The RN license you need for UC clinicals
For UC clinicals you need an RN license that is current, active and unrestricted, and valid in the state where the site is; for telehealth, it must be valid where the patient is. A multistate compact license can cover other compact states; outside the compact you need that state's own license. UC checks your license through NCSBN's QuickConfirm as one of its Critical Requirements.
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Tell us your UC track, where you're licensed and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what's realistic in those states.
2023year Ohio's compact license took effect (January 1)
UC's rule: licensed where the clinical happens
UC's 2026–27 Student Handbook requires a current, active and unrestricted RN license in the state where each clinical takes place. UC's FNP FAQ says the same thing more plainly: every student needs a valid RN license in the state where they're performing clinical. That can differ from the state you live in or the license you were admitted with.
The rule applies clinical by clinical. Doing ANNP8070 in your home state and ANNP8072 across a state line means holding a valid license for both states by the time each course starts.
Your preceptor has a matching rule of their own, an unencumbered license in the clinical state. That side is covered on our preceptor requirements page.
| Your situation | License UC needs |
|---|---|
| Clinical in your home state | Your active, unrestricted license from that state |
| Clinical in another compact state, with a multistate license from your home compact state | Your multistate license generally covers it; confirm with your CSC |
| Clinical in a state outside the compact, such as California, Illinois or Michigan | A license issued by that state |
| Telehealth visit | A license valid in the state where the patient is located |
| Cincinnati Children's NP clinical practicum | An active Ohio RN license, per Cincinnati Children's; ask whether a multistate license from another state is accepted |
How a compact license changes things
The Nurse Licensure Compact lets a nurse holding a multistate license from their home compact state practice in other compact states. Ohio's participation took effect on January 1, 2023, and NCSBN's implementation table shows Kentucky and Indiana in the compact too. A tri-state student with a multistate license from one of the three is generally covered across Cincinnati's state lines.
Outside the compact, you need that state's own license. Among states where UC can place graduate clinicals, NCSBN's table lists Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada as non-members. Massachusetts has enacted the compact but not yet implemented it, and UC can't place graduate clinicals there anyway.
UC's Preceptor Application asks whether your license is a compact license, which tells your CSC early whether a second license is in play. Compact membership can change, so check the current status with both boards before you commit to a site.
Telehealth: the patient's state decides
For telehealth, UC ties the license to where the patient is, not to where you or your preceptor sit. If a preceptor in Ohio sees a patient in Michigan by video, the visit needs a license valid in Michigan, and Michigan isn't in the compact.
Telehealth hours are limited to begin with. UC permits them only in certain tracks, one request at a time and with the program director's sign-off, and some tracks require you to be on site with the preceptor. The details are on our telehealth hours page. Before you log a telehealth visit, check that the patient's state is one your license covers. If the patient is in a state where UC can't place clinicals at all, ask your CSC before counting the visit; UC's public pages don't address that case.
How UC checks your license
RN license verification is one of UC's Critical Requirements, and UC uses NCSBN's QuickConfirm for it; the Critical Requirements page describes the standard as active, unrestricted RN licensure. UC's background check includes a professional license verification of its own, so your license is checked in two separate ways. The wider compliance list is on our Critical Requirements page.
The Preceptor Application's student section also asks for your RN license and its state. List the license that covers the clinical site, not only your home license, so your CSC sees the right one when the packet arrives.
Admission to UC's graduate programs requires an unrestricted license with no disciplinary action, and the clinical rule asks for an unrestricted license in the clinical state. If anything changes with your license during the program, tell your CSC promptly.
Second licenses, moves and timing
UC leaves little slack for a new license. Your site must be locked in before the second week of the term ends, and hours count only inside semester dates. If you might train in a state outside the compact, start that board's application when you begin approaching preceptors there, not after one agrees.
Moving mid-program raises the same question along with others, such as state authorization, a new CastleBranch package and new preceptors. Our moving during UC clinicals page covers the full list, and our page on where UC can place clinicals names the states UC can't use at all.
When we search for a preceptor, we start from the states your license already covers, so a match doesn't depend on a license you don't hold yet. UC still vets and approves each preceptor and site. Tell us your track and licensed states through the form on this page.
A license from your home state doesn't automatically cover a clinical across a state line. Check the compact status of both states before you accept a site.
RN-to-BSN, certificate and DNP students
RN-to-BSN students can be admitted while still in an ADN program, but UC requires proof of US RN licensure before the two courses with community and capstone work, NBSN4081 Focus on Community and NBSN4068 Capstone Experiences. Practicing RNs in the program need an unrestricted license. The number of direct-care hours isn't on UC's public pages, so your syllabus is where to find it. More on that program is on our RN-to-BSN page.
Post-master's certificate and DNP students follow the graduate rule: an RN license valid in the clinical state. International students must complete their clinicals in the US, and UC's online program pages say they must hold, or be able to obtain, US work authorization.
Questions UC students ask
Does a UC clinical in Ohio need an Ohio RN license?
Only if your clinical is in Ohio and your current license doesn't cover Ohio. Ohio has been in the Nurse Licensure Compact since January 1, 2023, so a multistate license from another compact state generally works. Some Ohio sites set their own rule: Cincinnati Children's NP practicum asks for an active Ohio RN license.
Which license do I need for telehealth clinical hours?
A license that's valid wherever the patient is sitting during the visit. UC's handbook and FNP FAQ tie telehealth to the patient's state, so a video visit with a patient across a state line needs a license covering that state. Telehealth hours also need program director approval and are limited to certain tracks.
What is QuickConfirm and why does UC use it?
QuickConfirm is NCSBN's online license verification service. UC lists RN license verification through it among the Critical Requirements, alongside the background check's own license search. Make sure the license UC verifies is the one that covers your clinical state, not only the one from your home state.
Can I start UC clinicals before my new state license is issued?
No. UC requires a current, active, unrestricted RN license in the clinical state before you practice there as a student. If you're applying for a new license, time it against UC's preceptor packet deadline and the week-2 site cutoff, and tell your CSC which license you'll hold when the term starts.
Are Kentucky and Indiana in the nurse compact?
Yes, according to NCSBN's implementation table: Kentucky since January 2018 and Indiana since July 2020, with Ohio joining in January 2023. A multistate license from any of the three generally covers clinicals in the other two. Check that your own license is multistate, not single-state. Our tri-state clinicals page covers the rest.
Related pages
Telehealth clinical hoursWhich UC nursing tracks may count telehealth clinical hours, where you must be during a visit, and why your RN license must cover the state the patient is in.State authorizationUC runs graduate clinicals in all but seven states, keeps Washington closed to DNPs, limits three tracks to OH, KY and IN residents and rules out territories.Moving during UC clinicalsRelocating during your UC nursing program? Check state authorization, your RN license, CastleBranch and new preceptors before you move, not after.CastleBranch and Critical RequirementsUC College of Nursing Critical Requirements in CastleBranch: every item, order and document deadlines by term, and what the current purchase hold means.Kentucky and Indiana clinicalsUC clinicals in Northern Kentucky or southeast Indiana: preceptor licenses, PA rules, compact licenses, background checks and what neither state settles.UC preceptor requirementsUC's preceptor rules: master's or higher, accepted certification, a year in the role, a clean license in the clinical state, and the 20% NP and 50% CNM rules.
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.
Hand us the search. Keep your packet deadline.
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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