Rivier University's AG-ACNP practicums, seminars and skills labs
Rivier University's Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP track runs three practicums, NURS 638P, NURS 639P and NURS 640P, each paired with a 1-credit seminar and each carrying 250 hours, 750 in all. They follow a year of acute care theory and two skills labs, then run fall, spring and fall again: a hospitalist semester first, two critical care semesters after it.
Line up your acute care preceptors
Tell us which practicum starts next and your nearest hospitals.
The acute care sequence at a glance
The 2025-26 catalog splits each AG-ACNP practicum into a 4-credit practicum course, the P number, and a 1-credit seminar taken with it, the S number. Two 1-credit skills labs come first, each paired with an acute care theory course.
| Course | Credits | Term | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
NURS 635 Acute Care Skills Lab I | 1 | Fall | Skills lab taken with NURS 630 |
NURS 636 NSG Acute Care Skills Lab II | 1 | Spring | Skills lab taken with NURS 631 |
NURS 638P Acute Care Practicum I with NURS 638S Acute Care Seminar I | 4 + 1 | Fall | 250 directly supervised hours; needs NURS 631 and NURS 636 |
NURS 639P Acute Care Practicum II with NURS 639S NSG Acute Care Seminar II | 4 + 1 | Spring | 250 hours in critical care |
NURS 640P Acute Care Practicum III with NURS 640S Acute Care Seminar III | 4 + 1 | Fall | 250 hours in critical care, completing 750 |
Fifteen practicum and seminar credits plus two lab credits make up the clinical core. Because the catalog ties each practicum to a single term, a missed fall start can cost a full year rather than one semester; confirm your sequence with the Program Director before you register.
Before NURS 638P: the theory and skills-lab year
Your first practicum comes in a fall semester after a year of acute care theory, NURS 630 and NURS 631, and the two skills labs beside them. NURS 635 meets in fall with NURS 630; NURS 636 meets in spring with NURS 631. NURS 638P needs NURS 631 and NURS 636 finished, so the lab year feeds straight into the hospitalist semester.
The MSN track includes ten days on campus and the post-master's certificate eight. Rivier's 2026-27 calendar dates only the FNP intensives, so ask the Program Director when your AG-ACNP days fall; the campus intensives guide collects what Rivier publishes.
That spring skills-lab semester is also the moment to start the preceptor search for NURS 638P. Rivier suggests securing a placement four months before the semester, which for a fall practicum means early May, well before the absolute August 1 cutoff.
NURS 638P: the hospitalist semester
Practicum I sits in acute care with a hospitalist: an MD or a certified AG-ACNP working on a hospital medicine service. The catalog calls its 250 hours directly supervised, so every hour is worked alongside your preceptor rather than logged on your own.
If a hospitalist placement is not available, Rivier's Handbook lets an ICU or emergency department stand in for the hospitalist setting. That gives you a second route when hospital medicine services near you are full, and it is worth naming in your plan from the start rather than as a last-minute fallback.
The full credential rules, including the list of acute care specialties, live on the AG-ACNP preceptor requirements page. Whatever the setting, whether it suits the course is for graduate faculty to decide.
NURS 639P and NURS 640P: two critical care semesters
Practicums II and III take place in a critical care unit with an MD, an intensivist or an AG-ACNP. Each may include up to 90 hours in the acute care specialties the Handbook lists, which leaves at least 160 of each semester's 250 hours in the unit itself. Mapping those specialty blocks before the semester starts keeps you inside the limit.
The order creates a gap worth using. NURS 639P ends in spring and NURS 640P begins the following fall, with summer in between. Use that summer to confirm your Practicum III preceptor, renew any yearly CastleBranch items and check with the Clinical Practicum Coordinator whether the site's contract needs renewing before the August 1 cutoff.
Staying in the same unit for both critical care semesters can make scheduling easier; moving to a second unit can widen what you see. Either way, each site needs faculty approval and a signed contract before hours count.
Logs, preceptor feedback and the seminars
For each AG-ACNP practicum, the catalog says the assigned faculty member monitors your clinical logs and reviews your preceptor's feedback. Rivier's Handbook and catalog do not name the log system, so ask course faculty where hours are recorded before your first shift.
