Washington: USU's FNP, and only the FNP
USU's Board of Nursing list says it enrolls only MSN-FNP students in Washington, and the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) has approved USU's practice experiences there for Washington residents in that program. Your 540 hours belong in Washington, with a Washington-valid RN license and a preceptor who meets both USU's rules and the state's.
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Tell us your USU track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what a USU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.
What USU offers if you live in Washington
USU's two disclosures don't read the same way for Washington. The Board of Nursing list, updated May 19, 2026, says USU "only enrolls in the MSN-FNP program" there. The state-authorization list, dated September 11, 2026, describes Washington as "All programs other than BSEE, RN-BSN, MAT, and TCPP", wording that doesn't clearly shut out the other MSN tracks.
| USU program | Open to Washington residents? | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|
| Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN) | Yes | 540 over FNP592, FNP594, FNP596 and FNP597 |
| MSN Nurse Educator | No on the nursing list; the other list conflicts | 100 (MSN578) |
| MSN Health Care Leadership | No on the nursing list; the other list conflicts | 100 (MSN587) |
| RN-to-BSN | No on both lists | 90 |
| DNP | No (nursing list) | 1,000 post-baccalaureate |
Until USU reconciles the two, treat Washington as FNP-only and get any other track confirmed in writing before you apply.
WABON approves the program, and only for residents
Approval comes before any student sets foot in a clinic. Under WAC 246-840-571, a distance-learning nursing program based elsewhere must apply to WABON, show equivalency to Washington's program standards, supervise and evaluate its students in the state, stay nationally accredited and file annual reports.
USU's Board of Nursing list records that approval: WABON approved USU to conduct practice experiences in Washington for Washington residents enrolled in the MSN-FNP. According to WABON, only Washington residents are authorized for approved out-of-state placements, and exceptions are decided case by case.
The rules may change: a CR-101 that WABON filed on December 5, 2025 opened rulemaking covering WAC 246-840-500 through 571, including clinical placement barriers.
Who can precept an ARNP student in Washington
Washington's rules add a line of their own. Your ARNP preceptor can't be a relative or personal friend and needs an active, unencumbered license as an ARNP, MD or DO. USU separately rules out spouses, domestic partners, first-degree relatives and direct supervisors.
Within those limits, USU looks for a nationally certified NP or a physician (MD or DO) with a year or more of experience and a Washington license, and it wants an NP beside you for 135 hours or more. AANP lists Washington as full practice, so NP-run practices belong on your list. See preceptor requirements for USU's side.
A preceptor may ask about the Washington State Student Nurse Preceptorship Grant, which WABON administers and which pays eligible preceptors per student. WABON says out-of-state programs don't qualify, even when the hours happen in Washington, so it can't be claimed for a USU student.
Washington's rule excludes a preceptor who is a personal friend, not only a relative.
Seattle, Spokane and the Tri-Cities
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is the state's largest metro, about 4.16 million people in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, followed by Spokane-Spokane Valley (about 608,000) and Kennewick-Richland (about 324,000). Systems FNP students here look to include Providence, headquartered in Renton and including Providence Swedish,, UW Medicine, MultiCare Health System, PeaceHealth and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. None has agreed to take USU students; each would need the affiliation agreement OFE sends.
Vancouver-area students feel a particular pull: the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro crosses into Oregon. WABON's approval covers Washington placements and USU encourages hours in your state of residence, so a Portland clinic becomes an out-of-state request with an Oregon-valid license and no promise the hours are accepted.
Your license in a newer compact state
The Nurse Licensure Compact took effect in Washington on January 31, 2024; the separate APRN Compact hasn't been enacted there. USU's requirement is an active, unencumbered RN license valid in Washington, your state on file, with liability insurance in the same state. How a multistate license fits is on our RN license for clinicals page.
Up to 40 of your FNP hours can be telehealth, but those patients must be in Washington too.
Why Washington students choose us
A placement advisor looks across Washington for clinicians who suit your USU course and pass the state's preceptor test, then helps with the Appendix H packet your Program Director reviews. USU approves every preceptor and site. When someone withdraws, the search picks up again. Tell us where you are in the FNP.
Questions USU students ask
Can I take USU's Nurse Educator MSN from Washington?
USU's Board of Nursing list says no: it enrolls only MSN-FNP students in Washington. Its state-authorization list words Washington more loosely, which leaves the Nurse Educator and Health Care Leadership tracks in doubt rather than clearly open. Get a written answer from USU admissions before planning a Washington teaching residency.
Is USU approved by the Washington State Board of Nursing?
For the FNP, yes. USU's disclosure says WABON approved it to conduct practice experiences in Washington for Washington residents enrolled in the MSN-FNP. WAC 246-840-571 requires that approval before any out-of-state program places students, and WABON publishes a dated list of approved out-of-state programs you can check yourself.
Can I do USU FNP hours in Washington if I live in Idaho?
Plan against it. WABON says approved out-of-state placements are for Washington residents, with exceptions case by case, and USU encourages hours in your own state of residence. A student living in Idaho should build a list of Idaho sites instead; our Idaho page covers how USU's programs and Idaho's rules line up.
Does USU's DNP accept Washington residents?
No. USU's Board of Nursing list excludes Washington for the DNP, alongside Idaho, Oregon, Utah, New York and a few others. If you're an FNP-prepared nurse in Washington aiming for a doctorate, USU's DNP isn't available while you live here; the DNP page describes the program for states where it's open.
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.
- USU accreditation and state authorization disclosures
- Washington State Board of Nursing: nursing education and out-of-state programs
- USU State/Territory Boards of Nursing Program Approvals (updated 5.19.2026)
- Washington State Nursing Education Rules (WAC 246-840)
- WABON: Washington State Student Nurse Preceptorship Grant
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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