When the first precepted course arrives in each UL Lafayette program
In UL Lafayette's printed plans the first precepted course lands in semester 3 of 5 for the FNP (NURS 582), semester 4 of 6 for the PMHNP (NURS 591), semester 3 of 4 for Nursing Education (NURS 544), semester 4 of 6 for the DNP (NURS 821) and semester II of IV for the PMHNP certificate (NURS 591). A new agency contract alone can take weeks to months, so the search belongs in your first or second semester, not the month before.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your UL Lafayette program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UL Lafayette course.
First clinical course by program
The table follows the 2026-27 catalog's plans of study. Semester numbers count from your first term in the program; the start terms come from UL Lafayette's online program pages and the nursing site.
| Program | First clinical course | Place in the printed plan | Start terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Family Nurse Practitioner | NURS 582 Family Health I | Semester 3 of 5 | January or August |
| MSN Psychiatric/Mental Health NP | NURS 591 Psychiatric Mental Health I | Semester 4 of 6 | January or August |
| MSN Nursing Education | NURS 544 Advanced Clinical Practicum (60 hours) | Semester 3 of 4, then NURS 557 in semester 4 | January or August |
| PMHNP Post-Master's Certificate | NURS 591 (180 hours) | Semester II of IV, after 60 observational hours in NURS 590 | January or August |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice | NURS 821 Residency I (120 hours) | Semester 4 of 6 | Fall cohort only |
| Traditional BSN | NURS 208 Fundamentals of Caregiving | Sophomore year | Apply for NURS 208 by Nov 1 (spring) or Apr 1 (fall) |
| Accelerated BSN | NURS 208A | Summer 8-week term after the May intersession | May |
The RN to BSN Online has no clinical course identified in its 2026-27 plan, so it has no first practicum to plan for.
FNP and PMHNP: when the NP practicums begin
The FNP spends two semesters on the core first: theory, statistics and pathophysiology, then evidence, health assessment and pharmacotherapeutics. NURS 582 arrives in semester 3 next to NURS 509, and its focus on pediatric, adolescent and childbearing women's health shapes your first preceptor search, because the practice needs children and women on its schedule, not only adults.
The PMHNP adds a semester of psychiatric groundwork before the clinical work. NURS 508, on diagnostic considerations and psychopharmacology, and NURS 590, on psychotherapy, fill semester 3; NURS 591 opens the clinical sequence in semester 4, and NURS 592 and NURS 593 follow. The course detail sits on FNP practicums and PMHNP practicums; what matters here is that each track gives you at least two semesters of lead time, if you use them.
Certificate, Nursing Education and DNP
The PMHNP certificate moves fastest. Its first term pairs NURS 508 with NURS 590, and UL Lafayette Online attaches 60 observational hours to the psychotherapy course, so some clinical time begins in your very first term. NURS 591 then starts 180 direct patient care hours in semester II. With cohorts beginning in January or August, a certificate student has one semester between admission and the first direct care preceptor.
Nursing Education students meet NURS 544 in semester 3 of 4 and finish with NURS 557, 180 hours of precepted teaching and clinical work, in semester 4. The DNP places NURS 821 in semester 4 of its six, with NURS 822 and NURS 823 after it; ahead of those courses the DNP asks for background checks, drug and alcohol screening and health clearance, paid for by the student, as explained on background check and drug screen. The residency itself is on DNP residency.
Semesters, not seasons
UL Lafayette's graduate plans number semesters without naming calendar terms, and the season of each is not published. Whether a summer counts as one of your semesters, and so whether your semester 3 lands in a fall or a spring, depends on your start term and the plan of study your advisor builds with you.
Two clues help. Nursing Education's plan tags three courses Fall only: NURS 534 in the first semester, plus NURS 536 and NURS 570 in the third, so that printed plan assumes semester 3 is a fall.
