Lewis BSN to DNP
Lewis's BSN to DNP takes a BSN-prepared RN to a doctorate in one of four NP populations: FNP at 75 credits, AGACNP and AGPCNP at 73, or PMHNP at 76, over what Lewis calls "4.5 years". Along the way you need two kinds of placement: NP practicum preceptors for your population, then a setting for the DNP residency and project. We plan both and find the people.
Plan every BSN to DNP placement
Tell us your track, where you live and your first practicum term.
Four tracks, four blocks
Every track shares one frame: a graduate core, the NP specialty core, your population's management and practicum courses, then a 30-credit doctoral block. Only block III changes with your track.
| Block | Courses | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| I. Core | NURS 51700, NURS 53300, NURS 53400, NURS 53600, NURS 55900 | 15 |
| II. NP specialty core | NURS 58800, NURS 60400, NURS 60500, NURS 60700 | 10 |
| III. FNP | NURS 61000, NURS 61100, NURS 61200, NURS 61800, NURS 64000, NURS 64100, NURS 64200, NURS 64300 | 20 |
| III. AGACNP | NURS 61200, NURS 61800, NURS 62400, NURS 62500, NURS 62600, NURS 62700 | 18 |
| III. AGPCNP | NURS 61000, NURS 61100, NURS 61200, NURS 61800, NURS 61400, NURS 61500 | 18 |
| III. PMHNP | NURS 63000, NURS 63200, NURS 63300, NURS 63400, NURS 63500, NURS 63600, NURS 63700 | 21 |
| IV. DNP | NURS 72000, NURS 73500, NURS 74000, NURS 76000, NURS 77000, NURS 79000, NURS 79200, NURS 79300, NURS 79600 twice | 30 |
One detail differs from the MSN: NURS 73500 Transformational Leadership for Healthcare sits in the doctoral block rather than the core. Lewis also says BSN to DNP students can switch to the MSN, which matters if work or family changes your plans partway through.
Stage one: the NP practicums
Block III holds the very practicum courses MSN students take, with the same printed hours and the same totals: at least 630 clinical hours for FNP and 540 for the other three populations. Every practicum is a 16-week course that runs alongside its management course.
- FNP:
NURS 61100,NURS 61800,NURS 64100,NURS 64300 - AGACNP:
NURS 61800,NURS 62500,NURS 62700 - AGPCNP:
NURS 61100,NURS 61800,NURS 61500 - PMHNP:
NURS 63300,NURS 63500,NURS 63700
Each population asks for a different preceptor profile. FNP students need adult primary care, adult-gerontology and adolescent, women's health and pediatric preceptors across four courses, the same set covered on the MSN FNP page. AGACNP students need hospital-based acute care preceptors for NURS 62500 and NURS 62700. AGPCNP students stay with adults and older adults, including the special-populations practicum, NURS 61500. PMHNP students need psychiatric providers who see patients across the lifespan.
Lewis's FAQ answer on placement is headed for MSN and CAS nurse practitioner students. BSN to DNP students take identical practicum courses, and the CONHS portal treats a contract request as required for any student headed into a clinical practicum. Plan on the same division of labor: you help find the preceptors, your track faculty sign off on them, and the Clinical Placement Office coordinates. Hours for each course are set out on the clinical hours page.
Stage two: residency and project
The doctoral block adds NURS 79200 DNP Scholarly Project Implementation, 168 clock hours, and NURS 79600 DNP Residencies at 168 clocked hours for every 3 credits, taken for at least 6 credits. The track pages add that some students end up needing more than 6 credits of NURS 79600, and BSN to DNP students also owe the two Oak Brook immersions.
Lewis prints no hour total for the whole BSN to DNP, and it makes no claim about a set number of post-BSN hours. Adding the NP minimum to 336 residency hours and 168 project hours gives 1,134 for FNP and 1,044 for the other tracks; that is our arithmetic only. How residency hours are planned is covered on the DNP residency hours page, and the doctoral courses are described on the post-master's DNP page.
NP practicum hours and DNP residency hours are separate requirements with separate kinds of preceptor. A family practice that fits NURS 61100 may be the wrong home for a residency built around a systems project, so plan them as two searches.
