Your Aspen practicum preceptor and site, matched, not chased.
An independent clinical placement service for Aspen University nursing students, Aspen Preceptor secures your qualified, specialty-matched preceptor and approved field-experience site, and you pay only when matched. We cover BSN, MSN, RN-to-MSN, and DNP, in person or virtual, and walk the whole Office of Field Experience process with you.
Verified against the current Aspen University nursing handbooks, July 2026.
Your Aspen practicum preceptor and site, matched
Get matched, free
Tell us your program and we’ll start the search. No payment until you’re matched.
How your placement works.
Your placement runs as one connected path from enrollment to your Practicum Approval Letter, in person or virtual. We source a specialty-matched, master’s-prepared preceptor and an approved field-experience site, then carry your Aspen Office of Field Experience paperwork through to approval. You stay the student of record and pay only when you’re matched.
- A specialty-matched, master’s-prepared preceptor
- An approved field-experience site, in person or virtual
- Your OFE paperwork, through to the Practicum Approval Letter
Your placement path
- A specialty-matched, master’s-prepared preceptor
- An approved field-experience site, in person or virtual
- Your OFE paperwork, through to the Practicum Approval Letter
One network, two routes to your practicum.
Every Aspen program has required field experience. Our practicum placement service delivers it both ways, and matches either to your program’s verified requirements.
Physical placement matching
We source and secure a qualified preceptor and an approved in-person site near you, matched to your specialty.
- A master’s-prepared RN preceptor affiliated with the site, with specialty-relevant expertise
- An approved site that fits your track (e.g. health departments, informatics or education departments, Magnet facilities)
- Help with your Practicum Site Agreement, Preceptor Agreement & Student Profile
- Hours tracked toward your Practicum Approval Letter and logged in ProjectConcert
Virtual practicum service
When an in-person site is hard to find, we arrange a remote preceptor and a structured virtual practicum, ideal for Aspen’s non-clinical specialties and project work.
- A vetted remote preceptor for Informatics, Education, Public Health & Administration work
- Structured around your 120-hour practicum or DNP project milestones
- Same documentation support and ProjectConcert logging
- A remote route for students whose location makes a local site hard to secure
Field experience, by program.
Aspen offers no nurse-practitioner tracks, so this is project-based, specialty-matched field experience, not NP clinical rotations. Here’s what each program needs.
MSN in Nursing Education
Practicum in a staff-education or CE setting under a master’s-prepared preceptor.
120-hour practicum · 20h direct-care minFind a preceptor →MSN in Informatics
Ambulatory or HIM informatics department placement, a strong fit for virtual.
120-hour practicum · preceptor requiredFind a preceptor →MSN in Public Health
Health department or school-health placement with a project focus.
120-hour practicum · 20h direct-care minFind a preceptor →MSN in Administration & Management
Acute-care, skilled-nursing, or Magnet-facility leadership placement.
120-hour practicum · preceptor requiredFind a preceptor →MSN in Forensic Nursing
ED, correctional, medical-examiner, or court-system placement.
120-hour practicum · 20h direct-care minFind a preceptor →DNP Immersion & Project
1,000 immersion hours (up to 500 bankable), a clinical site + preceptor, DNP Project and Aspen University IRB approval.
1,000 immersion hours · DNP Project + IRBDNP support →RN-to-MSN bridge
19-course bridge to any of the five MSN specialties, same 120-hour practicum.
Bridge · 120-hour practicumHow the practicum works →RN-to-BSN field experience
Community-health field hours (N492/N493/N496). No preceptor required, we help you place and document them.
~110-120 community-health field hoursField-hours help →Virtual practicum
A remote preceptor and a virtual experience, one of our two placement routes, offered for any Aspen program.
Remote · any programExplore virtual →| Program / track | Required field-experience hours | Preceptor |
|---|---|---|
| MSN, Nursing Education | 120-hour practicum (min. 20 direct-care) | Master’s-prepared RN |
| MSN, Public Health | 120-hour practicum (min. 20 direct-care) | Master’s-prepared RN |
| MSN, Forensic Nursing | 120-hour practicum (min. 20 direct-care) | Master’s-prepared RN |
| MSN, Informatics | 120-hour practicum | Master’s-prepared RN |
| MSN, Administration & Management | 120-hour practicum | Master’s-prepared RN |
| DNP | 1,000 immersion hours (up to 500 bankable) | Site preceptor/mentor + Aspen IRB |
| RN-to-BSN field experience | ~110-120 community-health field hours | Not required |
Sources & referencesProgram facts verified against Aspen University’s MSN programs overview, DNP program page, the MSN practicum overview, and Aspen’s accreditation page (CCNE-accredited nursing programs; DEAC-accredited institution).
