Telepsychiatry hours in UTRGV's PMHNP certificate: 75 or 220?

Q: Could I complete NURS 6620 entirely by telehealth under the 220 cap?

No. NURS 6620 requires 300 precepted hours, and 220 is the most telepsychiatry the syllabus allows across the whole program, so at least 80 hours of that course would still be in person even with no telehealth in the fall (our arithmetic). Under the 75 cap, far more must be face to face.

Updated September 27, 2026 · Reviewed by the UTRGV Preceptor placement team

UTRGV has published two different caps on telepsychiatry hours. The graduate FAQ allowed 75 of the 520 required hours; the Spring 2026 NURS 6620 syllabus allows 220. The syllabus is the newer source, but a plan that keeps telehealth at 75 hours or fewer satisfies both until your clinical faculty confirms which figure governs your cohort.

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520total clinical hours in the PMHNP certificate

75telepsychiatry hours allowed in the archived graduate FAQ

220telepsychiatry hours allowed in the Spring 2026 NURS 6620 syllabus

What each UTRGV source says

Three UTRGV documents address telepsychiatry, and they fall into two camps: two versions of the PMHNP FAQ on one side, a current course syllabus on the other.

UTRGV sources on telepsychiatry hours
Source	Status	Cap
PMHNP FAQ PDF (created 2019)	Removed; archived copy from December 2022	75 of 520
Graduate Program FAQs web page	Removed; archived copy from May 2025	75 of 520
`NURS 6620` syllabus, Spring 2026	Publicly posted; filed as a tentative syllabus	220 of 520

Asked whether telepsychiatry counts, the FAQ answers: "Yes, but only 75 hours of the total 520 hours required of the program." The syllabus reads: "Only 220 Telepsych clinical hours out of 520 clinical hours are allowed for the program." Both measure the cap against the whole certificate rather than a single course.

Which figure is current

The 220 figure is the newer one. It comes from a Spring 2026 course document that UTRGV still posts publicly, while the FAQ has been taken down from the School of Nursing site and survives only in archived copies. The FAQ's 75 stayed the same from the 2019 PDF through the 2025 web page, so the higher cap looks like a recent change.

Two cautions keep the question open. The syllabus file is labeled tentative, and a syllabus is written for one term, so its figure may be revised or may be meant for one cohort. And the 220 figure rests on that one syllabus; no second current UTRGV document in our research repeats it.

That leaves one fair reading: 220 is UTRGV's latest published position, and your clinical faculty is the person who can confirm it applies to you. Until they do, plan as though the lower number might still govern.

Planning your in-person hours

Work backward from the 520. The table shows the fewest in-person hours each cap leaves; the arithmetic is ours, not UTRGV's.

In-person hours under each cap (our arithmetic)
Cap	Most telepsychiatry hours	Fewest in-person hours
Archived FAQ	75	445
Spring 2026 syllabus	220	300

Our suggestion is to plan for the 75 cap and treat anything above it as a margin you use only after written confirmation. In practice that means a fall preceptor for NURS 6476 who sees patients face to face, and a spring preceptorship in NURS 6620 that is mostly in person as well.

Keep a running tally of telehealth hours alongside your Typhon logs from your first week, because both sources count the cap across the program, not per course. The PMHNP practicum courses page shows how the 520 hours divide between the fall and spring courses.

Preceptor rules still apply on video

A video visit does not loosen who may supervise you. UTRGV's rule admits only two kinds of supervisor, a psychiatrist with ABPN board certification who finished residency over a year earlier or a PMHNP certified by ANCC, and the FAQ closes that answer with "No Exceptions." The ban on practicums at your own workplace applies too, and your clinical faculty still has to clear the site before a single telehealth hour counts.

Your site also has to be approved in your state of residence, with an affiliation agreement behind it. What UTRGV's public sources leave unsaid is how telehealth fits that frame: whether a remote preceptor licensed in another state qualifies, or whether the patient's location matters. UTRGV states no preceptor licensure rule at all, so ask before you log anything. See preceptor requirements and PMHNP clinicals outside Texas.

Questions to settle with your clinical faculty

Every PMHNP student has an assigned clinical faculty member who clears the site and can see the Typhon logs, which makes them the right person to ask. Get the answers in writing and keep them with your clinical records.

