Leave, Incompletes and delays in Olivet's nursing programs
Olivet Nazarene University lets graduate nursing students step away for whatever reason and however long they need, but the way back runs through a Return Form, due two weeks before a clinical course. Incompletes, the NEL practicum's X grade and withdrawals each follow their own rules, and each one changes when your preceptor needs you and which compliance items must still be current.
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Tell us your Olivet program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your Olivet course.
Four ways a course can pause
Students often use these words loosely, but Olivet's MSN handbook treats them as separate tools with separate clocks. Knowing which one fits your situation is the first step, and the table sets them side by side.
| Option | When it applies | Time allowed | When time runs out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave of absence | Any reason, arranged through the Online Advising Team | Any length | Return Form due 1 week before core or track courses, 2 weeks before clinical courses |
| Incomplete | Serious illness or an unavoidable delay late in the course; instructor grants it with Program Director approval | Up to 60 days | The grade becomes an F |
| X grade (NRSG 620) | The 120 NEL practicum hours are unfinished after 8 weeks | 8 more weeks, 16 in total | Non-passing grade and a charged retake |
| Withdrawal | You leave a course after talking to your instructor, Online Advisor, Program Director and Student Financial Services | Not applicable | Tuition is still owed and your completion date moves |
Taking a leave and coming back
The new-curriculum handbook puts no limit on why or how long you step away, and it sends health leaves through the Online Advising Team (onlineadvising@olivet.edu). The leave itself is flexible. The return is where students lose time, because a late Return Form can push your start back.
- Pick your return course with Online AdvisingAgree which course you come back into and its start date, since every later deadline hangs on it.
- File the Return Form on timeIt is due two weeks ahead of a clinical or practicum course; for a core or track course the notice is one week. Miss it and your start may slip.
- Recheck every compliance itemItems must be current on every clinical day. An annual TB result or flu shot can lapse during a leave, and your BLS card has to stay valid through the whole practicum; see immunizations and TB.
- Re-time the drug screenThe screen has to clear two to four weeks before the practicum begins, so the window moves with your new start date rather than your old one.
- Reconfirm the preceptor and siteTell your preceptor the new dates, and ask the SON Clinical Coordinator whether an earlier approval carries over, since the handbook does not say.
If you move during the leave, tell the Online Advising Team, and remember that FNP hours can be done only in an approved state; moving during your program covers that.
Incompletes, and why the X grade is different
An Incomplete at the graduate level is not a way to finish hours at leisure. The instructor grants it, with the Program Director's approval, and it is reserved for a serious illness, or for a delay you could not avoid, arising near the end of a course. The request must be made at least seven business days before the last day of the course.
Once granted, an Incomplete runs for up to 60 days. If the work is not finished in that time, the grade lapses to an F, and an F counts as a failure under the progression rules.
The RN-BSN works differently. The Fall 2026 RN-BSN handbook says missed clinical hours are made up inside the course timeframe, and the grade stays Incomplete until every hour is complete.
The X is a deferred grade written for one course, the 120-hour NEL practicum. It gives eight extra weeks when hours are unfinished at the end of the course, and after sixteen weeks in all an unfinished practicum becomes a retake. The handbook describes it only for NRSG 620, not for the FNP clinicals or NRSG 604, so treat it as unavailable elsewhere unless your faculty say otherwise. The NRSG 620 page explains how to plan the 120 hours so the X never comes into play.
Seven business days before the last day is a hard floor for the request. If illness strikes in the final week, contact your instructor that day.
Withdrawing from a course
Before you withdraw, Olivet asks you to talk with four people: your instructor, your Online Advisor, the Program Director and Student Financial Services. Tuition for the course is still owed, and your completion date moves back.
Withdrawal touches your preceptor too. Tell the preceptor and the site as soon as you decide, so they can release the time they set aside for you. A preceptor who hears early is far more willing to host you again when you return.
Going silent is the costliest route. A student absent for more than 29 days without contact is administratively withdrawn with a W, and an administrative withdrawal counts as a failure under the MSN progression rules, alongside an F, a U and a withdrawal while failing. The grades and progression page explains what failures do to your standing.
Long pauses and the clinical clock
A short leave mostly changes dates. A long one can change courses. A gap longer than twelve months ahead of a retake can mean retaking the whole course instead of auditing it. Clinical work that will be over two years old at graduation may have to be audited, supplemented with continuing education, or tested through a competency check, and any course past five years must be repeated.
The RN hours rule has its own pause: FNP applicants who have not reached 2,000 RN hours by the end of NRSG 681 are temporarily withdrawn until they do; the 2,000 RN hours rule page covers it. Olivet holds its MSN ceremony in May alone, so finishing in June means walking the following spring.
Why students coming back from a pause choose us
A return date is a new start date, and the preceptor has to fit it. We reconfirm your preceptor for the new session or find a new one if the old schedule no longer works, check that the site's onboarding is still valid, and put the Return Form deadline, the drug screen window and any lapsed items on one calendar.
We stay on call through the course you return to, and if a preceptor steps away we move straight to a replacement. Approval stays with Olivet; we make the returning student's preceptor file complete before it goes in. If the pause has already pushed back your finish, delayed graduation explains the options, or tell us your return date with the form below.
Questions Olivet students ask
How far ahead do I submit Olivet's Return Form?
Fourteen days ahead of a clinical or practicum course, and seven ahead of a core or track course, per the new-curriculum MSN handbook. A late form can delay your start. Agree the return course with the Online Advising Team first, then count back from its start date.
Can I take a leave of absence in the middle of a clinical course?
The handbook describes leave in general terms. Mid-course, the options are an Incomplete, which needs serious illness or an unavoidable late delay and a request at least seven business days before the last day, or a withdrawal. Talk to your instructor and the Online Advising Team before you stop logging hours.
Will my preceptor still be approved when I come back?
Olivet's handbook does not say whether a preceptor approval carries over a leave. Ask the SON Clinical Coordinator, confirm that your preceptor can take the new dates, and check whether the site's onboarding, such as a MyClinicalExchange account, is still active before the course opens.
Does a leave affect my drug screen and other compliance?
Yes. The drug screen has to clear two to four weeks before the practicum you return to, and annual items such as TB and flu may have lapsed while you were away. For RN-BSN students, the background check and drug screen cover clinical hours for one year from clearance.
What happens if I stop logging in without telling anyone?
After more than 29 days absent without contact, Olivet administratively withdraws the student with a W. Under the MSN progression rules, an administrative withdrawal counts as a failure. Contacting your instructor and Online Advisor, even with bad news, keeps better options such as a leave or an Incomplete open.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Olivet's own handbooks, program pages, fee sheet and licensure disclosures. Your handbook version, your Canvas clinical requirements course, your faculty and the SON Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
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