Rivier FNP clinical hours: 750 in the Handbook, 610 in the catalog
Rivier University prints two totals for its Family Nurse Practitioner practicums. The 2026-2027 Nursing Student Handbook asks for 250 hours inside every one of the three FNP practicum semesters, 750 in all, while the 2025-26 catalog lists 120, 250 and 240 hours, which adds to 610. Almost all of the gap sits in the first practicum, and your Program Director is the person who settles it.
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The two figures, course by course
Put next to each other, the two documents agree on one course and differ on two. The catalog's numbers come from its course descriptions (catalog PDF pp. 260-261). The Handbook's come from its FNP placement pages (pp. 74-75), which set 250 hours per practicum semester under a heading that covers both the MSN track and the FNP post-master's certificate. All three courses carry 5 credits in the catalog and pair clinical time with a seminar, so the open question is clinical hours, not the course load.
| Course | Handbook 2026-2027 | Catalog 2025-26 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
NURS 511 FNP Practicum I and Seminar | 250 | 120 clinical, plus a 28-hour seminar | 130 |
NURS 513 FNP Practicum II and Seminar | 250 | 250 | None |
NURS 515 FNP Practicum III and Seminar | 250 | 240 | 10 |
| Total | 750 | 610 | 140 |
Most of the gap is in NURS 511
Practicum I accounts for 130 of the 140 missing hours. The catalog pairs 120 clinical hours with a separate 28-hour seminar, so even with the seminar counted the course reaches 148, far below 250. The same entry lists 5 credits while describing two practicum credits and one seminar credit, a second inconsistency inside one course description.
The difference changes what you ask of your first preceptor. At 120 hours, Practicum I needs about 15 eight-hour clinic days; at 250 it needs just over 31. A preceptor who agrees to the smaller commitment may have no room for the larger one, so settle the number before anyone signs on. The rest of that course is covered in our NURS 511 guide.
Why the Handbook's 750 runs through its other rules
Several Handbook rules are written around the larger total. The limit on alternative-setting hours reads as up to 120 of the 750 FNP hours, and the FNP section says students secure placements covering 750 hours spread over primary care, pediatrics, women's health and long-term care. The alternative hours guide explains how that 120-hour limit is shared across courses.
The Handbook is also the newer document: it is dated August 2026, with its placement policies revised May 26, 2026, while the course hours come from the 2025-26 catalog. Being newer does not make it the final word, which is why the question belongs with your Program Director rather than with a guess. If the answer is 610, also ask how the 120-hour alternative limit and the per-semester rule apply to the smaller totals.
What planning to 610 would put at risk
Planning to the lower figure leaves no cushion. If the Handbook's 250 applies and your preceptor only committed to 120 hours for Practicum I, you reach the end of the semester 130 hours short, and hours cannot be banked from one course or borrowed from the next. Rivier also withholds a final grade while any required clinical hour is missing, and because no hour may come before the semester's first day, there is no getting ahead of a shortfall by starting early. The 250 hours per semester guide covers that rule.
Planning to 250 in each course carries no such risk. If Rivier confirms the catalog's lower numbers for you, you finish with time to spare; if it confirms the Handbook's, you are on schedule. Either way, get the answer in writing before the placement paperwork goes in.
Getting a written answer before you sign a preceptor
- Read your Program of StudiesYour POS lists the practicum courses in your plan and the semester for each. Check whether it states hours per course.
- Ask your course facultyBefore the semester, ask the
NURS 511faculty what hour total the course requires and whether seminar time is counted separately. - Confirm with the Program DirectorThe Director of Graduate Nursing Education can confirm the program total that applies to you. Ask for the reply by email so you can keep it.
- Share it with the Clinical Practicum CoordinatorThe coordinator confirms documents and contracts before hours count, so the hours on your placement paperwork should match the answer you received.
- Give your preceptor the confirmed numberSend the per-course total along with your semester dates so the commitment fits the course from the first day.
How the coordinator's sign-off works is laid out in the Clinical Practicum Coordinator guide.
Certificate students face the same two numbers
The FNP post-master's certificate runs through the same three practicums. Its minimum course list includes NURS 511, NURS 513 and NURS 515, and the Handbook's FNP placement heading names the certificate alongside the MSN track, so the 750 versus 610 question reaches certificate students too.
Certificate plans differ in the courses around the practicums. Your earlier study decides whether NURS 510 or NURS 512 is still on your list, which is why Rivier's certificate page gives a range of 19 to 43 credits, completed in three to six semesters. Certificate students work under the same Practicum Placement Policy as MSN students, so securing each FNP preceptor falls to them as well. The post-master's certificates guide explains how that plan is set.
How we plan FNP hours for Rivier students
We build every FNP placement for a full 250 hours in each course, so whichever figure Rivier confirms, your preceptor has already planned for it. The per-course target is part of our first conversation with every preceptor, so the schedule is built for the whole semester rather than patched at the end. Your placement advisor asks each preceptor for a semester-long commitment that fits your course, checks that the practice is an outpatient family practice meeting Rivier's two-year rule, and keeps any alternative-setting hours inside the Handbook's 120-hour limit.
Your paperwork reaches Rivier complete and ahead of whichever deadline applies, August 1 for fall or December 1 for spring, and if a preceptor steps back partway through, we source a replacement so your count keeps moving. Start with the form below.
Questions Rivier students ask
Is the Rivier FNP program 750 or 610 clinical hours?
Both figures appear in Rivier documents. The 2026-2027 Nursing Student Handbook says 750, with 250 in each practicum semester, and the 2025-26 catalog's course entries add to 610. Ask your Program Director which total applies to you, and have each preceptor plan for 250 hours until you have that answer in writing.
Does the NURS 511 seminar count toward clinical hours?
The catalog lists the 28-hour seminar separately from the 120 clinical hours, and the Handbook's 250 is a practicum-hour figure. They read as separate counts, but only your NURS 511 course faculty can confirm how Rivier tallies seminar time for your semester, so ask before you schedule clinic days.
Can extra hours in NURS 513 make up for a short NURS 511?
No. The Handbook keeps each FNP practicum semester's hours inside that semester, so extra hours never transfer from one course to another. A shortfall in Practicum I has to be resolved within that course, which is why settling the per-course number early matters so much, and why planning around 250 for each course keeps you covered.
Which FNP course do the catalog and Handbook agree on?
NURS 513, FNP Practicum II and Seminar. Both give 250 clinical hours to the course that covers childbearing families, infants, children and adolescents. The disagreement is limited to NURS 511 (120 against 250) and NURS 515 (240 against 250), which is why those two courses need a confirmed figure first.
Where is Rivier's FNP hour requirement written down?
In two places. The 2026-2027 Nursing Student Handbook covers it in the FNP placement section on pages 74 and 75, and the 2025-26 academic catalog covers it in the course descriptions for NURS 511, NURS 513 and NURS 515. Both documents are linked in the sources below.
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
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