IWU's NP Clinical Guidelines, handbooks and DNP Project Manual
IWU's public catalog sets the big rules: hour totals, compliance and the expectation that students find their own preceptors. For the working detail it points to documents it does not post publicly, namely the NP Clinical Guidelines, the student handbooks and, for doctoral students, the DNP Project Manual. Knowing what to look up in them first can save you weeks.
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The documents IWU names
IWU refers to several operational documents by name on its program pages and in its catalog. None of them is available on a public IWU page.
- NP Clinical Guidelines. Named on the BSN-to-DNP pages as the place where the detail on assigning and approving clinical hours is kept.
- DNP Project Manual. Named alongside the guidelines for doctoral hour accrual and project work.
- School of Integrated Health Student Handbook. The 2026-27 catalog says it is located within each course, which places it inside Brightspace.
- Clinical guidelines in general terms, cited on the DNP in Systems Leadership catalog page for practicum rules.
A search of IWU's public pages also turned up no preceptor handbook, no clinical handbook and no preceptor forms. If a classmate sends you a PDF, check its date and whether it applies to your track before relying on it.
Why the catalog sends you there
The catalog handles program-level requirements: the 850 practicum hours and 800 encounters for the MSN FNP, the compliance items before the first practicum, the lock-step sequence and grade rules. It stays general about process and leaves forms, timelines and review steps to the operational documents.
The BSN-to-DNP entry shows the pattern clearly. It says practicum hours come from clinical time assigned to specific courses, as approved by course faculty or the designated academic leader, and then refers students to the DNP Project Manual and NP Clinical Guidelines for specifics.
IWU's own figures also disagree in places. The MSN FNP catalog lists 850 hours while the program web page says 700; the PMHNP catalog says 820 against 525 on the web; the FNP certificate is 780 in the catalog and 850 in the web FAQ. Treat these as open questions and settle them with your syllabus and faculty.
What to look up first
When you get access to the guidelines, go straight to the questions IWU's public pages leave open. These are the ones that decide whether a placement comes together in time.
| Question | Public status | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| How far ahead to secure a placement | No lead time published | NP Clinical Guidelines, program faculty |
| Which forms the preceptor and site complete | No form names published | NP Clinical Guidelines, course materials |
| Who may precept, and with what credentials | No credential list published | NP Clinical Guidelines |
| How long approval takes | No turnaround published | Program faculty |
| Specialty, telehealth or inpatient hour limits | Not stated | NP Clinical Guidelines, syllabus |
| How hours and encounters are logged and evaluated | Log format and schedule not published | Syllabus, NP Clinical Guidelines |
| How doctoral hours accrue | Assigned by course, faculty-approved | DNP Project Manual |
Pair the guidelines with each syllabus
The guidelines cover the program; your syllabus covers the course. IWU does not publish per-course hours for any FNP clinical course from PYC-660 through PYC-683, so the syllabus is where your hour and encounter targets for that course will appear, along with evaluation due dates.
The syllabus is also the place to confirm the Medatrax expectation each term. IWU's 2024-25 and 2025-26 catalogs set the second week of a practicum course as the point after which missing Medatrax submissions can lead to dismissal, but the 2026-27 online pages do not repeat it.
Read both documents at the start of every course, not just the first one. For FNP hour questions, see how many clinical hours IWU's FNP requires, and for logging habits, see clinical logs and integrity.
Reading the guidelines with your preceptor in mind
Some of what you find in the guidelines is really for your preceptor: what supervision looks like, what the evaluations ask, and how faculty site visits work. Preceptors are busy clinicians, and a short summary from you lands better than a long document.
Pull out the few points your preceptor needs before day one, such as the evaluation schedule, the hours you need in that course and any setting limits. Share them when you ask for the commitment, so there are no surprises mid-course. Clinicians weighing the role will find more in our guide for IWU preceptors.
Guidelines change. Check that the version you are reading applies to your current course and cohort.
Getting the current version
Start inside your course. IWU's 2026-27 catalog says the School of Integrated Health Student Handbook sits within each course, and Brightspace opens courses to students seven days before the start date, so that week is the moment to read it. For the NP Clinical Guidelines and the DNP Project Manual, IWU does not say publicly where they are posted; ask your program faculty which version applies and note the date on the copy you use. Our portal and Brightspace page explains where course materials live.
Ask again when you move into a new phase, such as from PYC-670 into the lifespan courses or from didactic work into DNP-810. A quick question to faculty costs far less time than a submission built on an outdated rule. If the answer is still unclear, get it in an email so you can refer back to it. Keep the guidelines, your syllabus and any faculty replies in one folder, so the answer is at hand when a preceptor or site office asks.
How we build searches around IWU's rules
Our searches start from IWU's published rules, including the setting focus for FNP courses, the PMHNP course hours and the encounter minimums, and then fold in the requirements you share from your current guidelines and syllabus. That combination lets us match preceptors to what your course actually asks for. Before a preceptor commits, we walk them through what an IWU course expects of them, which keeps the placement steady once the term begins.
IWU keeps the final approval of every site and preceptor. What we add is preparation: a preceptor who fits, and a set of documents that meets IWU's rules before it is submitted. Read how it works for the step-by-step, or share your course details in the form below.
Questions IWU students ask
Where can I find IWU's NP Clinical Guidelines?
They are not posted on any public IWU page or in the online catalog. The catalog places the School of Integrated Health Student Handbook within each course in Brightspace, so look there first, then ask program faculty where the NP Clinical Guidelines for your track are kept. Save a dated copy of each.
Is there an IWU preceptor handbook?
No preceptor handbook, clinical handbook or preceptor form appears on IWU's public pages. Ask your faculty what your preceptor should receive from IWU and when, so you can pass it along before the first shift. A one-page summary of the course expectations is a useful addition of your own.
Do the NP Clinical Guidelines override the IWU catalog?
IWU does not publish a statement ranking the two. The catalog sets program requirements such as hour totals and compliance, while the guidelines carry process detail. If you find a conflict, raise it with your program faculty and keep their written answer, since it will guide how your course treats you.
What does IWU's DNP Project Manual cover?
IWU names it as the source for how BSN-to-DNP practicum hours accrue, alongside the NP Clinical Guidelines. The project courses it supports include DNP-810, DNP-811, DNP-812 and DNP-840. The manual itself is not public, so request it from your faculty early in the program.
Do PMHNP students use the same NP Clinical Guidelines?
IWU names the NP Clinical Guidelines without saying publicly whether FNP and PMHNP students share one document or have separate versions. PMHNP course pages publish hours per course, but setting rules and forms still need checking. Confirm with your program faculty which guidelines apply to your track.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against IWU's own catalog and program pages. IWU's NP Clinical Guidelines, your syllabus and your program faculty have the final word.
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