JSU's clinical systems, one guide each

Updated September 27, 2026 · Reviewed by the Jax State Preceptor placement team

JSU's clinical side rests on a few named pieces: CastleBranch and malpractice approval before any site contact, NP practicums paired with lecture courses, a 16-month DNP residency with one preceptor and site, and a five-state rule for the NP tracks. Each guide below draws on the 2026-27 catalog, the handbooks and JSU's program pages, and points out any place they disagree.

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JSU's clinical systems, one guide each. JSU's clinical side rests on a few named pieces: CastleBranch and malpractice approval before any site contact, NP practicums paired with lecture courses, a 16- — Every Jacksonville State University nursing clinical guide in one place: approvals, DNP residencies, hours, courses, compliance and state rules.

Which JSU source comes first

The 2026-27 catalog carries the current course numbers and practicum hours. The graduate handbook on JSU's site is the 2024-25 edition and still uses older numbers, and the plans of study and DNP timeline fill in term-by-term timing.

When a question goes beyond what JSU publishes, each guide names the title that answers it, usually your course faculty or program coordinator. Begin with the placement process, or the admission states guide if you live outside Alabama.

Placement and approval

Clinical placement processHow clinical placement works for Jacksonville State nursing students, from CastleBranch to the DNP residency, and where our preceptor search fits in.Preceptor and site approvalHow a preceptor and clinical site get cleared for Jacksonville State nursing students: malpractice approval first, contract paperwork, then faculty sign-off.Clinical partner requestsWhat JSU's Request a JSU DNP Student page asks clinical partners, what its intake form covers, and what it means for FNP, ANP and DNP students.Preceptor requirementsWhat a preceptor for JSU's FNP, AGACNP and DNP courses needs: Alabama's preceptor definition, population fit by track, and what JSU itself publishes.DNP residency pairingJSU's DNP residency pairing explained: the late-May timing, one consistent preceptor and site for 16 months, the smaller August track, and how to prepare.NP admission statesJSU's FNP and AGACNP tracks consider residents of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee only. What that means for where your clinicals happen.Backup preceptorsWhat JSU's handbook says when a preceptor or clinical site falls through, who to tell first, how the calendar narrows your options, and how we line up a backup.Clinicals where you workJSU publishes little on graduate clinicals at your own job. What its handbook and a retired BSN page do say, and the questions to settle before you count on it.On-campus requirementsJSU's online nursing programs still list campus events: orientation, simulation and DNP Dissemination Day. What JSU publishes, what it leaves open, how to plan.Who does what at JSUThe JSU School of Nursing titles behind clinicals, compliance and the DNP project, what JSU's handbook and catalog say each one handles, and which to ask first.

Hours, logs and grades

Clinical hours by programClinical and practicum hours for each JSU nursing program, course by course from the 2026-27 catalog, with a planner and the spots where JSU's figures differ.BSN-DNP hours: 700 vs 1330JSU's track pages list 700 BSN-DNP clinical hours, the catalog 1330, and the course hours add up to neither. Each figure, its source, and how to plan.DNP residency hours (630)JSU's DNP residency is 630 hours: 210 in each of DNP 8797, 8798 and 8799, with one preceptor and site for 16 months. What the hours cover and when they fall.What counts as clinical hoursSimulation, direct patient care, residency project work: what JSU's pages say counts toward clinical hours, the Alabama rules behind them, and who confirms.Grades and progressionJSU graduate nursing needs a B or better to progress. How C grades, the one retake, paired practicum courses and dismissal work, from the catalog and handbook.Your first clinical coursePracticum I falls in spring of Year 2 for FNP and AGACNP. When each JSU nursing program's first clinical course arrives, and when to start preparing for it.2026-27 academic calendarJSU's 2026-27 term dates for nursing students: full semesters, the A/B and block sub-terms, withdrawal and incomplete rules, and how practicums fit each term.

