NURS 5337 Family Clinical Practice 1 at UTA
NURS 5337 is the first of three clinical courses in UTA's Family NP track: 3 credits, 180 clinical hours and 11 weeks in the accelerated online format. It is also the first time UTA needs an approved preceptor, an approved site and a signed Preceptor Agreement from you, so most of the work happens before the course opens.
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NURS 5337
NURS 5337 at a glance
UTA's catalog describes NURS 5337 as an "Initial clinical preceptorship in selected primary health practice sites" where you begin "implementing the family nurse practitioner role." The hours and length below come from UTA's online FNP page; the credits and prerequisites come from the 2026-27 catalog.
| Item | What UTA publishes |
|---|---|
| Catalog title | Family Clinical Practice 1 |
| Credits | 3 |
| Clinical hours | 180 (UTA's online FNP page) |
| Length, accelerated online | 11 weeks |
| Prerequisites | NURS 5432, NURS 5433 and NURS 5434, plus a 3.0 GPA |
| Setting | Selected primary health practice sites |
| When it falls | Second year of the online program; the Fall 2026 online schedule lists it for the 9/21/2026 start |
| What follows | NURS 5338 (which can run alongside it), then NURS 5660 |
The 180 hours are one quarter of the 720 clinical hours UTA lists for the FNP track. For every track side by side, see UTA clinical hours by track.
What you must finish first, and when to start looking
The catalog prerequisites are the three family didactic courses: NURS 5432 Family I, NURS 5433 Family II and NURS 5434 Family III, each 4 credits and 8 weeks online. UTA's online page notes their old numbers (NURS 5333, NURS 5335 and NURS 5336), which helps if an older syllabus or a classmate still uses them.
Your degree plan also places the shared NP courses ahead of clinicals: Advanced Pathophysiology (NURS 5315), Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners (NURS 5334), Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (NURS 5220, which UTA's schedule says replaced NURS 5418), the adult and pediatric assessment labs, and the role course (NURS 5350).
The preceptor search should start well before those courses end. UTA's online FAQ says to begin "12 to 16 weeks in advance" of your first clinical course, and its MSN answer sets the deadline as "no later than while in Pharmacology." The UTA clinical placement timeline puts every deadline in order.
The site and preceptor NURS 5337 calls for
Plan for an outpatient primary care practice where you will see patients yourself. The catalog names "primary health practice sites," and only direct patient care counts toward UTA's minimum hours, so a placement where you mostly shadow will leave you short.
UTA's preceptor resources page names two floor requirements: an "active, unencumbered provider license" and a year or more of experience in the specialty role. For FNP students, the online program page adds the word certified: it wants "a licensed and certified preceptor." Each clinical course has its own list of acceptable preceptor types, according to UTA's FAQ, but the lists are not published; UTA keeps its preceptor guidelines inside Exxat. UTA preceptor requirements covers the rules in full.
Earlier UTA syllabi (Fall 2016 and Spring 2018) wanted outpatient primary care and ruled out hospital and inpatient placements, house calls, and emergency care centers for FNP students. Treat that as history, not current policy, and check the NURS 5337 guidance in Exxat before you ask anyone.
A clinic run by your employer can work if it fits the course. Two limits come from UTA's FAQ: the hours cannot be in the department you work in, and the person you report to cannot precept you. Nobody, employer or preceptor, may pay you for clinical hours.
What must be approved before your first clinical day
UTA's online FNP page lists the clinical steps in order, and every one of them lands before you see a patient. Use this as your NURS 5337 checklist.
- Clearance done in ExxatUpload compliance documents within 60 days of starting your first graduate course. Book the background check and drug test inside the 30 days before
NURS 5337begins, since UTA says they must not be done earlier than that. - Self-placement request submittedLog in at steps.exxat.com, open clinical coursework and submit the MyRequest for
NURS 5337before its Wishlist closes. The Exxat MyRequest guide walks through it. - Preceptor and site approvedThe Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty approve both. Wait for that approval before you book clinic days.
