Nevada residents and USU's nursing programs
USU enrolls Nevada residents in all of its current nursing programs, the FNP included. Two Nevada facts shape your clinicals: because Nevada isn't part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, you need a Nevada license, and under a Board rule, online programs can't provide clinical instruction in Nevada unless the Board approves.
Looking for a Nevada preceptor?
Tell us whether you're near Las Vegas, Reno or elsewhere, and your USU course.
Programs and hours for Nevadans
| Program | Open to Nevada residents? | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSN Family Nurse Practitioner | Yes | 540, split evenly over FNP592, FNP594, FNP596, FNP597 |
| MSN Nurse Educator | Yes | 100 in MSN578 |
| MSN Health Care Leadership | Yes | 100 in MSN587 |
| RN-to-BSN | Yes | 90 in NUR378 plus NUR499 |
| DNP | Yes | 1,000 post-baccalaureate |
| Post-Master's FNP Certificate | No, closed nationwide | Not applicable |
Nevada isn't on any of USU's exclusion lists. It also isn't among the states where USU's Board of Nursing list records a specific approval or extra clinical filing, which matters for the rule in the next section.
Nevada's rule for online programs' clinicals
NAC 632.703 requires any nursing program that operates a portion of its program in Nevada to report to the Board on the Board's form, attaching annual school reports, proof that it is accredited or approved, and evidence of compliance with Nevada nursing law. Internet-delivered and other nontraditional programs need Board approval before providing clinical instruction in Nevada, and any faculty member teaching in the state must be licensed in Nevada.
Graduate programs get the same treatment as post-licensure and pre-licensure ones. Only pre-licensure ADN and BSN programs appear on the Board's list, updated September 1, 2026, of out-of-state schools approved to run just their clinical portion in Nevada. So it's unclear from public sources how Nevada treats an online FNP program's precepted hours, and USU's disclosures record no Nevada Board approval.
Before your Interest Form goes in, ask your Clinical Placement Coordinator how USU handles Nevada's NAC 632.703 for FNP clinicals. It's a question for USU, not for the site.
One Nevada license, no compact shortcut
Nevada isn't a Nurse Licensure Compact member and has no bill pending to join. A multistate license from Arizona or any other compact state gives you no privilege to practice here. A practice decision from the state's Board of Nursing goes further, requiring a Nevada license for nursing practice or care given to patients located in the state, and listing nursing education with direct patient contact among the activities it covers.
That lines up with USU's rules. USU wants a current, unencumbered license both where you live on file and where you train, and FNP telehealth patients, capped at 40 hours, must be in your state on file. For a Nevada resident, both point to a Nevada RN license. See our RN license page for how compact licenses work elsewhere.
Full practice, and how Nevada supervises precepted clinicals
Nevada is full practice in AANP's rating, with one limit: Schedule II prescribing is off limits to NPs without 2,000 hours or two years of clinical experience, except under a physician-approved protocol. That limit doesn't change USU's criteria: a Nevada NP with at least a year of experience and current national board certification can qualify.
Under a 2005 Board practice decision on precepted clinicals, faculty must direct every student clinical experience and be reachable by phone; a preceptor, who must be on site, may supervise two students at most at any one time; and the program owes preceptors written objectives and an orientation. USU's own two-student limit and its rule that telehealth preceptors be physically with you match that. More on USU's criteria is on the preceptor requirements page.
Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City
The Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas metro, about 2.4 million people, dwarfs Reno at about 580,000 and Carson City at under 60,000. In the south, The Valley Health System, Sunrise Health System, University Medical Center of Southern Nevada and Dignity Health's Las Vegas and Henderson hospitals are examples of systems FNP students approach for outpatient clinics; in the north, Renown Health. They're examples only, with no USU arrangement implied, and inpatient hours never count at USU.
If you live in northern Nevada, a clinic across the California line may look closer. Using it would bring in California's own rules for out-of-state NP programs, including a California license for you and your preceptor, and USU would rather your hours stay in Nevada. Our California page explains the rules there.
How we help Nevada students
We search southern and northern Nevada for preceptors who hold Nevada licenses and fit your USU course, prepare the Appendix H packet and supporting documents, and look again if someone withdraws. USU approves every preceptor, site and agreement. Tell us your course.
Questions USU students ask
Can I use a compact license for USU clinicals in Nevada?
No. As a non-member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, Nevada extends no practice privilege to a multistate license from another state. A Board practice decision ties care of patients located in Nevada to a Nevada license, and nursing education with direct patient contact is among the covered activities.
Does Nevada have to approve USU before my FNP clinicals?
It isn't clear. NAC 632.703 requires Board approval before internet-delivered programs give clinical instruction in Nevada, with no distinction between graduate and pre-licensure programs, but only pre-licensure schools appear on the Board's approved list. USU's disclosures record no Nevada Board approval. Put the question to your CPC before you settle on a Nevada site.
How many students can a Nevada preceptor take?
Two at a time. A Nevada Board practice decision caps preceptors at two students and requires them to be on site, and USU's own rule is also a maximum of two students per preceptor. NP students from other schools count toward USU's limit, and hours logged while the ratio is exceeded don't count.
Could I do clinicals in California if I live near Reno?
You may request it, but USU prefers home-state hours and notes that hours from another state may not satisfy a licensing board. California also requires out-of-state NP students and their preceptors to hold California licenses under 16 CCR 1486. Talk to your CPC early if you're considering it.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against USU's own catalog, handbooks and disclosures. USU's current handbook and your Clinical Placement Coordinator have the final word.
Six months out is USU's rule. We start now.
Tell us your USU program, your state and when your next practicum opens. We look for preceptors who meet USU's rules and help you build the packet the Office of Field Experience and Program Director review.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice, pediatrics, women's health, urgent care within USU's caps
- Appendix H, license, CV and board certification gathered the way OFE asks
- In person near you; telehealth only inside USU's 40-hour limit
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