Spring Arbor clinicals in Washington are for Washington residents
If you live in Washington, you can do SAU clinicals here in the MSN programs and some post-master's certificates. SAU's Washington approval, granted by the state's Board of Nursing, covers practice experiences for Washington residents only, and SAU's footnote and the board's own list do not name exactly the same programs, so check yours below.
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01What SAU's footnote says
SAU's state authorization page marks Washington with an asterisk (checked September 24, 2026). The footnote says Washington's Board of Nursing approved SAU for practice experiences in the state, limited to Washington residents, covering SAU's Master of Science in Nursing programs plus three post-master's certificates: psychiatric-mental health NP, family NP and adult-gerontology NP.
Residents only means what it says. If you live in Oregon, Idaho or anywhere else, SAU's Washington approval does not open Washington clinics to you, however close they are. The board decides exceptions case by case, so ask SAU before assuming one.
02Program by program: SAU's list against the board's
The board publishes its own roster of out-of-state programs cleared for Washington placements. The June 4, 2026 edition, the latest we checked for Spring Arbor (November 2025's matches it), names six Spring Arbor tracks, each marked for Washington State residents only. Set against SAU's footnote:
| SAU program | SAU footnote | Board list, June 2026 | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC | Covered (MSN programs) | Each named | Open to residents |
| MSN Nurse Educator | Covered (MSN programs) | Named | Open to residents |
| RN-to-MSN routes | Covered (MSN programs) | RN-to-MSN route not named | Confirm with SAU |
| MSN/MBA | Falls under the MSN wording | Not listed | Confirm with SAU first |
| PMC PMHNP | Named | Named | Open to residents |
| PMC FNP, PMC AGNP | Named | Not listed | Unconfirmed; ask SAU |
| PMC PNP, PMC Nurse Educator | Not named | Not listed | No Washington approval found |
| DNP | Not named | Not listed | Unconfirmed; ask SAU |
| RN-to-BSN | Not named | Not listed | Coursework hours; ask SAU |
Under WAC 246-840-571, a distance program based in another state must hold the board's approval before placing students in Washington clinical or practice settings, so a gap between the two lists is not something to guess about. A third version sits on SAU's Accreditations page, which names only the PNP-PC and PMHNP, and uses the board's former name, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.
03How the Washington answer has changed
Earlier research may have told you otherwise. SAU's page limited Washington approval to the MSN Nurse Educator in 2022 and 2024, then listed Washington as not authorized from March 2025 to June 2026. The board also opened rulemaking on WAC 246-840-500 through -571 on December 5, 2025, partly on clinical placement barriers, so details may move again.
04Preceptors and faculty under Washington's rule
Washington is stricter than SAU about who precepts NP students. WAC 246-840-571 bars an ARNP student's preceptor from being a relative or personal friend, and wants that preceptor licensed as an ARNP, MD or DO, actively and without encumbrance (another state's equivalent license also qualifies). PAs are not on that list, though SAU's catalog accepts them elsewhere.
Any SAU faculty member teaching you ARNP practice in Washington must hold a Washington ARNP license. SAU's current NP adjunct posting seeks NPs licensed in six states, Washington one of them, and students report (2019) clinicals stalling where SAU had no state-licensed instructor, so confirm who will supervise you.
AANP ranks Washington as full practice. MultiCare Health System, PeaceHealth, UW Medicine, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and Providence (Providence Swedish included) are the large systems, around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Spokane, Kennewick-Richland and Vancouver.
05Licensing, incentives and why SAU residents choose us
Washington's compact membership took effect January 31, 2024, so a Washington multistate license covers your RN practice during clinicals; see RN license for clinicals. Washington's preceptorship grant for student nurses is closed to programs from other states, even when the hours happen in Washington.
For residents in a covered program, we search for preceptors who meet both SAU's standards and Washington's, and prepare what SAU's faculty review before the four-week deadline. Faculty approve every site; ours come double-checked. Contact the placement desk.
Questions Spring Arbor students ask
I live in Oregon. Can I do SAU clinicals in Washington?
Not under SAU's approval. Both SAU's footnote and the board's roster confine practice experiences in Washington to the state's residents, and the board handles exceptions case by case. Plan on sites in your own state; our Oregon page covers the rules there.
I'm in SAU's post-master's FNP certificate. Can I train in Washington?
SAU's footnote names the PMC FNP for Washington residents, but neither the June 2026 nor the November 2025 board list includes a Spring Arbor PMC FNP. Washington requires board approval before placement, so treat it as unconfirmed and get written confirmation from SAU before you approach a preceptor. The same goes for the PMC AGNP.
Can a PA precept my NP hours in Washington?
Not under WAC 246-840-571, which expects an ARNP student's preceptor to hold an ARNP, MD or DO license, or an equivalent from another state. SAU accepts PAs for NP rotations generally, but Washington's rule is narrower. It also rules out preceptors who are your relatives or personal friends.
What if I move to Washington partway through the program?
Talk to SAU before you move. The approval depends on Washington residency and on your program appearing on the board's list, and SAU's own page showed Washington as not authorized as recently as June 2026. Your advisor and the program director can say what applies to your track.
Do the DNP and RN-to-BSN have Washington approval?
Neither is on the board's list, and SAU's footnote names only the MSN programs and three certificates, though the DNP and RN-to-BSN pages show Washington without a footnote. The RN-to-BSN keeps its clinical hours inside coursework. DNP students should raise it with SAU's Director of DNP and MSN-EDU/MSN-MBA Programs first.
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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