Samford ADN to MSN: two bridge courses, then the full NP clinical sequence
Samford's ADN to MSN takes a registered nurse with an associate degree straight into the Family or Psychiatric-Mental Health NP master's in eight semesters. The first fall is the bridge (NURG 505 and NURG 506); the clinical hours come later and match the BSN-entry plans exactly, 750 in each track. That long runway is your head start on preceptors.
Plan your ADN to MSN clinicals early
Tell us your track and start term. Your placement advisor maps each clinical course to a preceptor search near home.
Who the ADN to MSN is for, and what you graduate with
The pathway is built for RNs whose nursing degree is an ADN or ASN. Samford asks for an unencumbered RN license, a 3.0 GPA and six prerequisite courses, admits once a year in August, and closes applications on June 1. The FNP plan of study totals 53 credits and the PMHNP plan 54; the catalog lists the same totals for both.
The degree you finish with is an MSN, and only an MSN. Samford's catalog puts it plainly: "the graduate does not earn a bachelor's degree." If a BSN matters to you for its own sake, the online RN to BSN is the separate route. If the NP role is the goal, this pathway reaches it without a stop at the bachelor's.
Coursework is online and asynchronous. FNP students attend 2 to 3 required on-campus intensives in Birmingham over the program, and PMHNP students 1 or 2. Those visits are short, but they land in specific semesters, so they belong on the same calendar as your clinical terms.
The ADN to MSN awards a master's with no bachelor's degree along the way. Settle whether you need a BSN before choosing this route over the RN to BSN.
Year one: the bridge courses and the APRN core
Your first fall is NURG 505 (Professional Role Development Foundational to APN) and NURG 506 (Principles of Systems-Based Practice Foundational to APN), and Samford requires both to be passed first. The RN to MSN FNP plan of study titles these two courses differently from the catalog, so match them by number when you compare documents.
Spring of year one brings NURG 606 Systems Leadership, NURG 731 Concepts of APN and COHS 500, the one-credit interprofessional course. Summer adds NURG 533 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology, and PMHNP students take NURG 732 on evidence-based practice in that same summer.
The second fall is shared ground: NURG 610 Advanced Health Assessment and NURG 633 Pharmacotherapeutics for both tracks. PMHNP students add NURG 766, the psychiatric assessment and diagnosis course, and their plan marks a campus visit that term. Nothing in these first four semesters carries clinical hours, which makes them the calm stretch to learn how Samford's clinical placement process works while your RN schedule still has room.
Where the 750 clinical hours fall
From semester five on, the ADN plans run the same clinical courses as the BSN-entry MSNs, in the same order. PMHNP students reach clinical work one term sooner, because NURG 767 sits in the second spring while FNP students are still in NURG 706 and NURG 732.
| Semester | FNP ADN to MSN | PMHNP ADN to MSN |
|---|---|---|
| 5: year 2 spring | NURG 706, NURG 732 (no clinical hours) | NURG 767 Psychotherapeutic Frameworks and Modalities: 75 hours |
| 6: year 2 summer | NURG 723 Advanced Practice Clinical I FNP: 150 hours | NURG 788 Advanced Practice Clinical I PMHNP: 150 hours |
| 7: year 3 fall | NURG 724 Advanced Practice Clinical II FNP: 300 hours | NURG 789 Advanced Practice Clinical II PMHNP: 225 hours |
| 8: year 3 spring | NURG 730 NP Practicum: 300 hours | NURG 790 PMHNP Practicum: 300 hours |
| Total | 750 hours | 750 hours |
Samford's program pages put clinical weeks at 10 to 20 hours depending on the rotation. The PMHNP column carries one open conflict: the plans give NURG 767 75 hours while the catalog says a minimum of 60, so read the NURG 767 guide before you budget that spring.
By our own count, a student who entered in August 2026 reaches NURG 767 in spring 2028 and NURG 723 or NURG 788 in summer 2028. Check those terms against the plan of study Samford gave you, since a leave or a repeated course shifts everything after it.
When to start lining up preceptors
- Year one: learn the rules while the pressure is lowRead the NP Clinical Manual in the Nurse Practitioner Homeroom on Canvas as soon as you can open it. It holds the clinical policies Samford keeps off its public pages, including how rotation requests are timed.
