Spring Arbor clinicals in California: what the BRN adds

01California by SAU program

SAU's authorization covers all of its nursing programs here (checked September 24, 2026). The BRN condition below applies to NP study, which is why the table splits the answer.

02The BRN's approval step for outside NP programs

California's rule, 16 CCR § 1486, puts a condition on NP schools from other states: the BRN must sign off before their students train here. After approval, three duties follow: preceptors the Board accepts, teaching that meets NONPF and AACN standards, and coursework on California NP law (BPC 2835.7, BPC 2836.1 and the standardized procedure regulations).

The school starts by sending the BRN a Verification of Clinical Practice Experience form; the Board decides at one of its meetings, and afterward the school files a separate NP Program Preceptor form covering every preceptor it uses in California. The BRN publishes the out-of-state NP programs it has approved. SAU's own pages do not say whether your track is on that list, so check it and ask the program director before you line up a site.

Because approvals move at the pace of Board meetings, a new one can take far longer than SAU's four-week paperwork deadline.

03Who can precept an SAU NP student in California

Each preceptor needs an active California license in their own profession, and California expects them to be qualified in your NP population. SAU would have to orient each one and have faculty assess them no less than once in two years, and the site, the preceptor and the school sign a document defining what the preceptor does (16 CCR § 1486(b)-(c)). SAU's list for NP tracks is a certified NP, physician or PA; see preceptor requirements.

AANP calls California restricted practice: in some settings NPs work under a standardized procedure with a physician, and exemptions exist.

The Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim region is the biggest market, then the Inland Empire around Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario, the Bay Area, and San Diego. Kaiser Permanente runs two California regions and Sutter Health covers the north and center of the state; the UC campuses (UCLA, UC Davis, UCSF, UC San Diego, UCI, UCR) are on the list too, with Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and Stanford Health Care rounding it out.

04Your license: California-issued only

California is outside the Nurse Licensure Compact, and 16 CCR § 1486(d) makes an active California RN license a condition of clinical work for students of non-California NP programs. A multistate license from another state will not do. If you move here mid-program, apply early; our RN license guide covers SAU's side. California NP certification after you graduate also rests on that California RN license.

05Why Spring Arbor students in California choose us

We look for California-licensed preceptors in your NP population near home, gather what SAU faculty review, and resume the search quickly if someone drops out. BRN approval is a school-level step that SAU handles, so we time your California search around its answer, and SAU faculty approve every preceptor and site. Ask a placement advisor.