Spring Arbor clinicals in West Virginia
West Virginia is authorized for SAU's nursing programs. Its RN board regulates only pre-licensure education and sends graduate programs to the state's Higher Education Policy Commission, which asks for its own approval in just two situations, neither of which fits a single SAU student at a single site.
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.
01Your program in West Virginia
Spring Arbor's nursing state list includes West Virginia (checked September 24, 2026). It leaves off only New York, Alabama, Louisiana and Arizona.
| Program | West Virginia | Clinical piece |
|---|---|---|
| MSN or RN-to-MSN NP track | Authorized | West Virginia preceptor, approved by faculty |
| Nurse Educator; MSN/MBA | Authorized | NUR 780B practicum, 125 hours |
| Post-master's certificate | Authorized | Hours per certificate |
| DNP | Authorized | Practicum toward 1,000 hours |
| RN-to-BSN | Authorized | Hours inside courses |
The practicum code is the 2023-24 catalog's, the latest edition we could read. Your advisor can confirm the current version.
02Who oversees graduate clinicals from out of state
The West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses concerns itself with pre-licensure schools, which must file an out-of-state approval application before using West Virginia facilities. Advanced-degree and graduate programs are pointed elsewhere: to their national accreditor, and to the state's Higher Education Policy Commission, known as WVHEPC.
WVHEPC's own nursing education and workforce office names just two triggers for WVHEPC approval of an out-of-state APRN or graduate program's clinicals: the school sits outside NC-SARA, or ten or more of its students land at the same site. SAU's authorization page says it holds NC-SARA approval. If a site asks, the program director can confirm SAU's standing.
03Reduced practice, and where to look
AANP places West Virginia in its reduced tier. A West Virginia NP who prescribes does so under a physician collaborative agreement for three years, and can supply no more than three days of a Schedule II narcotic. With physicians on SAU's list of NP preceptors, the collaborating physician is also a fair ask.
Vandalia Health (parent of CAMC, Davis Health and Mon Health), WVU Medicine and Marshall Health Network are the large systems. The metros are Morgantown, Charleston, Huntington-Ashland and the West Virginia share of Hagerstown-Martinsburg. Start with the program director's volunteer list and any site already under an affiliation agreement with SAU.
04Which license you need
The workforce office's clinical rotation guide is specific. An APRN or graduate student doing clinicals in the state needs a valid West Virginia RN license if they live in West Virginia, and a multistate license if their home is some other compact state. West Virginia has honored compact licenses since January 19, 2018, and either route squares with the license rule in SAU's 2023-24 catalog. More on our RN license page.
05Why Spring Arbor students in West Virginia choose us
We track down West Virginia preceptors who suit your SAU track, beyond the big metros too, and assemble the documents faculty review, early enough to clear SAU's four-week rule. The yes or no comes from SAU, on a file we have already checked line by line. Reach us here.
Questions Spring Arbor students ask
Does SAU need WVHEPC approval for my clinicals?
Only in two cases, according to the state's nursing workforce office: the school is outside NC-SARA, or it places ten or more students at a single site. SAU says it is NC-SARA approved, so one SAU student at one site should not trigger it. The RN board itself stays out of post-licensure programs.
I live in Ohio near Huntington. Could I train in West Virginia?
Start in Ohio. SAU's FAQ has students choose a preceptor in their own state. Ohio and West Virginia are both authorized by SAU and both compact members, and the workforce office's guide accepts a multistate license from a non-resident. Ask the program director before choosing a West Virginia site, and see our Ohio page.
Can I do SAU hours at the West Virginia hospital where I work?
SAU has published no rule for or against it. Faculty will look for a qualified preceptor, a site with the right agreement in place, and hours that meet SAU's definition of time caring for or working with patients, typically one patient an hour. Our employer site page lists what to ask.
I live in West Virginia but hold another state's compact license. Is that enough?
Not by the workforce office's guide. When your primary residence is in West Virginia, the guide expects a valid West Virginia RN license for clinicals there; a multistate license from elsewhere is meant for nurses who live in that other state. Sort this out before SAU checks your license ahead of the practicum.
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.