Washington: approved for Drexel's MSN NP tracks, with limits

Drexel's FNP program page credits Washington's Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, the body that today publishes as the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON). The approval covers practice experiences, meaning the clinical hours you'd log inside Washington.

“Not named” means the published statement is silent, not that Washington refused. If you're in one of those programs, email sara@drexel.edu, Drexel's state authorization mailbox, before approaching any Washington clinic. Every program's list is in our state authorization guide.

Under WAC 246-840-571, a distance nursing program based elsewhere needs WABON approval before placing anyone in a Washington clinical or practice experience. The school must prove its program is equivalent to Washington's, oversee and grade its students on Washington soil, keep national accreditation and report every year. Faculty who teach ARNP practice there need a Washington ARNP license.

One WABON limit catches people out: its out-of-state approvals are meant for students who live in Washington, and any exception is weighed individually. A Drexel student living in Idaho or Oregon shouldn't assume a Spokane or Vancouver clinic works.

The rules may shift: in December 2025 the Board opened rulemaking (a CR-101 filing) on its nursing education chapter, clinical placement barriers included.

Drexel's accepted preceptors are NPs, midwives with CNM certification and physicians practicing in a specialty Drexel approves, each board certified with at least a year of experience. Washington asks that an ARNP student's preceptor hold a current ARNP, MD or DO license with no restrictions (another state's equivalent counts) and have no family or friendship tie to the student. Drexel publishes no relatives rule of its own, so Washington's binds you here. More at preceptor requirements.

Washington's student nurse preceptorship grant, run by WABON, is closed to schools based outside the state, wherever the hours take place. A preceptor who takes you gets Drexel's own thanks instead: a clinical faculty title, an hours certificate each term and a discount on Drexel continuing education.

Washington's compact membership took effect on January 31, 2024. A multistate license issued with Washington as your home state fits the rule on Drexel's compliance page, which accepts that in place of a Pennsylvania license. Yet Drexel's program pages want a Pennsylvania license in hand before clinicals, so confirm which applies; our Pennsylvania RN license guide sets out both readings.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue holds most of the state's options, followed by the Spokane area, Vancouver on the Oregon border and Kennewick-Richland. UW Medicine, MultiCare Health System, PeaceHealth, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and Providence, including Providence Swedish, are the large systems NP students approach, each with its own intake. AANP rates Washington full practice, so independent ARNP clinics deserve a look too.

We start by confirming your track is on Drexel's Washington list, then search for ARNP and physician preceptors who meet Drexel's rules and WABON's, relatives and friends screened out. The preceptor's CV, license, board certification and the site's contracting contact reach Drexel together, complete and ready for review. If a preceptor drops mid-quarter, our search is already running.