Spring Arbor NP clinicals in Vermont
Vermont is authorized for SAU's nursing programs, but it has one rule that catches NP students from elsewhere: the Vermont Board of Nursing does not let PAs precept APRN students. Your preceptor needs to be an APRN or a physician, Vermont-licensed, in your role and population focus.
Get your placement plan
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.
01Vermont on SAU's nursing list
Vermont appears on SAU's state authorization page (checked September 24, 2026) for every nursing program. New York, across Vermont's western border, is not authorized, and neither are Alabama, Arizona or Louisiana.
| Program | Vermont | Clinical piece |
|---|---|---|
| NP tracks | Yes | Vermont APRN or physician preceptor, faculty-approved |
| Nurse Educator; MSN/MBA | Yes | NUR 780B practicum (125 hours) |
| Post-master's certificates | Yes | Follows the matching track |
| DNP | Yes | Practicum toward 1,000 hours |
| RN-to-BSN | Yes | No outside preceptor |
That practicum code is the one printed in SAU's 2023-24 catalog. Check your current course list before relying on it.
02Who can precept an NP student in Vermont
SAU's catalog would let a PA precept you, alongside NPs and physicians. Vermont narrows that. The Vermont board's FAQ limits APRN-student preceptors to two groups, APRNs and physicians. Either way, the preceptor holds an active Vermont license with no encumbrance, has experience in the role and population focus you are training for, and works hand in hand with your faculty. PAs cannot precept APRN students there.
In practice, drop PAs from your Vermont list and match specialty closely: a PMHNP student needs someone in psychiatric practice, a PNP-PC student someone in pediatric primary care.
AANP counts Vermont as full practice. Until a new NP has practiced for both 24 months and 2,400 hours, a Vermont physician or APRN must collaborate with them under a written agreement; after that, none is needed.
03Does Vermont need to approve SAU?
Unclear. The Vermont Board of Nursing rules in force since May 11, 2023 (Part 5, read with 26 V.S.A. 1584) say a nursing education program may operate in Vermont only with the board's approval; the carve-out is for online-only programs cleared by the Vermont Agency of Education. Nothing we read, whether rule, board FAQ or statute, speaks to a school elsewhere that simply sends students into Vermont clinics.
The licensure exemption for students in 26 V.S.A. 1583(2) covers study in programs the board has approved. Ask SAU's program director how SAU treats Vermont before a preceptor commits time to you.
04Where to look, and your license
Vermont's clinical market is small. Its anchors are Rutland Regional Medical Center; Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, part of New Hampshire-based Dartmouth Health; and the University of Vermont Health network (Porter, Central Vermont and UVM Medical Center). The metros are Burlington-South Burlington, Rutland and the Vermont side of Lebanon-Claremont.
Vermont has taken part in multistate licensing since February 1, 2022. How that fits SAU's catalog license rule is covered in our RN license guide.
05Why Spring Arbor students in Vermont choose us
We search Vermont for APRN and physician preceptors who match your track and population focus, then prepare the documents SAU's faculty review before the four-week mark. Faculty make every approval, and a Vermont file from us reaches them complete. Tell us about your rotation or read who can precept at SAU.
Questions Spring Arbor students ask
Can a PA precept my SAU NP hours in Vermont?
No. SAU's catalog lists PAs among acceptable NP preceptors, but the Vermont Board of Nursing's FAQ does not allow PAs to precept APRN students. Your Vermont preceptor should be an APRN or physician holding an active Vermont license with no restrictions on it, and experienced in your role and population focus.
Could I train across the river in New Hampshire?
Plan on Vermont, since SAU tells online students to find a preceptor where they live. New Hampshire is authorized on SAU's list and belongs to the compact, and the Lebanon-Claremont metro spans both states, so the question comes up. Raise any New Hampshire option with the program director first.
Is there a Vermont incentive for preceptors?
Not one that applies to you. Act 183 of 2022 funded nurse preceptor incentive grants once, for fiscal 2023, and only for critical access hospital nurses who precepted students from Vermont's own programs. No source shows the grants running after that year.
Do I need a Vermont license for clinicals there?
Not if you hold a current multistate license issued by another compact member: under Board Rule 4.1, the need for a Vermont license arises only if you move your primary residence to Vermont. If you already live in Vermont, your Vermont license is your home-state license. Confirm with SAU which license it will verify.
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
Start your placement plan
A placement advisor replies with what an SAU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.