Courses

FNP practicums I to IVJSU's four FNP practicums, FNP 7869 to FNP 7877: 2026-27 catalog hours, terms, paired lecture courses and how we plan a preceptor for each one.AGACNP practicums I to IVJSU's AGACNP practicums, ANP 7869 to ANP 7877: catalog hours, the 70 vs 110 hour conflict in Practicum I, acute care settings and paired courses.DNP 8796 project planningWhat JSU's DNP 8796 Project Planning and Development course covers, when it falls in each plan of study, and how it sets up your 16-month residency site.DNP 8797, 8798 and 8799JSU's three DNP residency courses, DNP 8797, DNP 8798 and DNP 8799: hours, grading, terms offered and what each residency term asks of you and your site.NU 5980 and NU 5985JSU's MSN population health practicums, NU 5980 and NU 5985: 254 practicum hours each, summer then fall, prerequisites, and how we find a site that fits.NU 5982 teaching practicumJSU's NU 5982 Practicum in Collegiate Nursing Education: the 100-hour teaching practicum, where it falls in the MSN and certificate, and how we find a setting.NU 5841 (AECC)JSU's NU 5841 Advanced Experiential Clinical Course for Post-Master's DNP entrants under 500 MSN hours: the gap analysis, NU 531 vs NU 5841, and finding hours.

Clearance, licenses and accreditation

CastleBranch complianceHow CastleBranch works for Jacksonville State nursing students: what JSU tracks, the five signed forms, yearly renewals and who to ask when an item stalls.Background check and drug screenWhat Jacksonville State's School of Nursing requires for background checks and drug testing: before acceptance, before clinicals, at random and for cause.Immunizations, TB, flu and CPRThe vaccines, TB test, flu shot, physical and AHA CPR card JSU nursing students keep current in CastleBranch, with the renewal timing for each item.Malpractice and health insuranceJSU graduate nursing students buy malpractice coverage through the School of Nursing and need it approved before contacting any practicum or residency site.RN license requirementsJSU's RN license rule for graduate nursing: a U.S. license on the program pages, the state of clinical practice in the catalog, and how the compact fits in.Licensure disclosure and NC-SARAJSU's 2021 licensure disclosure for its FNP and AGACNP tracks: Alabama marked Yes, other states not yet determined, plus NC-SARA and what state lists show.Nursing accreditationJSU nursing accreditation: CCNE for the BSN, MSN and DNP through June 30, 2034, SACSCOC reaffirmed in 2024, and Alabama Board of Nursing approval.Student systemsMyJaxState, GEM email, Canvas, Honorlock, Navigate360 and Houston Cole Library: the JSU systems nursing students use and what each one does for clinicals.

Questions JSU students ask

Where is the JSU graduate nursing handbook?

JSU's School of Nursing posts its graduate handbook on the program information page; the newest edition there is 2024-25, so check the 2026-27 catalog for current course numbers and hours.

Which JSU steps matter most before a first practicum?

Your CastleBranch items and malpractice coverage, which JSU wants approved before you contact a practicum or residency site. Start with CastleBranch.

Does JSU name a clinical logging platform?

Not on its public pages. CastleBranch is the compliance tool JSU names; logging tools sit behind JSU's logins, so your Canvas course is the place to check. See student systems.

PlacementClinical placement processHow clinical placement works for Jacksonville State nursing students, from CastleBranch to the DNP residency, and where our preceptor search fits in.HoursClinical hours by programClinical and practicum hours for each JSU nursing program, course by course from the 2026-27 catalog, with a planner and the spots where JSU's figures differ.StatesNP admission statesJSU's FNP and AGACNP tracks consider residents of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee only. What that means for where your clinicals happen.GuideJSU nursing programsEvery JSU nursing program with practicum or residency hours: the BSN-DNP FNP and AGACNP tracks, the Post-Master's DNP, the MSN and the BSN.GuideJSU programs by stateStudying with Jacksonville State University from outside Alabama? Fifty state guides: the five-state NP rule, licenses, disclosures and board rules.

Last checked 2026-09-27

We check these pages against JSU's 2026-27 catalog, nursing handbooks, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.

Whether JSU helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.

Tell us your JSU program, your next practicum or residency and the town you train near. We find preceptors and sites that fit the course and gather what JSU's faculty need to clear them, early enough for the semester.

Preceptors matched to the course: family practice across the lifespan, adult-gerontology acute care, DNP residencies
License, certification and site details ready for JSU's clearance, with your CastleBranch and malpractice items in order
Across Alabama and in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee

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