FNU clinicals in West Virginia
West Virginia's RN Board regulates pre-licensure programs only. For graduate programs based elsewhere, the state's higher education office asks for approval only when the school isn't in NC-SARA or sends 10 or more students to one site, and FNU is a SARA institution. Every FNU track can train here on a West Virginia or multistate RN license.
Looking for a West Virginia preceptor?
Tell us your track, your county and your Clinical Bound term. A placement advisor will reply.
West Virginia at a glance
According to FNU's licensure page, completing its MSN or PGC meets West Virginia's education standard for CNM, FNP, PMHNP and WHNP licenses. The rest comes from the state's own agencies and AANP.
- Board: West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses (WV RN Board); LPNs have a separate board
- Nurse Licensure Compact: implemented January 19, 2018
- APRN Compact: not enacted
- AANP practice environment: reduced
- Graduate clinicals for schools based elsewhere: the Higher Education Policy Commission, not the RN Board
- Preceptor incentive: no state program found
Two agencies, two different jobs
The WV RN Board regulates pre-licensure programs. Out-of-state pre-licensure programs must file an Out-of-State Prelicensure Nursing Education Program Approval Application before using West Virginia facilities, but the Board points advanced-degree and graduate programs to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) and their national accreditor.
The Office of Nursing Education and Workforce Development, part of WVHEPC, says out-of-state APRN and graduate programs need its approval for West Virginia clinicals only if the school isn't in NC-SARA, or if it sends 10 or more students to a single site. FNU describes itself as an approved SARA institution, so only the second test could apply.
You won't usually know how many FNU students a site hosts, which is one reason state requirements sit with Clinical Credentialing rather than with you. If you're joining a site that trains many students, mention it to your coordinator early.
Three years of collaboration for prescribing
AANP places West Virginia in its reduced practice group. NPs need a collaborative agreement with a physician for prescriptive practice for three years, and Schedule II narcotics are limited to a three-day supply.
FNU's experience bar is one year in the advanced practice role, so an NP still inside that three-year window can qualify, and their collaborating physician is someone worth knowing. For FNP students, an MD, DO or PA can cover up to 40% of hours. The preceptor requirements page covers every track.
Small metros and rural searches
The four West Virginia metros covered here are all under 400,000 people in the 2025 Census estimates, and two of them cross state lines. These figures and systems are places to search, not sites committed to FNU students.
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH: about 185,000 West Virginians in a metro of 366,000
- Charleston: about 200,000
- Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV: about 158,000 of 315,000 in West Virginia
- Morgantown: about 142,000
Large systems include WVU Medicine, Vandalia Health (which brings together CAMC, Mon Health and Davis Health) and Marshall Health Network. Beyond these metros you'll be searching rural communities, the setting FNU's mission puts first. Start with the Community Map and your regional faculty member, and be ready for distance: FNU's own guidance allows that reaching the right site can mean travel or a stretch living away from home.
Licensing: what the state guide asks of graduate students
West Virginia's compact membership took effect January 19, 2018. The WVHEPC clinical rotation guide says APRN and graduate students doing clinicals in West Virginia need a valid West Virginia RN license if West Virginia is their primary state of residence, or a multistate RN license if they live elsewhere.
That sits comfortably with FNU's own licensing rule. If you live outside the compact, ask Clinical Credentialing how the guide applies to you. The Huntington-Ashland metro spans Kentucky and Ohio, both compact states, so a single multistate license works in all three states. More on the RN license page.
Nurse-midwifery students in West Virginia
AANP's note describes NPs only, and West Virginia's CNM rules are the WV RN Board's to explain, so check midwife questions with that Board or your RCF. With metros this small, plan early for FNU's requirement of at least eight hospital births among your 40, and keep in mind FNU's cap of four midwifery sites unless the RCF approves more. The births page lays out the counts.
Why West Virginia students choose us
We search the region you live in, across state lines where your license and FNU allow, for a preceptor matched to your track. We ready the CSAF's preceptor and site details with you, and if a preceptor backs out we go straight back to searching. FNU gives the site approval; start here.
Questions FNU students ask
Does FNU need West Virginia approval for my clinicals?
Probably not, on the state's published rules. The WV RN Board doesn't regulate graduate programs, and the WVHEPC guide requires approval for out-of-state APRN programs only if the school isn't in NC-SARA or sends 10 or more students to one site. FNU is a SARA institution. Clinical Credentialing tracks state requirements, so check with them if your site hosts many students.
Which license do I need for a West Virginia site if I live in Ohio?
A multistate RN license from Ohio. The WVHEPC guide says graduate students who live outside West Virginia need a multistate license, and Ohio has been in the compact since January 1, 2023. FNU checks it in Nursys Quick Confirm with the rest of your pre-Clinical Bound compliance.
Can a West Virginia NP in their second year of practice precept me?
Possibly. A second-year NP clears FNU's one-year experience requirement. That NP will still be inside West Virginia's three-year period of physician collaboration for prescribing, and nothing on record says that bars precepting. The decision rests with your RCF and Clinical Credentialing.
Is there a West Virginia incentive for preceptors?
No state program is on record. The recognition a West Virginia preceptor can expect comes from FNU: an honorarium after your practicum, the 6-hour Gift of Precepting CE course, DynaMed access, FNU's annual Preceptor Celebration Week each August, and precepting hours documented for recertification.
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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