The seminars, NURS 638S, NURS 639S and NURS 640S, carry one credit each and are taken with their practicums. The practicum grade is the one to watch: finish any of the three under 84% and you leave the AG-ACNP track, with a referral to the Readmission Policy. The grades and progression guide explains the rest.
If you cannot make a shift, the Handbook's rule for every graduate practicum applies: tell your preceptor immediately and your faculty as soon as possible.
The certificate, credits and the State Guide gap
The AG-ACNP post-master's certificate needs at least 19 credits over five semesters (the sheet says 2.5 years) and eight campus days. Its minimum courses are the whole clinical core above: NURS 630, NURS 631, NURS 635, NURS 636 and all three practicum-seminar pairs, so certificate students complete the same 750 hours.
The MSN's credit total is itself a small conflict. The 2026 sheet states 48 credits, but its course list adds up to 45 and leaves out BUSS 559 Healthcare Finance; the catalog includes BUSS 559 and 48 credits yet heads the list Core Requirements (46 Credits). Check your Program of Studies with the Program Director.
Acute care is missing from Rivier's State Guide altogether: with no column for it, the guide cannot tell you whether your state works for this track. Ask the Program Director before planning a practicum outside New Hampshire, and see the State Guide page for how the guide reads for other tracks.
How we line up three acute care preceptors
We plan the full fall, spring, fall run at the outset. For NURS 638P we look for hospitalists, MD or AG-ACNP, with an ICU or ED option ready as the Handbook's substitute; for NURS 639P and NURS 640P, intensivists or AG-ACNPs in critical care units, with specialty time mapped inside the 90-hour limit. Every preceptor works in person near you and fits the Handbook's rules for the track.
We pull together each hospitalist's or intensivist's CV, license and credentials, plus the site details the contract needs, and we work to the four-month lead time, so the summer before Practicum III is spent confirming rather than searching. Your graduate faculty and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator approve each site; we make sure the file they review is complete and matches Rivier's acute care rules. Start with the form below.
Questions Rivier students ask
Does Rivier's AG-ACNP track require ACLS?
Yes. Rivier's graduate admissions page lists BLS and ACLS certification for AG-ACNP applicants. The Handbook requires BLS from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross, kept current at all times, so plan renewals so neither card lapses during a practicum semester; see liability insurance and BLS.
Can AG-ACNP students count telehealth hours at Rivier?
No. Rivier's Handbook allows no telehealth for the AG-ACNP track, in any of the three practicums. FNP and PMHNP students have limited telehealth allowances, but acute care students complete all 750 hours in person, in hospital and critical care settings, with a qualified preceptor beside them.
Which certification exam follows Rivier's AG-ACNP?
The program page names the AGACNP-BC credential, and the 2025-26 catalog says graduates can certify through either AACN or ANCC. Which exam you choose is your decision; the practicum sequence, its seminars and its 750 supervised hours are the same whichever board you pick.
Can I start the AG-ACNP practicums in spring?
The 2025-26 catalog lists NURS 638P in fall only, after the spring skills lab NURS 636, so Practicum I is a fall course. If your Program of Studies shows a different order, confirm it with the Program Director, because a missed fall start can move all three practicums back.
How long does Rivier's AG-ACNP take?
The catalog estimates 3.5 to 5 years for the 48-credit MSN, with Bridge and RN-MSN paths at 54 credits. The post-master's certificate runs about five semesters. Starts are in September, January or May, with January 19, 2027 the next one listed.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against Rivier's own Nursing Student Handbook, program sheets, catalog, academic calendar and State Guide. Your program of study, your course faculty, your Program Director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
Rivier asks you to identify a qualified preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Rivier track, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who meet your track's rules, check early whether the site can contract with Rivier, and prepare everything the Preceptor Request Form asks for, well ahead of August 1 and December 1.
- Preceptors matched to the track: an MD, DO or FNP in outpatient family practice for
NURS 511, a psychiatrist or PMH-certified NP forNURS 521, a hospitalist or intensivist forNURS 638P - Preceptor license, credentials and CV ready for the Preceptor Request Form, with the site's contact details for the contract
- In your own area, in New Hampshire or any state Rivier's State Guide accepts
Start your placement plan
Track, city and semester is all we need to begin.