Minnesota clinicals for Samford nurse practitioner students
Samford takes Minnesota applicants into every NP track and says its MSN and DNP tracks satisfy Minnesota licensure requirements. Research found no Minnesota approval step for out-of-state schools, and the state even excuses some visiting graduate students from its license, yet Samford's handbook and at least one major Minnesota system set a higher bar. Budget time for a Minnesota RN license before any clinical day there.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your Samford program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with preceptor and site options in your community that fit your Samford course.
Samford's disclosure and Minnesota
Minnesota carries no asterisk in Samford's NP licensure disclosure (as of September 3, 2025) and sits outside the 16-state table on the NP program pages, so Samford takes NP applications from people who live in Minnesota or hold a Minnesota license. The disclosure links the state to the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
| Samford program | Open to Minnesota applicants? | Licensure per Samford |
|---|---|---|
| FNP: MSN, ADN to MSN, BSN to DNP, MSN to DNP | Yes | Meets |
| PMHNP: MSN, ADN to MSN, MSN to DNP | Yes | Meets |
| FNP and PMHNP certificates | Yes | Not published |
| Nurse Anesthesia DNP | No state bar published | Meets |
| Online RN to BSN | Yes | Meets (BSN statement) |
Two Minnesota exemptions, and why Samford's rule still governs
Minnesota's Board approves the nursing programs that operate within the state, and research found nothing comparable for schools located elsewhere. Minnesota's rules, at Minn. R. 6305.0300, go further and let the student exemption cover a U.S. program approved by its home state, provided the instructor supervising the student is licensed and registered as an RN in Minnesota. How a Samford rotation would meet that instructor condition is a question for your program coordinator.
Graduate students get a second carve-out in statute, section 148.271(6): an RN licensed elsewhere who comes to Minnesota as a student in a structured program toward an advanced degree may practice within that program without Minnesota licensure. Read alone, that might seem to cover a Samford NP student.
It does not settle your plan. Samford's graduate handbook wants a current, unencumbered RN license for each rotation state, a stricter standard than the statute. Mayo Clinic's page for visiting NP students sets site conditions of its own, listed in the questions below. When sources disagree, follow the strictest one that applies to you.
A Minnesota statute excusing a license is not Samford excusing it. Samford's handbook governs your enrollment, so hold a Minnesota license for Minnesota rotations.
Full practice after 2,080 hours, and where students look
AANP's summary gives Minnesota NPs full practice once they have 2,080 hours of collaborative practice behind them, partnered with a physician or an APRN. Both seasoned NPs and physicians are therefore candidates for your courses, subject to Samford's approval. The FNP BSN to DNP runs the longest sequence: NURG 716, NURG 717 and NURG 718, then NURG 730, for 1,050 hours in Samford's plan of study, though the program web page says a minimum of 750. A preceptor able to stay with you across terms is worth a lot here; the BSN to DNP clinicals page covers the conflict.
The Twin Cities metro accounts for roughly 3.6 million Minnesotans in 2025 Census estimates; Duluth (237,229 on the Minnesota side), Rochester (231,184) and St. Cloud (205,854) are far smaller. Mayo Clinic and Essentia Health, along with Allina Health, HealthPartners and M Health Fairview, are the systems students tend to know, landmarks for a search rather than sites committed to Samford. Most of Samford's hundreds of affiliation agreements are in the Southeast, so plan for a possible new one.
Licensing: Minnesota sits outside the compact
Minnesota remains a non-compact state with no membership bill in play, according to the compact's own map. A multistate license from South Dakota or another compact state gives no privilege to practice in Minnesota, and a Minnesota license ends at the state line. Three neighbors, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota, sit among the 16 states Samford's NP pages exclude, and Wisconsin shares both the Twin Cities and Duluth metros with Minnesota. Clear any rotation over the line with your program coordinator first; the RN license requirements page maps compact status everywhere Samford accepts.
Why Minnesota students pick our placement help
Your placement advisor searches close to home, matches the preceptor to your Samford course, and checks the Minnesota license, registration and any background study a site wants before an introduction. We assemble the details Samford needs for your rotation request and allow time for a new agreement. If a preceptor pulls out, your advisor goes straight to a replacement search. Start here.
Questions Samford students ask
What does Mayo Clinic ask of visiting NP students in Minnesota?
According to Mayo's NP clinical education page, three things come first: a signed affiliation agreement linking your school to Mayo; your own Minnesota license, unencumbered and with registration current, plus a background study run by Minnesota's Department of Human Services; and a faculty of record holding a Minnesota RN or APRN license. Whether Samford has an agreement with Mayo is a question for Samford.
Does Minnesota's MERC funding help a preceptor who takes a Samford student?
No. MERC, the Minnesota Department of Health's program for Medical Education and Research Costs, directs funds to clinical training sites, not to individual preceptors. Its eligibility rules require the teaching program, as well as the training site, to be located in Minnesota, which leaves a Samford rotation out. Alabama's preceptor credit, for its part, covers only Alabama rotations.
Can I rotate in Wisconsin if I live in the Twin Cities?
Ask Samford first. Wisconsin is on Samford's list of states closed to NP applicants; the list is written for where applicants live and hold their only license, and Samford publishes nothing on rotations there. Because Minnesota is outside the compact, you would also need a Wisconsin license before any clinical day across the state line.
What do Samford PMHNP students in Minnesota need beyond a psychiatric preceptor?
Therapy hours. NURG 767 Psychotherapeutic Frameworks and Modalities lists 75 hours in Samford's plans of study, while the catalog sets a minimum of 60 with a Samford approved preceptor. After that come NURG 788, NURG 789 and NURG 790 at 150, 225 and 300 hours. Our PMHNP clinicals page covers the sequence.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Samford's own program pages, plans of study, the 2026-27 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Alabama rules. Your course, your program coordinator and Graduate Student Services have the final word.
Samford says connections are essential. We are the connection.
Tell us your Samford track, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare the details Samford needs to approve the rotation, including a new affiliation agreement where one is needed.
- Preceptors matched to the course: adult primary care for
NURG 723, family practice across the lifespan forNURG 724, psychiatric care forNURG 788 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your clinical rotation request
- In your own community, anywhere Samford accepts you and your RN license is valid
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.