Doing your ETSU clinicals outside Tennessee
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) allows graduate clinicals outside Tennessee, but each one depends on approval from the appropriate regulatory bodies and is reviewed case by case after you are admitted. Some undergraduate tracks stay in Tennessee by design. The host state's board of nursing, your license and your preceptor's license decide how smooth an out-of-state rotation will be.
Training outside Tennessee?
Tell us your state, program and next practicum. We check the host board's rules before we approach any preceptor.
ETSU's rule, in its own words
The College of Nursing home page and its MSN and DNP pages make the same point: clinical rules differ from state to state and can change, and a placement outside Tennessee "is contingent upon approval by the appropriate regulatory bodies." The College decides these placements case by case, and only after admission.
Two related rules sit beside it. Anyone applying from outside Tennessee must first ask their own board of nursing whether it accepts the online program. A student who moves out of Tennessee may continue only if the board in the new state allows it, which has its own page: moving during your program.
ETSU keeps no list of states that are closed to its students. It publishes per-state licensure determinations instead, and they are worth reading before anything else, because ETSU's two versions disagree for 17 states: see ETSU's licensure disclosures side by side.
Which ETSU programs can train outside Tennessee
| Program | Outside Tennessee? | What ETSU says |
|---|---|---|
| MSN (all four concentrations) and RN to MSN | Possible, case by case | Needs approval from the appropriate regulatory bodies; reviewed after admission |
| ETSU DNP and ETSU-TTU joint DNP | Possible, case by case | Clinical hours may be done in your home community when approved |
| Post-graduate certificates | Possible, case by case | Clinicals are in person, with local or distance placement arranged through the College |
| RN to BSN | Limited | Students living outside Tennessee may have to complete clinical hours at a Tennessee institution or agency |
| LPN to BSN | No | "Clinical placements outside the state of Tennessee are not possible" |
| Traditional and Accelerated BSN | Assigned by the College | Clinicals are assigned by the College for the Johnson City, Kingsport and Sevierville cohorts |
For graduate students, case by case means there is no blanket yes or no for a state. The same state can be simple for one rotation and slow for another, depending on the site, the preceptor's license and what the host board expects of schools based elsewhere. The RN to BSN practicum has its own page: NRSE 4026.
SARA: what it settles and what it leaves to boards
At the time of writing, ETSU appears in NC-SARA's directory as a Participant, not provisional, with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) as its portal agency. ETSU's 2026-27 graduate catalog names California as the only state outside SARA.
Tennessee's own handling of other schools shows what SARA does. THEC's state authorization flowchart says Tennessee joined SARA in 2015, and that a SARA school from another state whose Tennessee activity stays within section 5.2(b) of the SARA Policy Manual needs no separate Tennessee authorization. SARA is about authorizing the institution across state lines.
Boards of nursing still set their own terms for students training in their state. Kentucky's board cites a licensure exemption for out-of-state nurses on clinical rotation when the school is a SARA institution, North Carolina's says students of a SARA-approved college may be eligible for clinicals there, and Alabama's requires its own filing regardless.
The catalog also gives out-of-state distance students, and students in out-of-state placements, a complaint route under SARA: ETSU's own process first, then an appeal to THEC within two years. Grades and conduct matters are excluded.
What nearby state boards ask
Northeast Tennessee borders Virginia and North Carolina, and Kentucky is a short drive north, so for students who live near the state line the nearest good site can sit in another state. Here is what five neighboring boards say on their own pages.
| State | Approval of out-of-state graduate programs | License points |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | The Board says it does not regulate or approve out-of-state or post-licensure programs | State law exempts an RN licensed elsewhere while enrolled in an advanced nursing program, for the clinical practice the curriculum requires |
| Kentucky | KBN says out-of-state programs need no KBN approval, even with a Kentucky clinical component | Faculty overseeing students and preceptors in Kentucky for online APRN programs need a Kentucky RN and APRN license (APRN only if they live in a compact state) |
| North Carolina | NCBON says it has no jurisdiction over post-licensure graduate or doctoral programs | Graduate students without a North Carolina or multistate license contact NCBON's Licensure Department first |
| Georgia | The Board does not approve or regulate post-licensure programs, APRN programs included | Clinical instruction for APRN students must come from a nurse with Georgia APRN authorization |
| Alabama | Out-of-state APRN programs file a letter of intent with the ABN at least 15 days before clinicals and pay an annual program fee | Post-licensure students training in Alabama need an Alabama or multistate RN license |
Rules change, so read the board's current page before you commit to a site. Every state's rules are summarized in our state guides.
