Behind on clinical hours in a Bradley semester
Divide the hours you still owe by the weeks left, and you will know whether extra days with your current preceptor can close the gap or whether you need a second approved preceptor. Bradley's rules set the boundaries: no hours before the semester starts, every practicum day logged in Typhon within seven days, and hours over a break only with an Incomplete and faculty approval. Tell course faculty early, while every option is still available.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your Bradley program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your course.
Work out your weekly pace
| Courses | Clinical hours | Per week over 15 weeks | Per week over 13 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
NUR 676 | 100 | about 7 | about 8 |
NUR 677, NUR 687 | 150 | 10 | about 12 |
NUR 678, NUR 685, NUR 656, NUR 657, NUR 666, NUR 667 | 200 | about 13 | about 15 |
NUR 686 | 250 | about 17 | about 19 |
NUR 679, NUR 658, NUR 668 | 300 | 20 | about 23 |
Bradley does not state that every practicum course spans the full semester, and its semesters also split into 7-week terms, so check your course calendar in Canvas before using the table. The catalog figures above also differ from some online pages, which still show the AG tracks at 600 hours; Bradley clinical hours sets out every conflict.
A worked example: 120 hours behind with six weeks left means 20 extra hours a week on top of your planned schedule. That is roughly two extra long clinic days a week, which one preceptor may not be able to give.
The rules that limit catching up
- No banking hours early: the clock opens on the first day of the scheduled semester, not before.
- Log within seven days: each practicum day, with patient data for NP tracks, goes into Typhon within a week.
- No hours during a leave of absence.
- Break-time hours only while you hold an Incomplete, and only once the lead faculty member signs off.
- DNP project work has its own break rule, set out on DNP project hours.
- Telehealth hours follow separate telemedicine guidelines for FNP and AG students that Bradley has not made public; ask course faculty before counting any.
Back in 2017, the typical Bradley student spent a day or two a week at the site, according to that year's preceptor webinar, and a few moved faster. A catch-up plan usually means moving from the low end of that range to the high end or beyond.
Fixes course faculty can approve
- Add days with your current preceptorThe simplest fix if the preceptor has room. Put the new schedule in writing so both of you plan around it.
- Add a second approved preceptorUseful when one schedule cannot stretch. The second preceptor needs a full packet and Bradley's approval first, so start now rather than in week twelve.
- Use specialty time where allowedFNP students were allowed up to 100 hours with specialists in 2017, dermatology and cardiology among them; your clinical packet states the current allowance.
- Ask about telehealthIf your course permits it under the telemedicine guidelines, telehealth sessions with your preceptor may add hours.
- Tighten your loggingUnlogged days are the easiest hours to lose. Enter each day in Typhon as soon as it ends.
When the hours will not fit: the Incomplete
If the gap cannot close by the end of the course, the Incomplete is Bradley's release valve. The nursing department's policy is stricter than the university catalog. Four-fifths of the coursework must already be done, your course grade must be at B level or higher, two sign-offs are needed (the Program Director's and the Chairperson of Nursing's), and whatever remains is due on the contract date or, at the latest, in week 11 of the next semester.
The university catalog instead allows until four weeks before the next regular semester ends, which clashes with the department's week 11; follow the department policy and confirm the date with your advisor. Break-time hours under an Incomplete still need faculty approval. The semester calendar page shows where week 11 falls, and delayed graduation covers what happens if the course moves instead.
Why students fall behind, and how to prevent it next time
Common causes are easy to name: a preceptor's schedule shrinks, a clinic cancels days, a late approval starts the clock weeks into the course, or the preceptor leaves outright, which the preceptor dropped out page handles. Illness and changing work shifts can do the same.
Prevention is mostly timing. A preceptor approved well before the term lets you log from the first week, and a planned schedule that front-loads hours leaves room for lost days later. Our placement desk builds that margin in: we line up each practicum a semester ahead, confirm the preceptor can cover the course's full hour count before the packet goes in, and keep a second candidate in view. If you are behind right now, we can also find a second preceptor to split what is left, subject to Bradley's approval. Start with the form below.
Questions Bradley students ask
Can I do extra clinical hours during a Bradley semester break?
Only in limited cases. The Graduate Student Handbook allows break-time hours when you hold an Incomplete and the lead faculty member approves them. DNP project hours follow a separate break rule tied to your project sequence and mentor. Otherwise plan to finish hours within the semester.
Can I start clinical hours before the Bradley semester begins?
No. Even with an approved and eager preceptor, the handbook keeps the first countable hour inside the semester itself. If you know a course will be heavy, the useful preparation is getting the preceptor approved and the schedule set before the term, so you can log from the first week.
What happens if I log my Typhon hours late?
Seven days is the handbook's window for entering each practicum day in Typhon, along with patient data for NP students. Bradley does not publish the consequence of a late entry, so if you have missed the window, tell course faculty straight away and ask how to proceed rather than backfilling quietly.
Do extra hours in one Bradley course carry over to the next?
Bradley publishes no rule on carrying hours between courses, and each practicum course carries its own hour count in the catalog. Assume hours count only toward the course you logged them in, and ask course faculty before you plan around anything different.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Bradley's own catalog, online program pages and Graduate Student Handbook. Your clinical packet, course faculty and academic advisor have the final word.
Bradley lets you choose your preceptors. We find the ones worth choosing.
Tell us your Bradley track, your city and your next practicum course. We line up preceptors who fit the NUR course and gather the license, CV and malpractice details the DocuSign packet asks for, well before the midterm of the semester before you start.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP and AGPCNP, acute care teams for AGACNP, mental health settings for PMHNP
- Preceptor license, CV, malpractice coverage and the site address ready for the packet
- Every practicum in your sequence planned together, close to home in your approved state
Start your placement plan
Track, city and next practicum is all we need to begin.