- Second fall: name the settings you needFNP students need an adult-focused primary care preceptor first, then a practice that sees patients across the lifespan. PMHNP students need a therapy preceptor for
NURG 767and psychiatric preceptors for the three clinicals that follow. - Before each course: preceptor details and the site agreementSamford holds affiliation agreements with hundreds of agencies, most in the Southeast, and students may ask for a new one when their preceptor's site is not covered. A new agreement is paperwork between institutions, so settle the site early.
- Every semester: clearance in parallelUpdate the Health Data Record, BLS card and other items before registration each term, because a site's onboarding team checks them again before your first shift.
Health systems keep their own clocks. East Alabama Health, according to its student pages, wants spring preceptorship requests by the last Friday of October, a full semester ahead. Samford's internal request deadlines live in the NP Clinical Manual, not on public pages, so treat the earlier of the two as yours.
What ADN-entry nurses are usually missing
Samford's NP pages say professional and personal connections are essential to securing a placement close to home; our page on that line unpacks what it asks of you. If your career so far has been on hospital units, the people you know are likely charge nurses, hospitalists and unit managers rather than the outpatient family practice NPs or psychiatric prescribers these courses call for.
Your employer can still help, but check before counting on it. Samford publishes very little about completing clinicals where you work, and the handbook requires your RN license to be current in every state where a rotation happens. If you live near a state line and the best preceptor is across it, that license question comes first.
How we place Samford ADN to MSN students
We are the connection Samford's line describes, timed to the ADN plan. Your placement advisor starts during the bridge year, so the first preceptor is confirmed well before semester five or six instead of chased in the final weeks before it.
What you get
- A preceptor and site near home matched to the exact course: adult primary care for
NURG 723, lifespan practice forNURG 724andNURG 730, a therapy setting forNURG 767, psychiatric care forNURG 788throughNURG 790. - The preceptor and site details Samford reviews, assembled and checked against the course before your clinical rotation request goes in.
- Groundwork for a new affiliation agreement request when the site sits outside Samford's current list.
- Site onboarding pushed along with you: badge, orientation modules and records finished before the first shift.
- A placement advisor on call through each term, and a replacement search if a preceptor drops out.
Samford reviews every rotation and approves every preceptor. Our part is making sure what reaches Samford is complete and fits the course the first time. Send us your track and start term to get a plan for all three or four clinical courses.
Questions Samford students ask
What are the prerequisites for Samford's ADN to MSN?
Samford lists six: English Composition I, College Algebra or higher, Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and Developmental Psychology. Admission also asks for an associate degree in nursing, an unencumbered RN license and a 3.0 GPA. Applications for the August start close June 1, and Graduate Student Services can tell you how a specific transcript lines up.
Do I need years of RN experience before Samford's ADN to MSN?
Samford's NP pages state no minimum amount of RN experience for admission. Working experience still pays off once clinicals start, because nurses and providers you already know are often the quickest route to a preceptor. If your background is mostly inpatient, allow extra time to build outpatient contacts before your first clinical term.
Are ADN to MSN clinicals the same as the BSN to MSN clinicals?
Yes. The clinical courses, hours and order match the BSN-entry plans; the ADN route only adds a bridge year in front. Once year two begins, the guides for the FNP MSN and the PMHNP MSN apply to you, along with the preceptor rules in the NP Clinical Manual.
How long does Samford's ADN to MSN take?
Eight semesters from an August start: two full years of fall, spring and summer, then a final fall and spring. FNP students hold clinical courses in the last three of those semesters and PMHNP students in the last four, so nearly all preceptor time falls in the program's final year or so.
Can ADN to MSN students do clinicals outside Alabama?
Often, yes. Samford's program pages say clinical experiences may be completed in your community across the United States, but the handbook requires an RN license in every clinical state and warns that rotation requests may be denied on state rules. Samford also does not accept NP applications from people who live in, or hold a license only in, 16 states; see clinicals outside Alabama.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Samford's own program pages, plans of study, the 2026-27 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Alabama rules. Your course, your program coordinator and Graduate Student Services have the final word.
Samford says connections are essential. We are the connection.
Tell us your Samford track, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare the details Samford needs to approve the rotation, including a new affiliation agreement where one is needed.
- Preceptors matched to the course: adult primary care for
NURG 723, family practice across the lifespan forNURG 724, psychiatric care forNURG 788 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your clinical rotation request
- In your own community, anywhere Samford accepts you and your RN license is valid
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.