University of Cincinnati clinicals in California
Yes, UC nursing students can do graduate clinicals in California: the state sits on none of UC's exclusion lists, DNP programs included. You need a California RN license, each California preceptor needs a Board of Registered Nursing form sent to constateauth@uc.edu, and PMHNP Internship I follows a rule that applies only here.
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Which UC programs can train in California
Because California appears on no UC exclusion list, the real question here is lead time, not permission. The only UC students shut out are those in programs limited to UC's three-state home region, marked in the table below. The national picture is on where UC allows clinicals.
| UC program | Clinicals in California? |
|---|---|
| Online MSN: FNP, AGPCNP, nurse-midwifery, WHNP, nursing education | Yes |
| BSN-to-DNP NP tracks and the post-MSN DNP | Yes; no DNP carve-out here |
| FNP and PMHNP post-master's certificates | Yes |
| AGACNP at any level, AGPCNP and PNP-AC certificates | No; Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana residents only |
| Online RN-to-BSN | Yes |
What the Board of Registered Nursing asks of UC
California's rule, 16 CCR § 1486, makes any NP school outside the state win Board of Registered Nursing approval before any student starts a California clinical. The school must also teach California NP law, meet NONPF and AACN standards, and use preceptors who satisfy the Board. The BRN route begins when the school files a Verification of Clinical Practice Experience form, which the Board takes up at one of its meetings; ask constateauth@uc.edu whether UC needs anything from you for it.
Your share is smaller: one BRN preceptor form for every California preceptor, sent separately from the packet. The three-state forms page covers when and how. The California NP law UC has to teach covers the standardized procedure rules plus two statutes, BPC 2835.7 and 2836.1.
The BRN's out-of-state NP page names adult-gerontology, family, neonatal, pediatric and psych/mental health tracks, so WHNP and nurse-midwifery students should check with constateauth@uc.edu before recruiting anyone.
Who can precept a UC student here
California's side: your preceptor holds a current California license in their own field and is qualified in your NP category. The school orients them, faculty review them every two years or sooner, and agency, preceptor and school sign a written agreement setting out the role. UC's side is its usual checklist on UC preceptor requirements, which also wants NPs certified in your specialty supervising at least a fifth of your hours.
Physician assistants can't precept you here; California is missing from UC's PA list. AANP classes California as restricted practice, where some settings and procedures call for a standardized protocol agreement, with possible exemptions, so ask a prospective NP how that works in their clinic.
PMHNP students hit a California-only rule. UC normally wants a licensed psychotherapy provider for Internship I and turns away PMHNPs and psychiatrists. For a California placement, UC limits Internship I preceptors to NPs, physicians and clinical psychologists, plus psychiatrists the program director approves. The sequence is on PMHNP internships.
A counselor or clinical social worker who could precept PMHNP Internship I in Ohio can't fill that role for a UC student in California.
Licensing: no compact shortcut
California stays outside the NLC with no bill pending, and 16 CCR § 1486(d) makes a current California RN license a condition for any out-of-state NP student joining clinicals here. UC's RN license rule points the same way. Start that application early; California NP certification later requires the California RN license first anyway.
UC asks for no extra state background check before California clinicals, and we found no California preceptor incentive. The APRN Compact won't help either: California hasn't enacted it.
Finding California preceptors, and where we fit
Searches usually center on San Diego, the Los Angeles and Riverside-San Bernardino metros, and San Francisco-Oakland. Cedars-Sinai, Stanford Health Care, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente and the University of California Health campuses are big employers, named as examples rather than sites known to host UC students. Stanford is on UC's clear-with-your-CSC-first list.
University of California Health shares your school's initials, so write out University of Cincinnati in every email to avoid being mistaken for a UCLA or UC Davis student.
We look for California NPs and physicians who fit both the BRN's rules and UC's, help with the Preceptor Application, and keep the BRN form on your checklist. UC and the Board decide every approval. The form on this page starts a search; how it works shows the steps.
Questions UC students ask
Will my Ohio multistate license work for UC clinicals in California?
No. California never joined the compact, so an Ohio multistate license gives you no privilege to practice there. The BRN expects a current California RN license from students of out-of-state NP programs, and UC wants a license valid wherever your clinical happens. Apply well before your packet deadline.
What extra form does a California preceptor complete for UC?
California's BRN calls it the Nurse Practitioner Program Preceptor Form, a document tied to CCR Title 16 § 1486. UC needs one per California preceptor, so two preceptors in a term means two forms. Each goes to UC's state authorization inbox, constateauth@uc.edu, in an email of its own a week or more before the term begins, never tucked inside the Preceptor Application.
Can a licensed therapist precept UC PMHNP Internship I in California?
Only a clinical psychologist. UC's usual Internship I list includes social workers, counselors and psychologists, but California narrows it to four options: NPs, physicians, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists if the program director approves. A clinical psychologist qualifies under both versions, which makes one a sensible first call.
Can I approach Stanford Health Care about a UC clinical?
Talk to your Clinical Site Coordinator first. Stanford Health Care is on UC's short list of systems students shouldn't approach until the CSC is involved, alongside Cleveland Clinic, Allina and a few others. Your CSC can explain how UC works with Stanford before you spend weeks on outreach.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against UC's own sources. Your Clinical Site Coordinator, your course faculty and UC's current documents have the final word.
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Tell us your UC track, where you live and which term your next practicum starts. We look for a preceptor and site that fit UC's rules for your track, and help you get the Preceptor Application and agreement details right.
- Matched to your track's population, setting and hour rules
- Checked against UC's preceptor requirements before your CSC sees it
- Aimed at UC's packet deadline, not just the first day of term
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