UNC Wilmington's clinical systems, one guide at a time
UNCW's clinical process comes down to a handful of named pieces: the preceptor you find in North Carolina, the details you send at least 8 weeks ahead, the Graduate Clinical Coordinator's approval, compliance through Castle Branch or Certiphi, and Typhon for your hours. The guides below take each one in turn, from UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages, and flag where UNCW's own sources disagree.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your UNCW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UNCW course.
Where UNCW keeps the working detail
The catalog sets credits, hour totals and grade rules. The working detail sits in UNCW's DNP Student Handbook and clinical handbook, the Preceptor's Corner pages and each course's syllabus, and because of the Fall 2025 curriculum change, two versions can apply at once.
When a guide here reaches the edge of what UNCW publishes, it names the place to check, usually the Graduate Clinical Coordinator or your cohort's handbook. Start with the placement process if you are new to it, or jump to the 8-week deadline if your term is close.
Preceptors and approval
The UNCW clinical placement processHow a UNCW NP clinical placement runs, from a search 6 to 12 months out through GCC approval, agreements, compliance, orientation and Typhon logs.Finding your own preceptorWhat UNCW means when NP students must locate and secure their own sites and preceptors, how its FAQ and tips read, and how to search North Carolina well.Clinical Placement Team site listsHow UNCW's Clinical Placement Team shares site lists and offers sites, why an offered site must be accepted, and how to plan so your own site comes first.The 8-week submission deadlineUNCW's 8-week clinical submission rule, the 90-day line on its process chart, 2026 and spring 2027 dates, agreement lead times and what a late packet costs.The North Carolina clinical ruleUNCW NP students complete every clinical hour in North Carolina: the handbook rule, NC preceptors, NC or compact licenses, border students and exceptions.Affiliation agreementsHow UNCW affiliation agreements work: up to 6 weeks or more, who signs, DocuSign, existing vs new sites, and North Carolina systems with their own agreements.Preceptor requirementsUNCW's preceptor rules by track: NC licensure, Approval to Practice, board certification, a year as a provider, and the FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP extras.Preceptor details to submitThe preceptor and agency details UNCW's placement packet needs: a dated CV naming the site, license number, evaluation email, agency address and county.Preceptors per courseUNCW allows up to 4 preceptors per clinical course, one site for the whole program except in PMHNP, and a return to a past preceptor with GCC approval.Sites that charge a feeSome sites ask for an honorarium to host a UNCW student. UNCW's rule: students may not pay a site directly, and any fee goes through the UNCW student account.What counts as a clinical hourUNCW counts direct patient care only. Travel, EMR training and orientation are excluded, nothing counts while campus is closed, and telehealth has track limits.Graduate Clinical CoordinatorWho does what in UNCW's clinical process: the Graduate Clinical Coordinator, the Clinical Placement Team, course faculty, program leads and advisors.
Hours, logs and evaluations
UNCW clinical hours by programClinical hours for every UNCW nursing program, from the DNP's 1,000 to the BSN's 675, where UNCW's own figures disagree, and how an hour is counted.The 1,000-hour DNP ruleHow UNCW's DNP reaches 1,000 hours: 750 direct + 250 non-patient for new NP cohorts, 500 + 500 in older catalogs, and the Post APRN and NEL rules.Practicum hours per courseHours in each UNCW NP practicum: 180, 180, 180 and 240 for FNP and AGPCNP, 187.5 for PMHNP, 180 in older sequences, and what the 600-hour note means.Typhon logs and time recordsHow UNCW nursing students log clinical encounters and hours in Typhon: the 5-day window, what counts, semester dates, telehealth limits and faculty review.FNP patient encounter minimumsThe patient encounters UNCW FNP students must log before graduating, by age and visit type, how to plan sites for each count, and AGPCNP's frail-elderly rule.Evaluations and site visitsHow UNCW evaluates NP students in clinical: ICEP forms near 90 hours, preceptor assessments in Typhon, faculty site visits each semester, and what preceptors do.DNP immersion hoursUNCW DNP immersion hours: the 250 non-patient hours, about 120 per project course, Post APRN and NEL immersion with no assigned preceptor, and the old NSGL 681.First clinical semesterWhen the first UNCW practicum starts on each plan of study, from semester 5 full-time to semester 11 for part-time AGPCNP, and when to start the preceptor search.Grades and progressionUNCW's DNP needs a B in every course with one repeat allowed; the BSN needs a C of 77. Dismissal triggers, incompletes, time limits and lost preceptors.
