Washington and CUW: what the table says and what the program pages claim

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the Concordia Preceptor placement team

Washington is where Concordia University Wisconsin's own sources clash. The disclosure marks it "Meets" for the MSN primary care NP and the Post-MSN DNP but "Does Not Meet" for the Post-BSN to DNP and both CAGE certificates, while CUW's Post-BSN to DNP and PMHNP certificate pages describe Washington approvals. Washington also insists on board approval before any out-of-state student clinical, so the order of your questions matters.

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2 of 5CUW graduate NP tables listing Washington as meeting requirements

2CUW program pages whose Washington approval conflicts with the disclosure

Concordia University Wisconsin's licensure disclosure for Washington: MSN primary care NP (FNP, AGPCNP) meets requirements; Post-BSN DNP does not meet; Post-MSN DNP meets requirements; CAGE certificate (FNP, AGPCNP) does not meet; CAGE certificate (PMHNP) does not meet. The MSN and DNP PMHNP are not — Washington in CUW's licensure disclosure: MSN primary care NP (FNP, AGPCNP) meets requirements; Post-BSN DNP does not meet; Post-MSN DNP meets requirements; CAGE certificate (FNP, AGPCNP) does not meet; CAGE certificate (PMHNP) does not meet; MSN and DNP PMHNP not listed; RN license in the compact;

Three answers, depending on your program

Set CUW's disclosure beside its program pages and the programs sort three ways: the sources agree, collide, or stay silent. The nationwide view is on the CUW licensure disclosure page.

Washington in CUW's disclosure and on CUW's program pages
CUW program	Disclosure for Washington	What the CUW program page says
MSN primary care NP (FNP, AGPCNP)	Meets	FNP and AGPCNP pages: approved by Washington's Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission for practice experiences in the state (agrees)
Post-MSN DNP	Meets	Commission approval for the post master's DNP (agrees)
Post-BSN to DNP (FNP, AGPCNP)	Does not meet	Commission approval for the BSN-DNP FNP and AGPCNP programs (conflicts)
CAGE (PMH NP)	Does not meet	Washington State Board of Nursing approval, for Washington residents, for the post-APRN PMHNP certificate (conflicts)
CAGE (FNP/AGPCNP)	Does not meet	No Washington statement; a 2022 copy of the page listed Washington among excluded states
MSN PMHNP and PMHNP DNP	Not in the table	No Washington statement

An archived May 2024 copy of the table still had Washington under "Meets" for the Post-BSN to DNP. Until CUW squares its pages with its table, treat both collisions as open questions and get a written answer naming your program from the Graduate Clinical Coordinator or admissions before you enroll or ask a Washington preceptor.

Washington's gate for programs based in other states

Washington screens the school before it screens you. Under WAC 246-840-571, a nursing program run from another state needs a green light from WABON, the Washington State Board of Nursing, before any of its students log clinical or practice hours there. The school keeps that green light by showing equivalence with Washington's program standards, overseeing and grading its own students in the state, holding national accreditation and reporting annually, and any of its faculty who teach ARNP practice in Washington must carry a Washington ARNP license.

Residency is the second gate. By default WABON limits approved placements from other states' programs to people who live in Washington and handles any other request individually, the same limit CUW's PMHNP certificate page states. WABON's published roster of approved out-of-state programs includes RN-BSN, MSN and NP tracks; check it for CUW and your track. WABON reopened these rules for amendment on December 5, 2025, placement barriers included, so check the current text.

Who may precept an ARNP student here, and where to look

Washington's education rules set the preceptor pool for ARNP students. The preceptor needs a clean, active license as an ARNP, MD or DO (an equivalent from another state counts) and cannot be the student's relative or personal friend. Physician assistants are not on that list, even though CUW's 2014-15 NP handbook accepted them. CUW's own standards are on who can precept a CUW student.

AANP counts Washington as full practice. Most openings cluster around Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, where Providence, headquartered in Renton and including Providence Swedish, shares the region with UW Medicine, with MultiCare and with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. PeaceHealth also operates in Washington, and the Spokane and Kennewick-Richland metros anchor the east. Each system has its own student intake. Vancouver residents should note that the Oregon side of the Portland metro is "Does Not Meet" in every CUW graduate table; see Oregon.

The state's Student Nurse Preceptorship Grant, administered by WABON, is closed to programs from other states even for hours worked in Washington, so a CUW student's preceptor has no claim on it.

Licensing for a Washington clinical

Washington joined the multistate license system late, on January 31, 2024; since then an RN license from Wisconsin or any other compact home state has covered practice there. Washington has passed no APRN Compact law.

CUW asks MSN and DNP students to keep an unencumbered RN license, and PMHNP certificate students an unencumbered NP license with prescribing authority. Whether your student role in Washington calls for anything more is for the Graduate Clinical Coordinator to confirm; the general CUW rule sits under your RN license for clinicals.

Why Washington CUW students choose us

Washington students choose us because we read your program against both CUW sources before a single call. MSN and Post-MSN DNP students start searching right away; Post-BSN to DNP and certificate students first take the conflict to CUW, quoted from both pages. Your placement advisor then screens each Washington preceptor against the state's list, ARNP, MD or DO with no personal ties, checks that your residency fits WABON's rule, and keeps a Vancouver search on the Washington side. Tell us your track and town on the contact form.

Questions CUW students ask

Is CUW approved for NP clinicals in Washington?

For the MSN FNP and AGPCNP tracks and the Post-MSN DNP, the table and the program pages agree that it is. For the Post-BSN to DNP and the PMHNP certificate, the pages claim approval while the table says "Does Not Meet." Ask the Graduate Clinical Coordinator which statement governs your program.

Must I be a Washington resident for CUW clinicals there?

By default, yes: WABON clears approved placements from out-of-state programs for residents and reviews other cases one at a time, and CUW's PMHNP certificate page states the same resident limit. If you are relocating for a term or live just over a state line, raise it with CUW before any site is arranged.

Can a physician assistant precept my CUW clinicals in Washington?

Washington's rules name ARNP, MD and DO licenses for preceptors of ARNP students, so a PA falls outside the list. CUW's archived 2014-15 handbook accepted PAs, but a Washington clinical has to satisfy Washington's rule as well, so plan on an NP or physician and confirm with CUW's graduate faculty.

Does my Wisconsin multistate RN license work in Washington?

For RN practice, yes, ever since Washington began honoring multistate licenses on January 31, 2024. Two questions stay open, though: whether CUW is approved in Washington for your track, and whether you meet the residency rule for out-of-state placements. The Graduate Clinical Coordinator can answer both.

GuideCUW clinicals by stateDoing CUW clinicals outside Wisconsin? Fifty state guides: CUW's licensure disclosure for each program, licensing and NP precepting there.StatesLicensure disclosure by stateWhich states CUW's disclosure lists as meeting licensure requirements for each nursing program, the 2024 change, the split states and the missing PMHNP rows.StatesClinicals outside WisconsinDoing Concordia University Wisconsin clinicals in another state: your responsibility under the catalog, the destination board's rules, licenses and Washington.DNPPost-BSN to DNP (FNP or AGPCNP)CUW's Post-BSN to DNP: 70 credits, three primary care residencies and 258 leadership hours with an agency mentor, and how to line them all up early.State guideIdahoIdaho went from CUW's 2022 exclusion list to meets for every NP table. Board rules, the license an Idaho rotation runs on, and where Idaho NP students search.State guideOregonOregon sits in CUW's Does Not Meet column for every graduate NP program. Oregon's board rules, the compact gap, the Portland-Vancouver split and who we help.

Last checked 2026-09-26

We check these pages against CUW's own academic catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.

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