Oregon residents and UNC Wilmington's nursing programs
Oregon's nursing board asks almost nothing of RN-BSN, non-APRN master's and DNP programs based in other states, which makes it one of the easier places for UNCW's online educator, RN-BSN and leadership DNP students. The catch is licensing, since Oregon remains outside the Nurse Licensure Compact. UNCW NP students, as everywhere, complete their clinical hours in North Carolina.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your UNCW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UNCW course.
Oregon's notice rule stops at pre-licensure
Only pre-licensure PN and RN programs from other states must tell the Oregon State Board of Nursing before their learning activities in Oregon start, filing one form per track and refiling each year under the Board's division 21 education rules (OAR chapter 851). The Board spells out who is exempt: advanced practice programs, plus programs that do not lead to licensure, such as RN-to-BSN and MSN or DNP programs outside advanced practice. Asked in its APRN guidance whether an APRN program from elsewhere needs approval to place students in Oregon, the Board says no, and the prior-authorization rule once aimed at visiting NP students was repealed effective July 1, 2021.
Two requirements remain: nursing faculty teaching in Oregon need an active Oregon license, and before enrolling Oregon residents a school has to meet the terms of Oregon's higher education commission or NC-SARA. UNCW has taken part in SARA since February 2017.
UNCW programs through an Oregon lens
| UNCW program | Oregon Board step | License you would use |
|---|---|---|
| MSN Nurse Educator and Post-Graduate Certificate | None: non-APRN MSN programs are excused from notice | Your Oregon license as a distance student; a preceptor licensed in Oregon |
| RN-BSN | None: RN-to-BSN programs are excused | Your Oregon license, from your resident state |
| DNP Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership | None found for these DNPs | UNCW asks for a North Carolina or compact RN license; ask UNCW |
| DNP FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP; PMHNP certificate | Not relevant: clinicals are in North Carolina | A North Carolina RN license |
No compact, so plan the license first
Oregon has no pending legislation to join the Nurse Licensure Compact and has not enacted the APRN Compact, so an Oregon RN license stays valid in Oregon alone. For the MSN Nurse Educator that is fine: UNCW admits distance students who will not practice in North Carolina on a license from their home state.
The NP concentrations and the leadership DNPs are different. UNCW's admission wording asks for a North Carolina or compact RN license, and an Oregon-only nurse has neither, so plan on a North Carolina license or a direct answer from UNCW. NC or compact RN license explains the options. AANP places Oregon among its full practice states.
Portland, Salem, Eugene and Bend
Among the state's large employers are Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Samaritan Health Services, Providence (based in Renton, Washington) and Kaiser Permanente's Northwest region, which covers Oregon and southwest Washington. Most Oregonians live in the Portland, Salem, Eugene-Springfield and Bend metros. These show where an educator practicum or RN-BSN practice experience could take place; none is a known UNCW site.
One border detail matters. The Portland metro spills into Vancouver, Washington, and a site on that side of the Columbia falls under Washington's board, which requires approval before any out-of-state clinical or practice experience. UNCW was not on its list dated September 21, 2026; see the Washington guide before choosing a site across the river.
Oregon-based NP students
Under the 2025-26 DNP Student Handbook, FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP students complete clinical and practicum hours in North Carolina, precepted by clinicians practicing there. From Oregon that means a North Carolina license, a cross-country trip for each practicum and hours that start only once you arrive, since travel does not count. The complete wording is on the North Carolina clinical rule page.
Why Oregon nurses work with us
For NP students, we turn a coast-to-coast problem into a plan: North Carolina preceptors and sites that suit your UNCW practicum course, confirmed early, and a full packet prepared for UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator. For educator students, we search Oregon for a nurse-educator preceptor with the degree, teaching years and license UNCW asks for, and make sure your site sits on the Oregon side when that matters. Tell us about your program through the form below.
Questions UNCW students ask
Does Oregon require UNCW to be approved before my practicum?
Not for most UNCW online programs. The notice step does not apply to RN-to-BSN programs or to MSN and DNP programs outside advanced practice, and under the Board's APRN guidance, out-of-state APRN programs can place students in Oregon without approval. Oregon does expect SARA or state authorization before enrollment, and UNCW is a SARA participant.
Can I use my Oregon RN license for UNCW NP clinicals?
No. Oregon is not a compact state, so its license gives no privilege to practice in North Carolina, and UNCW asks NP students for a North Carolina RN license or a compact license. Every NP clinical hour happens in North Carolina, so a North Carolina license is the practical route from Oregon.
Can I complete UNCW's RN-BSN from Oregon?
Yes, as UNCW describes it. The RN-BSN is online, wants an unencumbered RN license from the state you live in, and builds in practice experiences you can complete at your job or outside work, with no prescribed clinical hours. Oregon's board excuses RN-to-BSN programs from its notice requirement.
I'm moving to Oregon partway through my UNCW program. What should I check?
UNCW publishes no relocation policy. NP students still owe their clinical hours to North Carolina and need an RN license valid there when clinicals happen, which an Oregon license is not, so ask UNCW about keeping a North Carolina license. Educator and RN-BSN students should confirm their practicum plan and license with their advisor before moving.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages. Your course, your cohort's handbook and UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for
NSGL 650toNSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
- In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen
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