Doing your FNU clinicals in Montana
Montana's Board of Nursing says graduate programs don't need its approval to hold clinicals in the state, so FNU students in every track can train here. The Board's one condition is that you hold an active license valid in Montana, which a multistate compact license covers. The harder part is distance.
Searching for a Montana preceptor?
Tell us where you live and your track. A placement advisor will reply.
Before you ask a Montana preceptor
FNU marks Montana as a state where its MSN and PGC programs meet the education requirements for all four licenses it prepares for, and no FNU rule limits any track here. Run through these points first.
- Your RN license: Montana joined the Nurse Licensure Compact (effective January 19, 2018), which means a multistate license you hold from another member state is valid here.
- Your preceptor: FNU asks for a valid, unencumbered US license and a minimum of one year working in an advanced practice role. AANP lists Montana as full practice.
- The owner: a clinic belonging to a relative or someone in your household is off the table for FNU, and so is a relative as your preceptor. In a one-clinic town, check this first.
- The drive: can you reach the site for FNU's weekly minimums across all three clinical courses?
- Births, for midwifery students: at least eight of your 40 must be in a hospital.
Graduate programs skip Montana's approval step
Montana's rule ARM 24.159.608 requires Board approval before an out-of-state pre-licensure program places students in the state, backed by a detailed written request from the program director. The Board's FAQ says RN-to-BSN and graduate programs do not need that approval. FNU's MSN, PGC and DNP tracks are graduate programs.
The condition sits with the program: it must make sure each student holds an active license valid in Montana, because the student is caring for Montana patients. The FAQ adds that out-of-state faculty need a Montana license only if they give direct patient care; instructors who only consult with the student and preceptor don't. Clinical Credentialing handles the site agreement, and your Clinical Advisor can confirm any Montana-specific step.
Distance and FNU's weekly minimums
In 2025 Census estimates, Billings is the largest metro at 193,603 people, followed by Bozeman (128,740), Missoula (128,698) and Helena (97,153). Outside them, the nearest willing preceptor may be a long way off, and FNU sets weekly minimums you must meet at the site.
| Clinical course | Minimum hours a week |
|---|---|
| 751 (first) | 20 |
| 752 (second) | 28 |
| 753 (third) | 24 |
The catalog caps clinic time at 40 hours a week, for midwifery depending on call. FNU expects most students to stay local, yet says travel or a temporary move is sometimes part of the plan. Weigh the drive against a 28-hour week before you commit to a distant site.
Health systems to start your search
Billings Clinic and Logan Health are now one combined Billings Clinic-Logan Health system. Benefis Health System, Providence Montana (including St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula) and Intermountain Health's St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings round out the larger names. None is known to take FNU students; each is simply a place to start asking.
Montana's small-town clinics sit squarely inside FNU's mission, which puts rural and underserved communities first; three in four FNU students live in such areas. The Community Map can show Montana preceptors who have hosted FNU students, and rural clinicals covers searching outside metros.
Licensing and the APRN Compact
Montana's RN licensing page says a nurse with a multistate privilege from another compact state doesn't need a Montana license to practice there. Nurses whose only license comes from outside the compact need a Montana license in hand before the site starts. Telehealth patients elsewhere bring their own state's rules. Montana has not enacted the APRN Compact.
Where we come in
We look for a preceptor matched to your track within reach of your town, weigh the drive against FNU's weekly minimums, and pull together the site and preceptor details your CSAF and credentialing file will need. If a preceptor withdraws, the search starts again right away. FNU gives the final approval, from a file that is complete. Use the request form.
Questions FNU students ask
Does FNU need Montana Board of Nursing approval for my clinicals?
Not according to the Board's FAQ, which says graduate nursing programs don't need Board approval to hold clinicals in Montana. The approval rule in ARM 24.159.608 is for out-of-state pre-licensure programs. FNU still has to make sure you hold an active license valid in Montana. Check anything site-specific with your Clinical Advisor.
Does my RCF need a Montana nursing license?
Only if they give direct patient care, per the Montana Board's FAQ. Out-of-state instructors who only consult with you and your preceptor don't need one. RCFs are FNU faculty who approve your clinical plan, grade your clinical work with preceptor input and make a site visit that FNU says may be virtual or in person.
Can I do FNU clinicals at a Montana clinic my family owns?
No. The FNU catalog rules out any site a relative or household member owns or administers, any site you have an ownership stake in, and any relative as preceptor. In a small Montana town that can rule out the most obvious clinic, so widen the search early rather than after a CSAF is turned down.
Is Montana part of the APRN Compact?
No. Only Delaware, the two Dakotas, Utah and Wyoming have enacted it so far, and seven enactments are needed before it takes effect. It has no bearing on FNU clinicals, which rest on your RN license. RN licensing is a separate matter: Montana is a Nurse Licensure Compact member, so multistate RN licenses already work here.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against FNU's own published sources. Your Clinical Advisor, your RCF and FNU's current guidelines have the final word.
Your site submitted before Clinical Bound.
Tell us your FNU track, your county and your Clinical Bound date. We look for a preceptor and site that fit FNU's rules for your track, and help you get the CSAF and credentialing details right.
- Matched to your track: CNM/CM, NP, or the right mix FNU allows
- Ready for the CSAF, the RCF and Clinical Credentialing
- In person near you, or telehealth within FNU's caps
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