How our clinical placement service works, from enrollment to approval.
We work alongside Aspen’s Office of Field Experience, you stay the student of record; we do the legwork.
Tell us your program
Your specialty, term, and location (or that you want a virtual practicum). A free consult, no payment until you’re matched.
We source the match
We secure a master’s-prepared RN preceptor and an approved site for your track, or arrange a virtual practicum when an in-person site is hard to find.
We prep your paperwork
We help complete the Practicum Site Agreement, Preceptor Agreement, and Student Profile needed for your Practicum Approval Letter.
You log & complete
You record hours in ProjectConcert; we stay on it through your site and preceptor evaluations until the course is done.
One network. Every Aspen placement, connected.
Aspen leaves the practicum search to you, and students tell us it can drag on for months. We replace that solo search with one connected network: we source your site and preceptor, match them to your specialty, and carry the paperwork through to your Practicum Approval Letter.
- Specialty-matched, master’s-prepared preceptors, the qualification Aspen actually requires.
- In person or virtual, matched to what your program permits.
- Paperwork handled, agreements, Student Profile, and ProjectConcert logging.
- You pay when matched, not before.
Get your Aspen practicum handled.
Tell us your program and specialty. We’ll map your field-experience requirement and start the search, in person or virtual. No payment until you’re matched.
Aspen practicum questions, answered.
Does Aspen find my preceptor for me?
No. Aspen’s Office of Field Experience (OFE) assists with approving a preceptor and site and can suggest alternatives, but students are responsible for securing their own placement, and many report searches that drag on for months. That sourcing is exactly what we do for you.
How many practicum hours does Aspen require?
It depends on the program. Each MSN specialty has a 120-hour practicum (the Nursing Education, Forensic Nursing, and Public Health tracks include a minimum of 20 direct-care hours within it). The DNP requires 1,000 immersion hours, with up to 500 previously precepted hours bankable. RN-to-BSN includes roughly 110-120 community-health field hours. We confirm your exact requirement for your program.
Who qualifies as my preceptor?
For the MSN practicum, a Registered Nurse affiliated with the site who holds a master’s degree with expertise relevant to your specialty. We match you to someone who meets Aspen’s requirement, not just anyone.
Can my practicum be virtual?
Yes, a virtual practicum is one of our two service routes. Alongside in-person placement, we can arrange a remote preceptor and a virtual experience, which suits Aspen’s informatics, education, public-health, administration, and project work especially well. Tell us your program and we’ll set it up.
Does Aspen offer FNP or other nurse-practitioner tracks?
No. Aspen’s graduate nursing programs are non-NP (Forensic, Informatics, Administration & Management, Education, Public Health, plus the DNP). The practicum is project-based field experience, not NP-style direct patient-care rotations, and we never market it as such.
How do I find an Aspen preceptor?
You have two honest routes: search on your own, starting with master’s-prepared RNs at your workplace and the specialty-matched sites Aspen’s Office of Field Experience will approve, or let us source the match for you. As an independent placement service built only for Aspen nursing students, we secure a specialty-matched, master’s-prepared preceptor and an approved field-experience site, then carry your OFE paperwork through to the Practicum Approval Letter. You stay the student of record and pay only when you’re matched.
Is Aspen Preceptor a clinical placement service?
Yes. Aspen Preceptor is an independent clinical placement service, which means we do the actual sourcing: we find and secure a qualified, specialty-matched preceptor and an approved field-experience site for your Aspen practicum, in person or virtual, and help complete the agreements your Practicum Approval Letter requires.
Do you place preceptors for Aspen students, or just refer them?
We place them. Unlike a lead-referrer that sells your contact details or hands you a list of names to chase, we source and secure a specific master’s-prepared, specialty-matched preceptor and an approved site, then support the OFE paperwork through to your Practicum Approval Letter. You work with our placement desk directly, and you pay only when a placement is actually secured.