Kent State nursing and Washington State
Washington is absent from all of Kent State's online nursing lists, so a nurse who lives there cannot enroll from a Washington address today. The state also keeps one of the firmer gates for schools elsewhere: WAC 246-840-571 says a distance program must earn Washington State Board of Nursing approval before any of its students begins clinical work in Washington.
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Tell us your Kent State program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your Kent State course.
Kent State's two answers for Washington
One Kent State page settles whether you can enroll from Washington; another says whether a finished program would satisfy Washington's licensing rules. On September 24, 2026, the first said no for every program and the second said MEETS for every APRN program.
| Program group | Enrollment from Washington | Licensure disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| PMHNP, WHNP and AGCNS, MSN and certificates | Not listed | MEETS |
| Nurse Educator and NAHSL | Not listed | No row (no license at the end) |
| Post-master's DNP and RN-to-BSN | Not listed | No row |
| FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP | Not on the page (Kent Campus attendance) | MEETS |
A MEETS entry is worth confirming directly with Kent State, because the college's program pages have yet to record a determination for states beyond Ohio. No out-of-state eligibility is published for the three mostly online NP concentrations; ask the Office of Student Services. All of Kent State's lists are on approved states.
WABON approval comes before any Washington clinical
Washington's rule makes no exception by degree level. A distance learning program from another state applies to WABON, demonstrates that it measures up to Washington's program standards, supervises and evaluates its own students on Washington soil, stays nationally accredited and reports every year. WABON's roster of approved outside programs includes RN-to-BSN, MSN and NP tracks.
Two more limits apply. An approved placement is authorized only for a student who resides in Washington, with anything else decided individually, and any of the school's faculty who teach ARNP practice in the state must hold Washington's own ARNP license. The details may shift: WABON's CR-101 notice of December 5, 2025 began a rewrite of its education rules, sections 500 to 571 of chapter 246-840, with barriers to clinical placement on the agenda. Kent State's SARA membership since 2015 leaves board rules like these standing; see clinicals outside Ohio.
Who may precept an ARNP student in Washington
Washington calls its nurse practitioners ARNPs, and AANP counts it among the full practice states. Under the same WAC section, whoever precepts an ARNP student cannot be the student's relative or personal friend, and must be licensed as an ARNP, MD or DO (or the equivalent in another state) with no encumbrance on an active license.
Kent State publishes no relatives rule of its own; its one published exclusion keeps PMHNP students out of their own workplaces. In Washington, the state's rule adds a personal-ties screen to Kent State's standards on preceptor requirements.
A friend or family member who is an ARNP cannot precept you in Washington, however well qualified.
Puget Sound, Spokane and Kennewick-Richland
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue dominates, with about 4.2 million residents. Spokane-Spokane Valley holds roughly 610,000, Washington's share of the Portland-Vancouver metro around 545,000 and Kennewick-Richland about 324,000. Among major employers, Providence (Renton-based, with Providence Swedish in its fold) sits beside PeaceHealth, UW Medicine, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and MultiCare Health System. They show where Washington clinicians practice; none is presented as a Kent State partner.
WABON also runs a state grant that pays preceptors for each student they take, though its terms leave out schools based in other states.
A compact license since 2024, and a move to Washington
Washington's compact membership went live January 31, 2024, so a Washington resident's multistate RN license now carries into Ohio and the other member states. Kent State ties the required license to where you live and do practicum, so a Washington resident needs an unrestricted Washington RN license. No APRN Compact law exists in Washington.
Admitted students planning a move to Washington tell the Office of Student Services first. If Kent State clears a Washington practicum, students bound for Washington choose us because we build the search around WABON's rules: ARNP, MD or DO preceptors with no personal tie to you, found in person near your new home, with a credentials packet ready for faculty review. The form below starts it.
Questions Kent State students ask
Can I enroll in Kent State's online PMHNP from Seattle?
No. The PMHNP list skips Washington, as does every other Kent State online nursing list. The disclosure's MEETS entry for Washington concerns licensure after graduation. Even if Washington were added, WAC 246-840-571 would still call for WABON approval of the program before any Washington clinical placement.
Would my Washington preceptor qualify for the state preceptorship grant?
Not as a Kent State preceptor. WABON's grant page says programs from other states do not qualify even when every hour happens in Washington, and it also shuts out RN-to-BSN programs. Eligible preceptors otherwise need a year of experience and at least 80 hours per student. Kent State offers its own benefits, such as continuing education through PreceptED.
I'm moving to Washington mid-MSN. What now?
Let the Office of Student Services know as soon as the move is planned; Kent State's approved-states page makes that mandatory for enrolled students. Continuing depends on Kent State's decision, and WABON limits approved outside placements to Washington residents with other cases handled one by one. Keep your RN license current for your new state.
Would a Kent State NP degree satisfy Washington licensing rules?
Kent State's licensure page puts Washington in the MEETS column for every NP concentration, the clinical nurse specialist MSN and the related certificates. The concentration pages have not yet ruled on out-of-state licensure, so take the question to Kent State's Office of Student Services. The full state-by-state picture is on licensure disclosures.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against Kent State's own catalog, handbooks and program pages. Your MSN or DNP handbook, your syllabus, your practicum faculty and your concentration coordinator have the final word.
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Tell us your Kent State concentration, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare everything your practicum faculty and coordinator review before they approve.
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NURS 61292, acute care forNURS 61092, psychiatric care forNURS 61592, women's health forNURS 66192 - Credentials, license and site details ready for your practicum faculty and coordinator
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