NURS 685, 686 and 687: the Nursing Informatics practicum

The informatics sequence

The first course carries a different name from the other two, which can trip up a search of the course list. Across the three, you move from handling data to building a project to leading and evaluating initiatives, so ask a prospective mentor whether they can support all three stages. The 2026-27 catalog lists them as follows:

Older numbers NURS 630, 635 and 636 still appear with matching titles. The concentration's other courses are HLTH 501, HLTH 503, INFO 668 and NURS 523, and Informatics is also one of the five concentrations offered in Liberty's combined RN-BSN-MSN.

300 hours of practice or project work

Informatics is the only Liberty MSN track whose plan footnote counts "practice experience hours and/or project hours," 300 in total. The wording leaves room for project time, but Liberty does not say how much of the 300 it can cover, and it gives no per-course split.

Ask your faculty early how project hours and site hours combine, especially for NURS 686, which is built around an evidence-based project. Liberty publishes no telehealth or remote-work rule for MSN practicum hours, so if your informatics mentor works remotely, confirm how those hours are handled before you start.

The dated 2022-23 MSN handbook had a lower total for every track and is no longer a guide to hours, though its rule of one practicum course per sub-term may still apply. See hours across Liberty's tracks.

Prerequisites: INFO 668 and the Gate

NURS 685 requires INFO 668 and NURS 527, the MSN Practicum Gate. NURS 686 requires NURS 685, and NURS 687 requires NURS 686. Because INFO 668 sits in the concentration, its place in your plan decides when the practicum can start.

NURS 527 is a zero-credit Gate in the first semester, where you submit practicum requirements; it must be passed before any practicum course. The Informatics plan also calls for a background check before these courses. The Gate courses page has more on what the Gate asks for.

Admission to the MSN itself requires a current RN license where you live, and statistics has to be done before NURS 500, the research course in the MSN core.

The informatics clinician and the site

Liberty's requirement is specific: a practice experience site contract with an approved, experienced informatics clinician. The dated handbook called this person a mentor working in an informatics setting. Liberty does not define "experienced" in years or credentials publicly, so ask the MSN practicum staff before you approach someone.

The current catalog says "informatics clinician" rather than nurse. The dated handbook, by contrast, expected every MSN preceptor to be a licensed RN in good standing with a master's degree or School of Nursing approval. If your prospective mentor is not an RN, ask before you commit.

Your employer's informatics team can be an option under the dated handbook, if the practicum hours are unpaid, the work belongs to a department other than yours, and the affiliation agreement is signed. See using your workplace.

Cleared before day one

Informatics students meet the MSN pre-practicum list, plus the background check the Informatics plan names. Before NURS 685, plan on:

• NURS 527 passed and INFO 668 complete
• A practice experience site contract with your approved informatics clinician
• A background check before the informatics practicums, and the MSN's 10-panel drug screen
• American Heart Association CPR, with immunization records for MMR, TB, varicella, Hepatitis B and influenza
• HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens modules
• An RN license valid in the practicum state, which must be one of the 50 states other than Washington

Sites may add onboarding of their own, and Liberty's MSN catalog says students carry all practicum costs. The MSN specialization pages also tell you to check with your state about practicum access, since some states may hold clinical sites for their own in-state residential students. See clinical clearance for the full compliance picture.

Mentors for data, project and leadership work

Informatics mentors may sit in IT or clinical systems teams rather than on a unit, so the search runs through informatics nurses and clinical systems leaders near you, or at your own organization in a different department. We check their interest, help gather the CV and license details Liberty asks for, and help you prepare the site information for NURS 527 and the contract.

If your first mentor suits the data work in NURS 685 but not the project in NURS 686, we look for a second one. If a mentor changes roles before NURS 687, we keep searching. Liberty approves each clinician and site, and every mentor we suggest has already heard what the three courses involve. Ask about an informatics search once you know your term.