DNP courses are offered in fall and spring and the cohort starts each fall; if all six semesters follow that pattern, NURS 821 would fall in the spring of your second year, while the online page's claim of as little as two years suggests a quicker path for some. Confirm your real calendar with your advisor or the DNP Coordinator before promising a preceptor any dates, and check the term dates on the academic calendar.
How far ahead to start looking
Count backward from the first clinical day, not from the first day of class. The ICMSN handbook wants four things filed before any clinical day: a current contract with the agency, a CV for the preceptor, the signed student-faculty-preceptor letter of agreement, and your health, OSHA and HIPAA records. It also warns that a contract with an agency the school has not used before can stretch from several weeks into months. On top of that, Louisiana's Board rules want a facility survey approved a minimum of four weeks ahead of the first student clinical day at a new agency. The full list is on clinical paperwork.
Big Louisiana systems set lead times that apply to any school. Ochsner Health's published guidance gives a new school agreement at least four months, and in north Louisiana, Ochsner LSU Health sets a three-month minimum for placement requests. Put those together and the search for a first preceptor belongs in your first or second semester, which leaves slack for a second or third ask if the first preceptor declines, and still lets you start on time.
Getting the first placement right
The first placement is the hardest one, because nothing is on file yet: no contract with the site, no approved preceptor, no rhythm with the clinical tracking system. We start from your plan of study, pin down the semester of your first precepted course, and search Louisiana for a preceptor in the right population who has room on the calendar that term.
Then we assemble what approval needs, from the preceptor's license, certification and CV to the site details for the agency contract, early enough for the contract clock. However UL Lafayette handles graduate placement, you arrive at faculty review with a complete file. If the first practicum is close, a matter of weeks, need a preceptor fast is the right page; if it is further out, the form below starts the search while there is time to be selective.
Questions UL Lafayette students ask
When do UL Lafayette FNP students start clinicals?
In the printed plan, NURS 582 Family Health I is the first precepted course, in semester 3 of 5. It covers pediatric, adolescent and childbearing women's health. The plan numbers semesters without naming seasons, so check with your advisor which calendar term your semester 3 falls in.
Does the PMHNP certificate have clinical time in the first semester?
According to UL Lafayette Online, NURS 590, taken in the certificate's semester I, carries 60 observational hours. Direct patient care begins with NURS 591 in semester II, at 180 hours. Plan the observational setting and your first direct care preceptor together, since the two come only one term apart.
When can I start the UL Lafayette MSN?
The MSN concentrations and the PMHNP certificate enroll in January or August. For spring 2027 the online page says to apply by Oct. 30, and for fall 2027 by June 30. The DNP takes a new cohort every fall and closes applications on May 1.
Is a year ahead too early to start the UL Lafayette preceptor search?
No. Your first or second semester is the right window. Contracts with a new agency are slow, often weeks and sometimes months, and everything from the site contract to your own health records has to be filed before the first clinical day. Starting early leaves time to replace a preceptor who declines.
Which Accelerated BSN course brings the first clinical days?
The Accelerated BSN opens with a three-week May intersession, NURS 260A, and then the summer 8-week term brings NURS 208A, the first course in the plan with lab contact hours. Its clinical rotations run through Ochsner, at Ochsner Lafayette General or an agency affiliated with it.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UL Lafayette's 2026-27 catalog, its online program and state authorization pages, the ICMSN student handbook and Louisiana's nursing rules. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
Whether UL Lafayette helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.
Tell us your UL Lafayette program, the practicum coming up and the Louisiana town you train near. We look for preceptors and sites that fit the course and gather the license, CV and agency details that must be on file before your first clinical day.
- Preceptors who meet Louisiana's rules: an active Louisiana license, most hours with an APRN in your population focus
- The preceptor's CV, the agency details and your letter of agreement items gathered early
- Across Acadiana and the rest of Louisiana, plus DNP residencies in your home state
Start your placement plan
Your program, your town and your next clinical semester is all we need to begin.