Courses and curriculum
Curriculum transition: old vs newUNCW's Fall 2025 change moved DNP NP students to new practicum and project courses. Compare both sequences and learn how to tell which one is yours.FNP practicum coursesUNCW's FNP practica, NSGL 650 to 653: hours per course, the patient mix each one adds, the prerequisite conflict, and the older NSGL 620 to 622 sequence.AGPCNP practicum coursesUNCW's AGPCNP practica, NSGL 660 to 663: hours, patients aged 13 to end of life, the frail-elderly minimum, the NP preceptor rule and the older courses.PMHNP practicum coursesUNCW's PMHNP practica, NSGL 646 to 649: 187.5 hours each, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings, therapy hours, preceptor rules and no repeats.DNP project coursesUNCW's DNP project runs through NSGL 696, 697 and 698, about 120 immersion hours each, ending in a written and oral exam. How project sites are chosen.DNP orientation and intensivesUNCW's DNP requires a New Student Orientation and on-campus intensives in Wilmington. What UNCW publishes, which programs list them, and how to plan the trip.Nurse educator practicumUNCW's nurse educator practicum: NSG 588 and 589 from August 2026 or NSG 596 and 597, 186 hours, preceptor rules and the 5-week approval deadline.UNCW student systemsThe UNCW systems nursing students use and when: mySeaport, email, Canvas, Typhon, Certiphi or Castle Branch, myClinicalExchange, One Card, Library, Starfish.Academic calendar 2026-27UNCW 2026-27 dates for nursing students: fall and spring semesters, 7-week sessions, drop/add, withdrawal, incompletes, leave, and a site lost mid-term.
Clearance and licenses
Clinical complianceWhat UNCW nursing students upload to Castle Branch or Certiphi before clinicals, the July 15 deadline, yearly renewals and the liability insurance charge.Background check and drug screenUNCW DNP students repeat a criminal background check and 12-panel drug test every year. What each covers, who sees results and what NC sites add.Immunizations and health requirementsVaccines, TB tests, CPR, health and liability insurance for UNCW nursing clinicals, plus site extras like COVID proof and the NC Core Orientation passport.NC or compact RN licenseUNCW NP students need an unrestricted NC or compact RN license for clinical hours in North Carolina. How the compact works and what online programs require.600 hours of RN experienceUNCW BSN-DNP students need 600 hours of RN work before any clinical course. What counts, how recent graduates fit it in, and how it lines up with your plan.
Where you live
State authorization and SARAUNCW joined SARA in 2017 and serves California under state exemptions. Its only nursing licensure disclosure covers the BSN; here is what that means by program.Online programs outside North CarolinaWhich UNCW nursing programs you can complete from another state, where their practicums happen, and state boards whose approval lists UNCW is not on.Nursing accreditationUNCW's BSN and MSN hold CCNE accreditation to June 30, 2029 and the DNP to 2034. What the MSN's NLN CNEA status, NCBON approval and site questions mean.
Questions UNCW students ask
Where do UNCW NP students record clinical hours?
In Typhon. UNCW's clinical handbook asks students to log encounters within 5 days, and all hours must fall inside the semester.
Which UNCW handbook applies to me?
The one for your cohort. UNCW changed its NP practicum sequences for students admitted from the 2025-26 catalog, so earlier cohorts may follow the previous courses. Your syllabus and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator confirm it.
Does UNCW let NP students do clinicals out of state?
No. UNCW's DNP handbook says NP clinical hours are completed in North Carolina only. The online nurse educator practicum is the main exception, done where you are licensed.
Related pages
Start hereThe UNCW clinical placement processHow a UNCW NP clinical placement runs, from a search 6 to 12 months out through GCC approval, agreements, compliance, orientation and Typhon logs.NC onlyThe North Carolina clinical ruleUNCW NP students complete every clinical hour in North Carolina: the handbook rule, NC preceptors, NC or compact licenses, border students and exceptions.DeadlinesThe 8-week submission deadlineUNCW's 8-week clinical submission rule, the 90-day line on its process chart, 2026 and spring 2027 dates, agreement lead times and what a late packet costs.GuideUNCW nursing programsEvery UNC Wilmington nursing program with practicum hours: DNP FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP, the PMHNP certificate, nurse educator programs and the BSN options.GuideUNCW programs by stateStudying with UNC Wilmington from another state? Fifty state guides: the North Carolina rule for NP clinicals, online programs, licenses and state rules.
Last checked 2026-09-25
UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for
NSGL 650toNSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
- In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen
Start your placement plan
Your program, city and next practicum term is all we need to begin.