Which cap applies to my cohort: 75 hours or 220?
Does the cap cover all three practicum courses together, as both sources word it?
How should telepsychiatry encounters be marked in Typhon?
If my preceptor and I sit together while the patient joins by video, is that a telepsychiatry hour?
Can a practice that sees patients only by telehealth be my approved site?
Does a telehealth preceptor need a license in my state of residence?

UTRGV's sources use "telepsychiatry" and "Telepsych" without defining either word, which is why the question about sitting beside your preceptor during a video visit is worth asking before your first telehealth day rather than after.

How we keep telehealth inside the limit

Your placement advisor starts from in-person psychiatric preceptors in your home state who meet the ABPN or ANCC rule. Before you commit, we confirm how much of the preceptor's week runs by video, so your fall and spring hours stay under the 75-hour figure unless your faculty approves more.

Preceptors checked for board certification and a site outside your workplace
An in-person caseload for NURS 6476 and most of NURS 6620
A video and in-person split agreed with the preceptor up front
Site details ready for the Clinical Request Form in the 30 to 90 day window
A replacement search if a preceptor moves to mostly telehealth mid-course

Tell us your home state and cohort on the placement request form, and see the clinical hours hub for every program's totals.

Questions UTRGV students ask

Does UTRGV count telehealth hours toward the PMHNP at all?

Yes. Every UTRGV source that addresses the question allows some telepsychiatry, and neither one bans it; the disagreement is only about how much. The archived FAQ allowed 75 hours and the Spring 2026 NURS 6620 syllabus allows 220, both measured against the certificate's 520.

Could I complete NURS 6620 entirely by telehealth under the 220 cap?

No. NURS 6620 requires 300 precepted hours, and 220 is the most telepsychiatry the syllabus allows across the whole program, so at least 80 hours of that course would still be in person even with no telehealth in the fall (our arithmetic). Under the 75 cap, far more must be face to face.

Do UTRGV FNP students have a telehealth limit?

The UTRGV FNP syllabi and catalog pages in our research publish no telehealth figure for NURS 6612 or NURS 6613. FNP students should ask their course coordinator before counting any video visits toward their hours, since the PMHNP figures belong to that certificate alone.

Do telepsychiatry hours count toward the 120 child and adolescent hours?

UTRGV's sources do not say. The 120-hour figure is the archived FAQ's recommendation for a well-rounded experience, not a rule. If you plan to see children and adolescents by video, confirm with your clinical faculty how those hours count against the telepsychiatry cap.

Why did the telepsychiatry cap change?

UTRGV has not explained the difference publicly. The 75-hour answer appears in FAQ copies from 2019 through 2025, and the 220 figure appears in the Spring 2026 NURS 6620 syllabus. Your clinical faculty can tell you whether the higher figure applies to your cohort.

520 hoursPMHNP practicum coursesUTRGV's PMHNP practicum courses NURS 6475, 6476 and 6620: populations, the 520 hours by source, clearance before hours, clinical groups and the preceptorship.ProgramPMHNP certificateUTRGV's online PMHNP certificate: 21 or 18 credits, a Summer I start, 520 clinical hours in your home state and the board-certified preceptor rule.UTRGV systemPreceptor requirementsWho may precept each UTRGV course: NPs, PAs or physicians for FNP, two NPs for NURS 6347, ABPN or ANCC board certification for PMHNP, and the DNP rule.Out-of-state rulesPMHNP clinicals outside TexasUTRGV's online PMHNP certificate and clinicals in your home state: the NC-SARA list, the California gap, and which boards regulate out-of-state NP programs.UTRGV systemRules for counting hoursUTRGV's rules for counting clinical hours: no early finish without approval, no double counting, weekly loads, signed logs, PMHNP limits and the Texas minimum.

Last checked 2026-09-27

We check these pages against UTRGV's own catalog, course syllabi, School of Nursing pages and Texas Board of Nursing rules. Your course faculty and the School of Nursing have the final word.

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Family practice preceptors for NURS 6612 and NURS 6613, and two NP sites for NURS 6347
Board-certified psychiatric preceptors for NURS 6476 and NURS 6620, in your home state
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