.
Two admission rules affect when clinicals begin. You must pass the Nursing Core Qualifying Exam (NCQE), and you need a 2.5 GPA across your general-education courses before nursing courses open. The first clinical course, NUR3022, has its own prerequisites on top of that.
The 11 clinical courses
Every code below is the 2026 number. The old catalog code is alongside because transcripts, older syllabi and some advisors still use it; MRU publishes no official map, so the matching is by title.
| 2026 code | Old code | Course | Credits | Clinical hours | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NUR3022 | NUR3210 | Foundations of Interprofessional Care Across the Lifespan | 8 | 90 (+60 lab) | Basic care across the lifespan |
NUR3212 | NUR3310A | Interprofessional Care of Client and Family Across the Lifespan I | 6 | 90 | Adult and geriatric: respiratory, cardiovascular, immune, integumentary |
NUR4213 | NUR3410A | Interprofessional Care ... Across the Lifespan II | 6 | 90 | Endocrine, GI, musculoskeletal, neuro, renal, reproductive |
NUR4268 | NUR3400 | Care of the Aging Population | 4 | 45 | Older adults, directly supervised |
NUR4515 | NUR3320A | Interprofessional Care of the Mental Health Client | 4 | 45 | Psychiatric and mental health |
NUR4250 | NUR4500A | Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill and Injured Client | 4 | 45 | Perioperative and critical care |
NUR4310 | NUR3420B | Care of Children and Adolescents | 3 | 45 | Infancy through adolescence |
NUR4420 | NUR3420A | Care of Women and Newborn | 3 | 45 | Perinatal |
NUR4678 | NUR4300 | Vulnerable and Underserved Populations | 4 | 45 | Community, directly supervised |
NUR4688 | NUR4200 | Community and Public Health Nursing | 4 | 45 | Community, directly supervised |
NUR4830 | NUR4420 | Leadership and Quality Improvement in Healthcare | 4 | 90 | Leadership and quality improvement |
The last row is not a typo. See the next section.
The NUR4420 trap
In the 2025 catalog, NUR4420 was Leadership and Quality Improvement. In the 2026 curriculum, NUR4420 is Care of Women and Newborn, and leadership moved to NUR4830. One code, two different courses, depending on which document you read.
This matters most when you compare a transcript, an old syllabus or a prerequisite list against your current registration. If a document says NUR4420 and you cannot tell which course it means, check the date on the document and ask the Registrar. The 2026 course codes page lists every renumbered course.
Before you register for or drop anything labeled NUR4420, confirm whether the document means the 2026 perinatal course or the pre-2026 leadership course.
How BSN externships are arranged
No own-preceptor rule appears anywhere for the BSN. The catalog places clinicals at a "contracted externship agency", and the Office of the Registrar coordinates the scheduling of those sections with program representatives. MRU does not publish a sentence saying in so many words that it places BSN students, so if you are unsure how your cohort is assigned, your program chair can confirm it.
Agencies, not the University, set the dates and times. Shifts may be days, evenings, overnights, weekends or holidays, and may not match the shift you enrolled in. If an agency adds, removes or changes a site, MRU can adjust your schedule without notice, and the final published schedule is the one you follow.
MRU caps direct clinical supervision in its pre-licensure programs at 12 students per faculty member. Three BSN courses, NUR4268, NUR4678 and NUR4688, are described specifically as directly supervised.
Clearance and conduct
MRU names American Data Bank as the clearance vendor for its pre-licensure programs, covering the background check, drug screening and clinical documents; confirm with your program which account your cohort uses. Drug screening is zero-tolerance and can be repeated or random, as the drug screening page explains. Immunization proof must come from a Florida-licensed provider, the flu shot is due every year, and liability insurance proof is due at least 15 days before the externship.
On site, English is the only language during externship hours unless the agency approves otherwise in writing. Phones stay off the floor, tobacco and e-cigarettes are out, and HIPAA breaches can cost you the course and your place in the program. The clinical site rules page has the full list.
When a rotation goes wrong
- A shift changesCheck your MRU email at least once a day and reply to official messages within 24 hours, since email is how MRU communicates officially. Tell your clinical instructor promptly if the new time is a problem.
- You miss hoursMissing externship hours or outcomes means an F for the course. Make-up sessions, where allowed, carry a fee.
- Something outside your control stops you mid-courseMRU offers no leave of absence. An Incomplete requires at least 80% of the course done plus faculty and Dean approval, and 14 consecutive days of unexcused absence from all courses triggers withdrawal. See the no leave of absence page.
- Your record or health changesReport it in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs within 24 hours, before you return to an affiliate site.
Accreditation and your next step
ACEN accredits MRU's baccalaureate nursing program, though sources differ on the wording. The 2025 catalog says "continuing accreditation with conditions", MRU's 2026 accreditation page says "continuing accreditation", and ACEN's record lists the baccalaureate as accredited with no stipulation after an August 2025 action. MRU also lists Florida Board of Nursing approval for its pre-licensure programs, and the accreditation page has more.
MRU and its agencies handle BSN scheduling, so your clinical sites are arranged for you. If you plan to go on to an MRU nurse practitioner program later, that is where a preceptor search begins, and we are glad to talk it through when the time comes.
Questions MRU students ask
Does MRU place BSN students in clinicals?
In practice, clinicals run at contracted externship agencies, with the Office of the Registrar coordinating scheduling alongside program representatives, and no own-preceptor rule exists for the BSN. MRU does not publish a single sentence saying it places BSN students, so if something about your assignment is unclear, ask your program chair.
Can I ask for day shifts only in BSN clinicals?
You can ask, but MRU's catalog says externship times are set by the agencies rather than the University and may be nights, weekends or holidays, even if they differ from your enrolled shift. You are expected to accept the final published schedule, so plan childcare and work around that possibility.
Can I speak Spanish with patients during BSN clinicals?
Only if the agency authorizes it in writing. MRU's rule is English only during externship hours unless the agency says otherwise. If you think another language would help a patient, ask your clinical instructor whether the agency has given written authorization before you use it.
What GPA do I need before starting BSN nursing courses at MRU?
A 2.5 GPA across your general-education courses, according to the 2026 curriculum. You also need to have passed the NCQE for admission. Until both are met, and until you finish the listed prerequisites, you cannot start NUR3022, the first course with clinical hours, so a low general-education GPA delays your whole clinical sequence.
Is Care of the Aging Population the same in the BSN and the RN-to-BSN?
Same title, different course. In the pre-licensure BSN it is NUR4268, directly supervised and taken before you are licensed. In the RN-to-BSN it is NUR4269, completed under indirect supervision in a preceptorship model and requiring an RN license. Both carry 45 clinical hours.
Related pages
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.
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