NURS 7065, FNP Practicum 5: finishing your hours and getting ready to certify

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the YSU Preceptor placement team

NURS 7065 closes the FNP clinical sequence at Youngstown State University. Its catalog emphasis is clinical mastery, interprofessional collaboration, autonomy in practice and preparation for certification and licensure as a new FNP. Enrollment follows a B in NURS 7064; the course is worth 2 credits across seven weeks, shows 150 hours in YSU's FAQ, and shares its term, or hands off to the next one, with the NURS 7005 Capstone, which must be your final course.

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5 of 5the final FNP practicum at YSU

60project clock hours in the NURS 7005 Capstone, per YSU's program page

Four aims for the last seven weeks

The 2026-27 catalog states the course's focus plainly: "Emphasis is on demonstrating clinical mastery, interprofessional collaboration, autonomy in practice, preparation for certification and licensure as a new FNP." The word "demonstrating" matters. Earlier practicums asked you to begin, formulate, refine and integrate; this one asks you to show the result. How each aim can play out in a primary care clinic, as our reading rather than YSU's syllabus:

Clinical mastery: carrying a full visit from history to plan with the preceptor confirming rather than steering.
Interprofessional collaboration: working with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers or front-desk staff to move a patient's care along.
Autonomy in practice: managing your own patient list for a session, with supervision still in place.
Certification and licensure: using the breadth of the final weeks to spot weak areas before you sit for a board exam.

Finishing with the Capstone

NURS 7005, the Capstone Practicum, carries 3 credits; YSU's FNP program page counts it as 60 project clock hours, with no preceptor involved. The catalog lists NURS 7065 as its prerequisite or corequisite, and the program page lets you take the Capstone alongside NURS 7065 or in the term right after, as long as nothing comes after it.

Two ways to finish, per YSU's FNP program page
Route	Terms	What to weigh
`NURS 7065` and `NURS 7005` together	One 7-week term	Earliest finish; clinic days and project work share the same seven weeks
`NURS 7065`, then `NURS 7005`	Two 7-week terms	Room to focus on each; graduation may move to a later conferral date

One wrinkle to check with your advisor: the handbook's general rule keeps practicums and didactic courses in separate terms. The Capstone is titled a practicum, so the pairing likely fits that rule, but confirm before you register. More detail is on the Capstone guide.

Choosing the final preceptor

The setting rule does not relax at the end: every NURS 7065 hour still counts only in primary care, for adults, older adults, children or women's health. Our suggestion, not a YSU rule: settle any remaining gap in YSU's recommended mix first, using the FNP hour mix as your checklist; if the mix is already met, finish in the kind of practice where you hope to work as a new FNP.

Look for a preceptor who will let you run visits and who works inside a team, since autonomy and collaboration are the course's own words. The handbook's formal requests are the same as in earlier practicums: paperwork signed before your first shift, evaluations of your performance returned to YSU, and each logged hour confirmed. This last verification closes your clinical record, so keep your Exxat log current week by week rather than reconciling it at the end. The program-wide hour totals, including the conflict between YSU's sources, are on FNP clinical hours.

After the last clinical day: certification and licensure

The catalog says graduates are qualified and eligible to take the ANCC and/or AANP family nurse practitioner certification examinations. YSU reports FNP certification pass rates of 83% (AANP) and 91% (ANCC) for 2023, 85% and 90% for 2024, and 92% and 90% for 2025; its outcomes page gives no test-taker counts. Our certification exams guide compares the two boards.

In Ohio, certification comes before the state credential. The handbook reminds graduates that finishing the MSN does not automatically bring APRN licensure, and it passes on the Ohio Board of Nursing's rule that the 45-hour advanced pharmacology course must fall within five years before you apply. YSU's catalog still says graduates apply for a Certificate of Authority, an older Ohio term; the Board now issues an APRN license, and it wants your transcript sent directly by the school.

Graduation dates and the final preceptor deadline

The Practicum 5 preceptor is due two months before the course starts, which usually falls early in Practicum 4 or before it; the Practicum 4 guide works through an example. The graduation application, filed through the Penguin Portal, has its own clock. If NURS 7065 and the Capstone share the second Spring term (March 8 to April 25, 2027), the spring application deadline of February 12 arrives before your final practicum even begins.

2026-27 graduation application deadlines (YSU academic calendar)
Graduation term	Apply by	Graduation
Fall 2026	October 2, 2026	December (commencement December 11-12)
Spring 2027	February 12, 2027	May (commencement April 30 to May 1)
Summer 2027	June 18, 2027	August

Here is how the placement desk closes out the program for YSU students: your placement advisor secures the Practicum 5 preceptor while Practicum 4 is still running, in the setting that finishes your mix or matches the job you want, checks it against YSU's rules, and stays on call until your last clinical day. Plan your final term with us.

Questions YSU students ask

Can I take the FNP certification exam before finishing NURS 7065?

YSU's catalog ties exam eligibility to graduates of the program, and each certifying board sets its own application rules and timing. Plan on completing NURS 7065 and the Capstone first, then check the current process with ANCC or the AANP certification board before you register for a test date.

Does YSU report pass rates for post-master's certificate students?

Yes, separately. YSU reports a 100% certification rate for its Post-Graduate APRN Certificate in 2023, 2024 and 2025, without splitting FNP from AGACNP. The handbook adds that certification eligibility depends on the certifying body, and certificate students may need to repeat one or all of the three P's (advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment), depending on their current NP specialty.

Do I have to return anything to my clinical site after NURS 7065?

Yes, if the site loaned you anything. The handbook asks students to return loaned equipment on the final day of a practicum, and for the last practicum an unreturned item leads to a graduation hold. A quick check with the site manager during your final week avoids a delay.

Is there an on-campus exam or visit at the end of the FNP program?

The catalog calls the FNP a fully online program, and nothing in the catalog, handbook or FAQ sets an on-campus immersion. The handbook does mention clinical competency assessments and faculty site visits or virtual evaluations as directed, so watch your course announcements for anything scheduled in the final term.

What if I earn a C in NURS 7065?

You repeat the course, once, and need at least a B to progress. The Capstone lists NURS 7065 with a B or better as its prerequisite or corequisite, and graduation also requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA, so a repeat usually moves your graduation term. See grades and time limits.

YSU systemNURS 7064 Practicum 4NURS 7064 is YSU's fourth FNP practicum: leadership, critical thinking and care across the lifespan, 2 credits, 150 FAQ hours, and a B in NURS 7063 to enroll.CapstoneCapstone practicumYSU's NURS 7005 Capstone Practicum: 3 credits, 60 project clock hours, not a precepted clinical, taken with or after the final practicum as the last MSN course.YSU systemNP certification examsThe boards YSU names for FNP and AGACNP certification, the pass rates YSU reports, how NURS 7065 and 7075 build toward boards, and the Ohio APRN license after.FNPFNP clinical hoursYSU FNP clinical hours: five 150-hour practicums, NURS 7061 to NURS 7065, 750 on the program page against the catalog's 600, and the pace a 7-week term sets.YSU systemAcademic calendarYSU's 2026-27 accelerated calendar: 7-week term dates, the four online starts, graduation deadlines, a Spring 2 date conflict and how practicums map on.Ohio lawOhio Board of NursingWhat the Ohio Board of Nursing means for YSU students: RN licensure, the APRN license, the APRN student exemption, program approval and compact status.

Last checked 2026-09-26

We check these pages against YSU's own catalog, graduate handbook, online program pages and FAQ, and Ohio rules. Your clinical faculty, the Graduate Clinical Coordinator and your advisor have the final word.

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