Rivier PMHNP preceptor rules, from credentials to telehealth
Rivier University's Psychiatric-Mental Health NP track accepts two kinds of preceptor: a psychiatrist, or a nurse holding psychiatric-mental health certification, in either case with two or more years of practice behind them. Patients of any age, inpatient or outpatient, will qualify, but your time with a prescriber who works by telehealth tops out at 300 of the 750 practicum hours.
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Two kinds of clinician can precept you
Rivier's Nursing Student Handbook names two preceptor types for the PMHNP track and the PMHNP post-master's certificate: a psychiatrist, or a nurse who holds psychiatric-mental health certification. Either one needs two or more years in practice (p. 74). Page 76 phrases the nursing side more narrowly, as a PMH-certified NP, so a certified psychiatric nurse practitioner satisfies both readings.
Other behavioral health clinicians are not on the list. Psychologists, licensed counselors and clinical social workers may run excellent therapy services, but none is named as a PMHNP preceptor, so ask course faculty before counting on one. A prescribing psychiatrist or a certified psychiatric NP matches the Handbook's words most directly.
| Rule | What Rivier's Handbook says |
|---|---|
| Credential | Psychiatrist, or nurse certified in psychiatric-mental health |
| Experience | At least two years in practice |
| Patient ages | Any age group; experience across the lifespan strongly suggested |
| Setting | Inpatient or outpatient |
| Telehealth | No more than 300 of the 750 hours with a prescriber working by telehealth |
Any age group, with the lifespan in mind
Rivier gives PMHNP students real room on setting. An adolescent inpatient unit, an adult community mental health center and a geriatric psychiatry practice can all qualify, and inpatient and outpatient work both count. That flexibility matters in regions where psychiatric preceptors are thin on the ground.
The Handbook adds a nudge: experience across the lifespan is strongly suggested. Three semesters inside one narrow age band leave that suggestion unmet, so it pays to vary the population as you move through the practicums, for example a child and adolescent service in one semester and adult or older-adult care in another.
Raise the plan with course faculty early. A preceptor whose panel already spans children, adults and older adults can cover much of the lifespan on their own, which makes that clinician worth more to you than a narrower one close by.
The 300-hour telehealth cap, worked through
Some willing psychiatric prescribers see patients remotely for part or all of the week. Rivier allows that time within a limit: the Handbook caps remote supervision at 300 of the 750 hours, counting any time with a prescriber practicing through telehealth (p. 76). The cap is written against the full 750 hours rather than each course.
Because each practicum carries 250 hours, you could spend an entire semester with a telehealth prescriber and still have 50 hours of telehealth room left for the other two. Or you might spread it, with 100 remote hours in each practicum. Either way, at least 450 hours need a prescriber seeing patients in person.
Track the split as you go. A weekly tally of in-person and telehealth hours in your own notes keeps a late review from turning up more remote time than the Handbook allows.
Telehealth time past 300 hours falls outside Rivier's PMHNP rule, so count it week by week instead of at the end of the program.
Matching preceptors to NURS 521, 523 and 525
The three psychiatric practicums build on each other, and each suits a slightly different preceptor. The 2025-26 catalog describes NURS 521 as triage, crisis intervention and individual therapy, NURS 523 as milieu, group, family and couples therapy, and NURS 525 as complex assessment and therapy issues.
A crisis, intake or emergency psychiatric service fits Practicum I naturally. A preceptor who runs groups or sees families and couples makes Practicum II easier, and a busy outpatient prescriber with complicated cases suits Practicum III. The PMHNP practicums guide covers prerequisites and seminars.
One Handbook quirk to know: page 74 lists the PMHNP practicums as NURS512, 523 and 525, while page 76, the program sheet and the catalog use 521, 523 and 525. NURS 512 is FNP Theory II on the program sheet, so treat 521 as correct and ask your Program Director if a form shows otherwise.
Hours, deadlines and paperwork
Each PMHNP practicum needs its 250 hours finished inside that semester, and extra hours stay behind when the term ends; our 250 hours per semester guide explains the timing. Hours begin no earlier than the semester's first day, and only after Rivier's coordinator has cleared your records and the site's contract.
Your preceptor's license, credential proof and CV travel with the Preceptor Request Form. Rivier's absolute cutoff for every MSN practicum course is August 1 ahead of fall and December 1 ahead of spring. Site contracts take 30 days, so a psychiatric preceptor found in late November for a January start leaves almost no margin. Faculty then decide whether the site is right for the course.
PMHNP students also meet on campus for three weekends as a cohort. Once course faculty confirm those dates, build your clinic days around them.
Why PMHNP students bring their search to us
Psychiatric preceptors can be hard to secure, and Rivier PMHNP students choose us because we hunt for exactly the profile the Handbook names: a psychiatrist or certified psychiatric nurse, past the two-year mark in practice, seeing patients near your home in a state open to Rivier PMHNP students on the State Guide. We ask every candidate about in-person and telehealth time at the outset, so your 300-hour cap is planned before the first session.
We look ahead to all three practicums, favor preceptors whose patient mix widens your lifespan exposure, and assemble the license, credentials and CV Rivier needs. If a preceptor steps away mid-program, we stay on call with a replacement search. Rivier's faculty and coordinator decide on approval, and we deliver a PMHNP request they can review without chasing missing pieces. Start with the form below.
Questions Rivier students ask
Can a psychiatric physician assistant precept a Rivier PMHNP student?
Rivier's PMHNP list has two entries, psychiatrists and nurses certified in psychiatric-mental health, and physician assistants are not among them. If a PA works beside your psychiatrist, ask course faculty whether any PA-supervised time is acceptable before you count it.
Can a psychiatric nurse without PMH certification precept me?
The Handbook asks for a nurse certified in psychiatric-mental health, so an experienced psychiatric RN or an NP without that certification does not meet the preceptor rule. Ask each nursing candidate for certification details in your first conversation; those credentials travel to Rivier with the Preceptor Request Form.
Does Rivier require inpatient psychiatric hours?
The Handbook's PMHNP rules set no inpatient requirement. Inpatient and outpatient settings are both acceptable, with any age group. An inpatient unit or crisis service can suit the crisis-intervention focus of NURS 521, but the setting is your choice, subject to graduate faculty approval of the site.
Can I change PMHNP preceptors between practicums?
Yes. Nothing in Rivier's PMHNP rules requires one preceptor for all three courses, and a change of site can be a good way to widen the age range the Handbook suggests. Each new site needs its own Preceptor Request Form and contract, so begin the next search well ahead of the coming fall or spring cutoff.
Which states can I do Rivier PMHNP practicums in?
Most states on Rivier's State Guide are open to PMHNP students. Eight are marked red, meaning Rivier cannot accept students living there, among them California, Tennessee and Washington, and three are yellow, meaning you speak with the Program Director first. Your RN license must also cover the practicum state. The State Guide page has every state.
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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