Nursing Education practicums at Southeastern: NURS 6440 and NURS 6570
Southeastern Louisiana University's MSN Nursing Education concentration has two practicum courses: NURS 6440, with 4 practicum hours a week in the third semester, and NURS 6570, with 12 a week in the fourth. The 2026-27 catalog totals the concentration at 240 clinical hours while the majors page says 225, and both practicums follow the consortium's process: you propose the preceptor and setting, and course faculty approve.
Find a nurse educator preceptor
Tell us which practicum you take next, the term and your parish. A placement advisor replies with teaching preceptor options near you.
The two practicum courses
Both practicums come in the second half of the 40-credit plan, after the foundations, curriculum and teaching courses. Unlike the NP courses, which carry a semester total, the catalog states these hours per week.
| Course | Credits | Weekly hours | Prerequisites | Offered | Plan semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NURS 6440 Advanced Clinical Practicum in Nursing Practice | 1 | One class hour and 4 practicum hours | NURS 6070 and NURS 6340 | Fall | 3 |
NURS 6570 Nursing Education Practicum | 3 | One class hour and 12 practicum hours | NURS 6700 | Spring | 4 |
In the plan, NURS 6440 shares semester three with NURS 6360 (teaching methodologies and technologies), NURS 6700 (measuring outcomes in nursing education) and the scholarly project or thesis. NURS 6570 follows in semester four beside NURS 6090. Because the program admits students in summer, spring and fall, anyone whose start term shifts the sequence should confirm with an advisor when each practicum falls.
What each practicum involves
The catalog describes NURS 6570 plainly: carrying out the nurse educator roles in selected precepted class, lab and clinical settings. In practice that means teaching in a classroom, in a skills lab and with students on a clinical unit, each under an experienced educator who serves as your preceptor.
For NURS 6440, the title and the prerequisites, advanced health assessment (NURS 6070) and the nurse educator foundations course (NURS 6340), point toward advanced clinical practice in the area you plan to teach. The public catalog entry gives only hours and prerequisites. The objectives and the kind of setting faculty expect are in the syllabus, so ask your course faculty before you approach a preceptor for this one. The consortium handbook also asks you to wear your name tag any time you are in a consortium lab or practicum experience, teaching settings included.
240 in the catalog, 225 on the majors page
The 2026-27 catalog lists 240 total clinical hours for the concentration, the same with or without the thesis option. The majors page for Nursing Education says 225. Neither source splits the total between the two courses.
Our arithmetic: 4 hours a week in one course and 12 in the other make 16, and 15 weeks of each gives 60 plus 180, or 240. Southeastern's 2026-27 fall and spring terms run roughly 15 weeks from first class to last, so the catalog figure fits the weekly rates. Southeastern offers no explanation for 225, so plan for 240 and ask course faculty how hours are logged in each course. A weekly rate leaves little room to catch up late in a term, so log from the first week. The clinical hours planner shows this beside the NP programs.
Who arranges the practicum placement
The consortium handbook's procedure covers NP and nurse educator experiences alike, so Nursing Education students follow the same route. You pick an area that fits the course, talk your preceptor choice through with the faculty member assigned to it, confirm the preceptor is willing, and wait for course faculty approval and graduate coordinator review before any hour. Faculty facilitate and help identify candidates, but the proposal starts with you; choosing your preceptor has Southeastern's own wording.
The facility side is the same as well. A nursing school or hospital education department you have not used before needs a contract or letter of agreement with the university, checked in the clinical tracking system, and a new one can take weeks to months. Every practicum hour stays in Louisiana, which the MSN program page requires for all clinical hours. Facility contracts explains the lead time.
Choosing an educator preceptor
The consortium's preceptor qualifications ask for a master's or doctorate in a field relevant to the role, current licensure, certification in the appropriate area, a setting suited to the course and a minimum of one year in clinical practice. The student handbook's version names APRN certification, which reads as written for NP preceptors, so ask course faculty which items apply to a nurse educator. Louisiana's rule that every preceptor hold an active Louisiana RN or APRN license applies here too.
Good candidates for a precepted teaching practicum
- A nursing faculty member who teaches in the classroom and supervises students in clinical, a close fit for the class and clinical settings in
NURS 6570 - A skills lab coordinator or lab instructor at a Louisiana nursing program, for the lab portion
- A hospital clinical educator or professional development specialist who runs orientation and competency training, if course faculty accept that setting
- For
NURS 6440, an experienced clinician in the specialty you plan to teach, once course faculty confirm that fits the course
How we set up your teaching practicums
We plan both practicums from the start. Your placement advisor looks for Louisiana nurse educators near you who teach across class, lab and clinical settings, checks their license and credentials against the consortium's list, and asks the school or hospital whether a contract with Southeastern is already in place. Every candidate teaches in Louisiana, so the state rule is settled before you ever see a name.
For NURS 6440 we confirm the setting with you after you have spoken with course faculty, then match a preceptor to it. For NURS 6570 we look for an educator whose teaching week can absorb 12 practicum hours without crowding their own students. You get a complete packet for faculty approval before the fall and spring terms, and if a preceptor withdraws, we reopen the search. Request a search.
Questions Southeastern students ask
Can I do my NURS 6570 practicum at the school where I already teach?
The consortium handbook lets you choose a preceptor at your employer, but practicum time must be kept apart from your job and fall in hours you are not paid for. If you already teach clinical groups there, the practicum has to be distinct, unpaid work with a preceptor your course faculty approve. Clinicals where you work explains the rule in detail.
Can I complete Nursing Education practicum hours outside Louisiana?
No. Southeastern's MSN program page says all clinical hours must be completed in Louisiana, and Nursing Education is one of the MSN's concentrations. Preceptors also need an active Louisiana license under the state board's rules. The Louisiana-only guide covers students who live near the state line or plan to move.
Do Nursing Education students need a year of RN experience before the practicums?
Yes. The catalog requires evidence of one year of clinical practice as an RN in an area appropriate to the specialty concentration before any clinical or practicum course, which includes NURS 6440 and NURS 6570. If your experience is recent or in a different area, talk to the graduate coordinator early.
When should I start looking for a Nursing Education preceptor?
Before the semester that holds NURS 6440, which the catalog lists as a fall course. A new contract with a school or hospital can take weeks to months, and the preceptor's CV, a signed letter of agreement and your health records must be on file before the first hour. Starting during your second semester leaves room for all of it.
Does the Nursing Education MSN lead to a certification exam?
The catalog lists Nursing Education under the nurse educator role when it describes certification eligibility, and Southeastern's MSN pages describe its programs as preparing graduates to write the matching national exams. Check the certifying body's current eligibility rules, including any practice requirements, before you plan your practicum settings.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Southeastern's own catalog, program pages and consortium handbook, and Louisiana rules. Your course faculty, the graduate coordinator and your advisor have the final word.
Southeastern asks you to choose your preceptor. We find one near you.
Tell us your Southeastern track, where in Louisiana you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find Louisiana-licensed preceptors who fit the course, confirm whether the facility is already under contract with the university, and hand you what your course faculty need to approve it before the semester.
- Pediatric and women's health preceptors for
NURS 6820, adult and older-adult primary care forNURS 6830andNURS 6840 - Psychiatric preceptors for
NURS 6910toNURS 6930, with the child and older-adult focus each course sets - Across Louisiana, from the Northshore to Shreveport
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