Your SAU clinical hours in Georgia
Georgia is open to all SAU nursing programs, and its board leaves post-licensure and APRN programs alone, so there is no approval for SAU to file. What Georgia does police is licensure: yours, your preceptor's, and that of the faculty who oversee you, including faculty who teach from a distance.
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Tell us your Spring Arbor track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what your preceptor and site need to look like for Spring Arbor to approve them.
01SAU programs and Georgia at a glance
Georgia sits on SAU's authorized list for every nursing program, as of our September 24, 2026 check. Each note flags where Georgia's licensure rules touch a track.
| SAU program group | Clinicals in Georgia? | Georgia note |
|---|---|---|
| NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC | Yes | Georgia wants APRN clinical instruction given by a nurse with Georgia APRN authorization |
| Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA | Yes | No board approval needed for post-licensure programs |
| Post-master's certificates | Yes | Same licensure conditions as the MSN NP tracks |
| DNP (Strategic Leadership) | Yes | The board does not regulate post-licensure programs |
| RN-to-BSN | Yes | Coursework-embedded hours; no outside site expected |
02Georgia regulates licenses, not programs
The Georgia Board of Nursing, housed in the Secretary of State's office, is clear that programs for already-licensed nurses, APRN education among them, fall outside its approval work. So a school elsewhere running an MSN, an NP track or an RN-to-BSN has no Georgia filing to make before a student begins.
Licensure is where Georgia draws its line. If you live in Georgia and log hours there for a school elsewhere, you must hold either a Georgia-issued license or a compact license issued by some other member state. Your preceptor and any instructor teaching you in Georgia must clear that same bar, and the board says remote teaching counts, not only in-person work. One more line applies to APRN study: the person doing the clinical teaching should be a nurse holding APRN authorization from Georgia.
That last point matters for SAU, so ask the program director how SAU meets it for your track, especially if your preceptor is a physician or PA. Students report, in a 2019 forum thread, being unable to do SAU hours in their home state because no SAU clinical instructor held a license there. That is one account, not SAU policy, but it is why the question belongs early.
03Restricted practice and where students look
AANP ranks Georgia as restricted: every NP there practices under a physician's delegation or supervision, with tighter limits on Schedule II prescriptions. With a physician behind each Georgia NP, both people are worth asking, and SAU's NP tracks accept either one, plus PAs, subject to faculty approval.
Georgia does run a preceptor tax credit (PTIP), but it only counts rotations with students from Georgia schools of medicine, dentistry, NP and PA education, so it will not reward someone who takes you on.
Metro Atlanta, with Sandy Springs and Roswell, offers the most options, then Savannah, Augusta and Columbus. Try Wellstar Health System, Grady Health System, Piedmont Healthcare, Northside Hospital and Emory Healthcare. Columbus spills into Alabama, which is off SAU's list, so keep that site in Georgia; Augusta's metro reaches into South Carolina, which SAU does authorize.
04Licensing for Georgia clinicals
Georgia has belonged to the current Nurse Licensure Compact since January 19, 2018. A Georgia multistate license covers you if Georgia is home; for residents of other compact states, their home-state multistate license serves. For SAU's part, the catalog wants that license unrestricted in the state where you do your hours, as our RN license page explains.
05Why Spring Arbor students in Georgia choose us
We look for Georgia preceptors whose licenses satisfy the board and whose practice fits your SAU track, pull together the documents SAU faculty review, and start over quickly if a preceptor backs out. SAU faculty make the approval call on each preceptor and site, with a Georgia file that is already whole. Read how it works or reach the placement desk.
Questions Spring Arbor students ask
Does SAU need Georgia Board of Nursing approval before my clinicals?
No. Georgia's board keeps programs beyond initial licensure, APRN study among them, outside its approval process, so SAU has nothing to submit. The conditions Georgia does set concern licenses: yours, your preceptor's, and those of any SAU faculty who teach you while you train in Georgia.
Can a physician precept an SAU NP student in Georgia?
SAU's NP tracks accept physicians, and Georgia NPs practice under physician delegation, so physicians are obvious candidates. But the board's guidance puts APRN clinical teaching in the hands of a nurse authorized as an APRN in Georgia, so ask SAU's program director how that is satisfied before a physician signs on.
Is there a Georgia tax break for the person who precepts me?
Not for SAU students. Georgia's PTIP credit is reserved for rotations with students of Georgia-based medical, dental, NP and PA programs. Precepting an SAU student falls outside it, so leave the credit out of your request and lead instead with SAU's schedule, your track and the hours you need.
Can I train on the Alabama side of the Columbus metro?
Not under SAU's current list. Alabama is excluded for SAU nursing, and SAU has not said the exclusion applies only to home addresses. Keep your clinical site on the Georgia side unless SAU confirms otherwise in writing.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against Spring Arbor's own published sources. SAU's nursing faculty and current catalog have the final word.
More preceptor leads, sooner, for your SAU clinicals.
Tell us your Spring Arbor track, where you live and when your clinical course starts. We look for a preceptor and site that fit SAU's rules for your track and help you get the paperwork in on time.
- Matched to your track: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP, Nurse Educator or DNP
- Clinical agreement, affiliation and preceptor verification forms ready early
- In your home state, near where you live
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A placement advisor replies with what an SAU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.