Dr. Margaret Whitcombe, DNP
Placement advisor · online
Hi, I help DNP students line up an approvable preceptor. Which program are you in?
PreceptorDNP does the finding: an independent DNP preceptor matching service for doctoral nursing students at any accredited program, sourcing approvable preceptors, with nothing billed until your school approves the match. The DNP carries the heaviest clinical load in nursing, and at most online programs the school approves your preceptor but does not find one for you.
Placement policy is the difference between finishing on time and losing a term. Here is where each major online DNP program actually stands. We place across all of them; where a school already assists, we back them up rather than replace them.
| Program | DNP track | Post-bacc hours | Who finds the preceptor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walden | DNP, 7 specializations (NP entry available) | ≥1,000 | You source · school approves |
| South Alabama | BSN-to-DNP FNP / PMHNP / AGACNP / AGPCNP | 1,140 (FNP) | You source · school approves |
| Arizona State | Advanced Nursing Practice DNP (FNP/PMHNP/AG/Peds/WHNP) | up to 1,125 | Self-source outside Maricopa Co. |
| Chamberlain | DNP, post-master's, APRN concentrations | ≥1,024 | You source · school approves |
| Capella | BSN-to-DNP & post-master's DNP | 1,000 (CCNE) | Learner responsible |
| Grand Canyon | DNP, practice / leadership (DPI project) | 400+ practicum | You source · OFE approves |
| Aspen | DNP, immersion + DNP project | 1,000 immersion | You source · OFE assists |
| Purdue Global | DNP, post-master's (MSN entry, CCNE) | 1,000 (up to 500 prior) | You select site + mentor · school approves |
| Thomas Edison (TESU) | DNP, Systems-Level Leadership | ≥1,000 | You source |
| Herzing | BSN-to-DNP & MSN-to-DNP (NP) | 945 (FNP combined) | School assists, we back up |
| Rasmussen | DNP, post-master's, 2 specialties | 1,000 | School assists, we back up |
| WGU · SNHU · Excelsior · ACE | No DNP offered (MSN-level nursing; ACE's doctorate is an Ed.D) | n/a | No DNP program |
Your school, specialty track, state, and the hour total your handbook requires. We map it against what that program will and won't approve.
A credentialed preceptor in your specialty and state, DNP-qualified, with a site that fits your hour and direct-care split.
We prepare the affiliation and site paperwork your program requires and shepherd it through their review. Approval rests with your school.
Cleared to log direct-care hours toward your 1,000+. We stay on file as backup if a site falls through mid-term.
“Programs should provide a minimum of 1,000 hours of practice post-baccalaureate as part of a supervised academic program.”American Association of Colleges of Nursing, DNP Essentials
Whether your DNP enters through an NP specialty or builds on a master's, the practicum needs a preceptor whose scope matches your project and your certification.
Primary-care preceptors across the lifespan, the highest-volume DNP entry track and the one with the heaviest direct-care requirement.
Psych-certified preceptors for medication management and therapy hours, the fastest-growing and most placement-constrained specialty.
Acute- and primary-care adult-gero preceptors in the setting your certification requires, inpatient acute for AGACNP, clinic-based for AGPCNP.
Pediatric and women's-health preceptors, the narrowest specialty pools, where a placement service earns its keep.
Non-NP DNP projects (leadership, informatics, systems) need a practice mentor and an implementation site, a different match, still on you to find.
BSN-to-DNP carries the full 1,000 to 1,140 hours; post-master's transfers prior MSN hours and adds the remainder. We match either path.
The number is often misread. AACN's floor is 1,000 hours post-baccalaureate, cumulative from your bachelor's forward, not 1,000 brand-new hours inside the DNP. A post-master's student who already logged 500 to 650 NP hours transfers those and adds the balance; a BSN-to-DNP student logs the whole total.
That is why the range runs from roughly 945 combined (Herzing's BSN-to-DNP FNP) to 1,140 (South Alabama's BSN-to-DNP FNP), with most programs anchored at the 1,000 floor. At least 500 of those hours must sit in a supervised academic setting.
We won't quote you a total we can't tie to your program's handbook, and we won't claim a school abandons you when it doesn't. Herzing and Rasmussen genuinely assist, for those, we're your backup, not your replacement.
No cost to request, and nothing is billed until a match is confirmed and your school signs off. We'll reply within one business day.
We do not guarantee placement. Final approval rests with your program.
AACN sets a floor of 1,000 supervised practice hours post-baccalaureate, with at least 500 in a supervised academic setting. Most online programs land between 1,000 and 1,140 total post-bacc hours. BSN-to-DNP tracks sit at the top of that range; post-master's tracks transfer your earlier master's hours and add the remainder.
At most online DNP programs, no, you find and propose the preceptor and site, and the school approves them. Walden, South Alabama, Arizona State (outside Maricopa County), Chamberlain, Capella, Purdue Global, GCU, Aspen and TESU are self-source. Herzing and Rasmussen assist with placement; there we act as your backup. WGU, SNHU, Excelsior and ACE do not offer a DNP.
No. We never guarantee a placement, and final approval always rests with your program. What we do: source a credentialed, specialty- and state-matched preceptor, prepare the paperwork your school requires, and only bill once a match is confirmed.
Then use them first. For schools that assist, Herzing and Rasmussen, we stay on file as a backstop in case a site falls through mid-term, rather than replacing a service you're already paying for.
No. The 1,000 is cumulative post-baccalaureate. If you completed 500 to 650 hours in a prior NP master's, those transfer and you add the balance in the DNP. Your program will tell you exactly how many carry over.
Sources · last updated July 2026
AACN, About the DNP · AACN, DNP Fact Sheet · AACN, The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (DNP Essentials, 2006)