Nevada and UCCS's NP programs: what to confirm first
UCCS lists Nevada among the states whose residents may apply to its online NP programs, with clinical hours done in Nevada. One question stays open. Nevada's board requires approval before internet-based programs give clinical instruction in the state, UCCS is not on the board's list, and whether that rule reaches APRN programs is unclear, so confirm with UCCS before you plan hours.
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Tell us your UCCS program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UCCS course.
Nevada residents and each UCCS program
Nevada is named on two UCCS lists, graduate NP study and the RN to BSN, and the approved states guide compares them. Admission and the Nevada board question are separate matters, and both deserve an answer before your first course.
| Program | Nevada residents? | Where hours happen |
|---|---|---|
| MSN: FNP, AGNP, PMHNP | Yes; confirm Nevada clinicals with UCCS | Nevada, near home |
| RN to MSN | Yes, with the same confirmation | Nevada, after the bridge course |
| Post-Graduate NP Certificate | Yes, with the same confirmation | Nevada, per your GAP analysis |
| BSN to DNP, Post-Master's DNP | With an RN license from an approved state | Nevada clinical and project sites |
| RN to BSN | Yes | NURS 4450 at a Nevada community site |
| Traditional or Accelerated BSN | Colorado only | Colorado |
The open question: NAC 632.703
Nevada's rule on programs that teach inside its borders has several parts, summarized below. The key line for an online school is the second one. Nothing in the text sorts programs into pre-licensure, post-licensure and graduate, so the rule reads as if it could cover all three.
Then there is the roster. As of its September 2026 update, five schools from other states hold board approval for clinical-only teaching in Nevada; each is a pre-licensure program, and UCCS's name is absent. Whether the rule stretches to APRN programs is an open question.
| Who | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Any nursing program running part of its program in Nevada | Report on a board form, with proof of accreditation or approval, evidence of compliance with Nevada nursing law, and annual school reports |
| Programs delivered online or in another nontraditional format | No clinical instruction in Nevada without board approval |
| Faculty teaching in Nevada | Nevada licenses |
Before you count on Nevada hours, ask UCCS's Graduate Clinical Practicum Coordinator how the college applies NAC 632.703 to your program, and keep the reply.
A Nevada license, not a compact privilege
Compact privileges end at Nevada's border: with no membership and no pending bill, a Texas or Arizona multistate license carries zero practice rights here. A separate board practice decision reaches students directly. Care delivered to patients in Nevada requires a Nevada license, and the decision's covered activities include nursing education with hands-on patient contact. The RN license guide shows how UCCS treats non-compact states.
On AANP's map Nevada is full practice, with a wrinkle for new NPs: Schedule II prescribing opens once they log two years or 2,000 clinical hours, earlier if a physician-approved protocol is in place. UCCS already asks NP preceptors for two years of experience and full prescriptive authority.
How Nevada frames precepted clinicals
A 2005 board practice decision sets ground rules for precepted student work. Faculty direct every clinical experience. Each preceptor oversees at most two students at once and is physically on site. Faculty stay reachable by phone, and the program supplies preceptors with an orientation and written objectives.
UCCS's structure covers similar ground through its Preceptor Handbook, a site visit after the halfway point of each clinical course, and preceptor evaluations in Medatrax. The site visits and evaluations guide explains each piece.
Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City
Hospital systems you will hear about include Renown Health; UMC of Southern Nevada; Sunrise Health System, an HCA operation; the Valley Health System, which a Universal Health Services subsidiary runs; and Dignity Health, with hospitals in Las Vegas and Henderson. Size earns none of them a standing UCCS arrangement; each rotation gets its own agreement.
For RN to BSN students, NURS 4450 means a Nevada community site they secure, and because NAC 632.703 does not separate program types, that course deserves the same question to UCCS. Public health falls to the state's Division of Public and Behavioral Health. The RN to BSN guide covers the course.
| Metro area | Residents (Census 2025 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | About 2.4 million |
| Reno | About 579,000 |
| Carson City | About 59,000 |
Why Nevada students choose us
Nevada calls for care before a single hour is planned, and care is what we bring. We start from the questions on this page, verify your Nevada license and your preceptor's credentials, look for a psychiatric or primary care preceptor able to be on site as Nevada expects, and have the Clinical Site Sheet information ready well before the semester. If a preceptor drops, the replacement search begins at once. Start on the contact page.
Questions UCCS students ask
Does UCCS hold Nevada board approval for clinicals?
UCCS does not appear on the board's approved list for out-of-state clinical teaching. That list, last updated in September 2026, holds only pre-licensure programs approved for their clinical portion. Whether Nevada's approval rule reaches APRN programs is unclear, so get UCCS's answer before relying on Nevada clinical hours.
Will a compact license from another state work for UCCS hours in Nevada?
It will not. Without compact membership, Nevada expects a Nevada license from anyone who cares for patients in the state, and its board counts students with direct patient contact. Hold an active Nevada RN license before your first rotation starts.
Is there a limit on students per Nevada preceptor?
The board's 2005 guidance caps it at two students at once, with the preceptor physically present. If yours already teaches students from other schools, raise it early so your rotation fits inside that limit and your Clinical Site Sheet reflects the real schedule.
Could I do my hours in California, Arizona or Utah instead?
All three are on UCCS's list. Hours there need a yes from the Graduate Clinical Practicum Coordinator plus whatever license each state demands, which in California means a California RN license. California and Arizona each add their own board rules; read the California and Arizona guides.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against UCCS's catalog, practicum handbooks and college pages. Your degree plan, the handbook for your cohort and the Graduate Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
UCCS asks you to find your clinical hours where you live. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UCCS track, your next clinical course and where you live. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the details your Clinical Site Sheet needs, early enough for the agreement to be signed before the semester.
- Preceptors matched to the course: pediatrics for
NURS 6900, acute and chronic care forNURS 6915andNURS 6925, psychiatric prescribers forNURS 6801toNURS 6803 - Credentials, license, certification and the site's signer ready for the Clinical Site Sheet
- In Colorado Springs, along the Front Range, or in any of UCCS's approved states
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