Your license and your preceptor's license
Your RN license has to fit the state where you train. ETSU's MSN calls for an unencumbered RN license in Tennessee or in the state where your clinicals happen, and DNP students must be licensed in Tennessee or a compact state. Tennessee belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, which the Tennessee Board of Nursing's 2025 report counts at 43 member jurisdictions. ETSU's full license rules are on the RN license page.
Your preceptor's license matters just as much. Tennessee Rule 1000-01-.11 governs the programs Tennessee's board approves, ETSU's among them. It calls for preceptors whose competencies match the course and whose unencumbered license, valid in the state where they supervise you, sits at or above the credential you are earning. Schools monitor those licenses through Nursys e-Notify. A nurse practitioner precepting you in Virginia therefore needs a license valid in Virginia, and Kentucky adds its own APRN license condition for preceptors there.
Planning an out-of-state rotation, step by step
- Check both disclosures and the host boardFind the state on ETSU's two licensure lists, then read the host board's page on out-of-state programs.
- Raise it with the graduate clinical coordinator earlyETSU reviews out-of-state placements after admission, case by case, and publishes no lead time, so bring it up at the start of your search.
- Find a preceptor licensed in that stateLook for someone whose license, certification and patient mix fit your ETSU course.
- Submit through the usual pathComplete the Preceptor Intent Form and the ProjectConcert "Preceptor & Clinical Agency Onboarding" entry, as in the placement process.
- Leave room for the contractNo clinical day can happen until a contract exists, and a site new to ETSU needs one drawn up first.
- Confirm your own license covers the stateCheck before day one, and keep every license unencumbered while you train.
Why out-of-state ETSU students choose us
Out-of-state placements are where thoroughness pays off most. We search your own community for a preceptor licensed in your state whose patients fit your ETSU course, read the host board's rules for out-of-state programs before we approach anyone, and hand you a complete package for the Intent Form and the ProjectConcert entry. We name the contract need on day one, giving the College the longest possible runway, and we stay on call until your hours are done.
Approval and credential checks stay with ETSU's faculty and the College. We make the out-of-state file complete before it reaches them, host-state license details included, and if the host board wants something from the school, you hear about it early enough to ask. Share your state and next practicum through our contact form.
Questions ETSU students ask
Can I do ETSU FNP clinicals in another state?
Possibly. ETSU reviews graduate placements outside Tennessee case by case after admission, and each depends on approval from the appropriate regulatory bodies. You also need an RN license that covers that state and a preceptor licensed there. Start by checking both ETSU licensure disclosures for the state and raising the plan with the graduate clinical coordinator early.
Does ETSU's NC-SARA membership mean I can train in any state?
No. SARA concerns authorizing ETSU to operate across state lines, and ETSU is listed as a Participant. Boards of nursing still set their own terms: Alabama's board requires its own letter of intent before clinicals, while Virginia's says it does not regulate post-licensure programs from other states. ETSU's own case-by-case review applies either way.
Can LPN to BSN students do clinicals near home outside Tennessee?
No. ETSU's LPN to BSN page rules out clinical placements beyond Tennessee. Clinicals run in three Tennessee regions: Northeast, East and Middle Tennessee. Placement near home is a goal rather than a promise, so expect the possibility of long drives, overnight stays and 12-hour weekend shifts.
Do I need a nursing license in the state where I do clinicals?
Yes. ETSU's MSN requires an unencumbered RN license in Tennessee or in the state where your clinicals happen, and DNP students must be licensed in Tennessee or a compact state. Some states add their own conditions; Georgia, for example, requires its residents in out-of-state programs to hold a Georgia or multistate license for clinical hours there.
How early should I raise an out-of-state placement with ETSU?
As early as you can. ETSU publishes no deadline or lead time for outside placements, reviews them case by case after admission, and needs a contract in place before clinicals start. Raise the state with the graduate clinical coordinator when you begin your preceptor search, not when the semester is close.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against ETSU's own catalog, College of Nursing pages, plans of study and ProjectConcert guides. Your plan of study, your syllabus, your course faculty and the graduate clinical coordinator have the final word.
ETSU asks you to lead the preceptor search. We make it the fastest part of your program.
Tell us your ETSU concentration, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who fit the course's patient population and prepare everything your Preceptor Intent Form and ProjectConcert entry need.
- Preceptors matched to the course: young and middle adults for
NRSE 5012, older adults forNRSE 5014, women forNRSE 5022, children forNRSE 5024, psychiatric care forNRSE 5405 - Credentials, license numbers, certification dates and the site's patient mix ready for faculty approval
- In your own community, in Northeast Tennessee or wherever ETSU approves your clinicals
Start your placement plan
Program, city and semester is all we need to begin.