- Affiliation agreement in placeUTA requires one with the clinical agency, and some sites also ask for their own written agreement or contract with UTA's College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
- Preceptor Agreement signedYour preceptor signs UTA's Preceptor Agreement, and the signed copy has to be with the Clinical Coordinator by the day your clinical experience starts.
- Ready for day oneWear your UTA MyMav ID in the clinical setting, as the handbook requires, and hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where the clinic sits.
The Preceptor Agreement is due by your first clinical day, not the end of week one. Get it signed as soon as the preceptor says yes.
Fitting 180 hours into 11 weeks
Spread evenly, 180 hours over 11 weeks is a little over 16 hours a week, about two full clinic days. That is our arithmetic, not a UTA figure, and it assumes you start in week one, which only happens when every approval is finished before the term.
UTA's handbook says simulation and observation "may not be used to satisfy" the minimum hours, and it does not waive clinical hours in any NP track. Timesheets and patient logbooks go into Exxat. Earlier UTA syllabi required logs within 7 days of each clinical day, which is still a sensible habit.
Faculty grade you with UTA's Clinical Evaluation of Student tool. To pass Clinical Practice 1, 80% of the scored items must reach "Meets Expectation with Moderate Assistance." The bar moves to minimal assistance in the next course, so this is the term to ask questions and build speed.
If your degree plan pairs NURS 5337 with NURS 5338 in one term, your hours double. The NURS 5338 page covers running the two courses together.
Why FNP students choose us for NURS 5337
NURS 5337 is your first FNP rotation, and a clean start here carries into NURS 5338 and NURS 5660. We take on the part UTA leaves to you: a family primary care preceptor and clinic near you that match the course description and clear UTA's license and one-year minimums. The packet the Clinical Coordinator reviews (your preceptor's CV, proof their license is active, the agreement forms, the site's details) is assembled before you file, and we stay on call if a preceptor backs out mid-course. Already have a willing preceptor? We check the fit against the course description before you submit.
UTA signs off on every preceptor, site and agreement, and we see to it that your request reaches the Clinical Coordinator complete and matched to NURS 5337 on the first pass. How it works shows the order we follow, or send your start term and county through the form below.
Questions UTA students ask
Can I take NURS 5337 and NURS 5338 in the same term?
Yes, if your degree plan allows it. The catalog lists NURS 5337 "or concurrent enrollment" as the prerequisite for NURS 5338, and UTA's Fall 2026 online schedule offers both at the same start. Taking them together means 360 clinical hours in one window, so check your plan in MyMav and confirm your preceptor can host that load before you register.
Can a physician or PA precept NURS 5337?
Current public UTA pages do not say. Earlier UTA syllabi from 2016 and 2018 accepted physicians (MD or DO), NPs and PAs who had practiced for a year or more. Today UTA's FAQ says acceptable categories are listed for each clinical course, but those lists are not public. Check the preceptor guidelines in Exxat's Resources area, or ask your Clinical Coordinator, before you approach a physician or PA.
Why can't I see NURS 5337 in Exxat MyRequest?
UTA's Exxat page lists three causes. The course may be over a year away, its request may not be built yet, or your degree plan may have an error. For a degree plan error, write to MSNadvising@uta.edu; for anything else, UTA sends you to Exxat support at v4support@exxat.com.
What happens if my NURS 5337 placement is not approved in time?
UTA's public pages do not set one rule. Its clearance policy lists a delayed clinical course among the results of noncompliance, and an agency's refusal of a student with a vaccine exemption pushes the course to the following semester. A UTA FNP guidelines file revised in September 2024, which we could read only as a search-result excerpt, suggests that missing the placement deadline means waiting for the next course start. Raise problems with your Clinical Coordinator early.
Do I have to go to campus for NURS 5337?
Not in the accelerated online format. UTA describes it as "100% Online Coursework" with no need to come to campus for class, and says clinicals depend on your own clinical arrangements. Your clinical hours happen at the approved site near you. Campus-based students take mostly online courses with a small number of in-person meetings.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against UTA's own sources. UTA's current handbook and your course faculty have the final word.
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