Spring Arbor clinicals on the islands: a Hawaii guide
Hawaii is on SAU's authorized list, its board does not ask online post-licensure programs without a Hawaii campus to apply or check in, and NPs there have full practice. Plan around two things: a Hawaii RN license, since the state is outside the compact, and a smaller pool of preceptors spread over several islands.
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01Hawaii and each SAU program
Hawaii is authorized for all SAU nursing programs (SAU's page, September 24, 2026). Here is what a Hawaii student should plan for, track by track.
| SAU program group | Clinicals in Hawaii? | Plan for |
|---|---|---|
| NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC | Yes | A Hawaii-licensed preceptor; full practice lets NPs precept without a physician partner |
| Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA | Yes | 125 practicum hours; a master's-prepared specialty nurse may precept |
| Post-master's certificates | Yes | The same Hawaii license rules apply |
| DNP (Strategic Leadership) | Yes | No Hawaii source names graduate programs, so confirm with SAU |
| RN-to-BSN | Yes | The board's FAQ uses RN-BSN programs as its example of programs it does not approve or track |
02Hawaii's board and online programs
The Hawaii Board of Nursing sits in the licensing division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. It publishes a short FAQ on online and distance post-licensure programs from other states, using LPN-to-RN and RN-to-BSN programs as examples. Where such a program has no Hawaii campus, the board does not approve it, offers no application, and does not expect to be told it exists. The school's own instructors need a Hawaii license only if they come to the islands in person to teach or precept a student.
We found no Hawaii source that speaks to graduate or APRN programs by name. The FAQ's reasoning points the same way for SAU's MSN, certificate and DNP students, but ask SAU's program director to confirm it before you count on it for your track.
03Preceptors across the islands
AANP counts Hawaii as full practice, so an NP there can precept on their own authority, and SAU's NP tracks also accept physicians and PAs. Because Hawaii is outside the compact, anyone practicing there already holds a Hawaii license.
Hawaii's income tax credit for preceptors, set out in HRS 235-110.25, covers only rotations for APRN students whose programs are accredited in or located in Hawaii and enroll mostly Hawaii residents. An SAU preceptor cannot claim it.
Urban Honolulu is the main market, with Kahului and Wailuku on Maui and Hilo and Kailua on the Big Island much smaller. Systems to contact include Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Hawaii Pacific Health (its hospitals include Pali Momi, Kapiolani, Wilcox and Straub) and The Queen's Health Systems. Our guide to finding your own preceptor covers outreach.
04Licensing, and one trip to Michigan
Hawaii stays out of the Nurse Licensure Compact, and a mainland multistate license gives you no right to practice there, even as a student. A Hawaii RN license is the answer, and it doubles as the unrestricted, practice-state license SAU's catalog calls for. Apply well ahead of your clinical course; see our RN license page.
Budget for travel as well. SAU's single residency, NUR 602R, is four days on the main campus in Spring Arbor, Michigan, and the 2023-24 catalog makes it a prerequisite for practicum courses. Our residency page covers when it falls.
05Why Spring Arbor students in Hawaii choose us
We start early on Hawaii's smaller preceptor pool, neighbor-island practices included, gather the license details, CV and site information SAU faculty review, and keep searching if a preceptor falls through. An island search needs that head start, and each Hawaii preceptor and site then goes to SAU faculty for approval. Contact the placement desk.
Questions Spring Arbor students ask
Does SAU have to register with the Hawaii Board of Nursing?
For online programs serving licensed nurses that have no campus in Hawaii, the board's FAQ says it neither approves them nor needs to hear from them. Its examples are RN-to-BSN and LPN-to-RN programs. No Hawaii source addresses graduate study directly, so ask SAU's program director to confirm for MSN, certificate or DNP work.
Can I use a compact license from the mainland in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii sits outside the compact, which means an out-of-state multistate license does nothing for you on the islands. Secure a Hawaii RN license before your first clinical day, and keep a copy ready for SAU's compliance records, since the catalog asks for an unrestricted license where you practice.
Is Hawaii's preceptor tax credit open to SAU preceptors?
No. Hawaii's credit applies to rotations for APRN students in programs accredited in or located in Hawaii where more than half the students are Hawaii residents. SAU does not fit that description, so the credit does not reach anyone who precepts an SAU student.
I live on Maui. Will I have to fly to Oahu for clinicals?
Not necessarily. SAU asks for a local preceptor that faculty approve, and no rule we found ties you to Honolulu. Start with practices around Kahului and Wailuku and ask the statewide systems about Maui locations, then widen the search only if a rotation's focus is not available on your island.
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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