Your RN license and your state
Admission asks for a current RN license in Illinois and/or the state where you plan to do your clinical practicum. That is broader than the post-master's DNP rule, which ties the license to the residency state. Lewis's March 2026 disclosures for the four BSN to DNP tracks authorize enrollment in 18 jurisdictions and flag four of them, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi, where the program does not meet NP licensure requirements.
Every NP table adds Lewis's caution that there may be restrictions on clinical rotations in a designated state, and Lewis's catalog warns that a placement in another state can require approval beyond the usual, whether from Lewis, that state or Illinois licensing boards. In a program lasting four and a half years, a move is a real possibility; check your track's table before you commit to a practicum state. State authorization lists every jurisdiction.
Planning four and a half years of placements
Lewis tells NP students to begin practicum planning at acceptance, and in a program this long the calendar is the biggest risk. Lewis publishes no term-by-term plan for the BSN to DNP, so build one with your advisor: mark the semester each practicum lands in, start each preceptor search well ahead of it, and leave room for the contract portal's minimum two-week review plus any new affiliation agreement an agency has to sign.
The residency needs the same foresight. Your project focus, your license state and the organization willing to host you should be settled while you are still in your NP practicums, so the doctoral block starts with a setting ready. Start planning at acceptance lays out a practical timeline working back from each 16-week practicum.
How we help BSN to DNP students
- Put both stages on one calendarWe lay out your NP practicums and your residency together, with a search start date for each one.
- Match each NP practicumFor every practicum we find a preceptor near you whose patients fit the course population, and hand you the details the contract request needs.
- Line up the residency settingAs you approach the doctoral block, we look for a practice setting and preceptor that fit your project focus and your license state.
- Stay on callIf a preceptor drops out at any stage, we find a replacement and keep CastleBranch and agency onboarding moving.
Share your track, your home area and the term of your first practicum through the request form.
Questions Lewis students ask
Can I switch from the BSN to DNP to Lewis's MSN?
Lewis's DNP page says BSN to DNP students can switch to the MSN. Your first three blocks overlap heavily with the MSN NP track for your population, although the MSN core also includes NURS 73500. Before switching, ask your advisor how credits, time limits and your state disclosure change.
What does Lewis require to apply to the BSN to DNP?
Your BSN must come from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited school. Lewis also asks for a 3.0 GPA for full admission (2.75 for provisional), completed statistics and nursing research courses, an RN license in Illinois and/or your planned practicum state, two recommendations with at least one from a doctoral-prepared professional, a personal statement and a resume. Some applicants are invited to interview.
Is the Lewis BSN to DNP taught online?
Largely. Lewis teaches the doctoral coursework online, and its MSN page lists NP coursework at Oak Brook or online, so confirm the format of your early blocks with your advisor. The annual DNP Immersions and the Health Assessment lab experiences take place at Oak Brook, and every practicum and residency hour is spent in person at your clinical site, which is why where you live shapes the whole plan.
Do BSN to DNP students attend DNP Immersions?
Yes. The catalog applies the rule of at least two DNP Immersions to the BSN to DNP tracks as well as the post-master's DNP. Lewis holds them annually at Oak Brook and does not publish dates, so plan the travel once your doctoral block is on the calendar.
Is Lewis's BSN to DNP accredited?
CCNE's directory lists both Lewis's DNP and its master's program as accredited through December 31, 2030. Certification is a separate step after your NP courses: FNP graduates look to ANCC or AANPCB and AGACNP graduates to AACN, per Lewis, which leaves the AGPCNP and PMHNP boards unnamed.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Lewis's own catalog, program pages and FAQ, its contract portal and Illinois law. Your course, your track coordinator and the Clinical Placement Office have the final word.
Lewis asks you to identify your preceptor. We do the searching.
Tell us your Lewis program, where you live and when your next practicum starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare every detail the contract portal asks for, so your request goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the practicum: primary care for
NURS 61100andNURS 61800, acute care forNURS 62500, psychiatric care forNURS 63300 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your preceptor contract request
- In your own community, anywhere Lewis enrolls you and your RN license is valid
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.