Graceland in Washington State: the approval list and the PMHNP gap
Washington is a Yes on Graceland University's June 2020 licensure chart, and Graceland's 2026-2027 graduate catalog goes further with a state-specific approval for practice experiences in Washington. That approval names the RN to BSN, the MSN FNP and AGACNP tracks, the post-graduate FNP certificate and the DNP. The PMHNP is not on it, so PMHNP students should confirm with Graceland before planning a single Washington practicum.
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The chart row: as plain as they come
Graceland's MSN row for Washington reads that the program will lead to licensure in the state of Washington, no qualifiers attached. It applies to every Graceland NP route alike.
| Program | Washington answer | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| MSN | Yes | Leads to licensure in Washington |
| DNP | No | Post-licensure; it grants no new license |
| RN to BSN | No | Post-licensure; the ordinary answer |
| BSN to RN | Unknown | Campus pre-licensure degree built for Iowa |
Licensure after graduation is only half the Washington picture. The other half, permission to train in the state, is where the catalog comes in; the licensure chart guide covers the rest of the chart.
What the catalog approval names, exactly
The State Authorization section of Graceland's 2026-2027 Graduate Catalog says Graceland is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to provide practice experiences in Washington for these programs:
- RN to BSN
- MSN/FNP
- MSN/Nursing Education
- MSN/AGACNP
- Post Graduate MSN/FNP Certificate
- DNP
Two details deserve attention. The PMHNP is absent, although the track has appeared in Graceland's catalogs since 2020-21. And MSN/Nursing Education is a track Graceland stopped listing as an MSN specialty after 2016-17; nurse education now survives only as a postgraduate certificate without a practicum. The list plainly has not kept pace with the programs, so read neither the gap nor the leftover as current policy without asking.
The post-graduate AGACNP and PMHNP certificates are missing too, and the entry says only DNP, without separating the post-master's DNP from the BSN-to-DNP. If your track is not named, especially the PMHNP, ask the School of Nursing whether Washington practicums are open to you. The catalog uses the commission's name; Washington's nursing regulator now publishes its rules under the name Washington State Board of Nursing, or WABON.
WABON's conditions for distance programs
Washington's rule for this is WAC 246-840-571. Before a distance program from another state places anyone in a Washington clinical or practice experience, WABON must approve it; the program applies, demonstrates equivalency with Washington program standards, supervises and evaluates its students there, keeps national accreditation and reports yearly. Its faculty teaching ARNP practice in Washington hold Washington ARNP licenses.
Residency matters as well. WABON describes approved placements for programs from other states as reserved for Washington residents, with any exception decided case by case, so an Idaho or Oregon resident hoping to train in Spokane or Vancouver should raise that with Graceland first.
These rules could move. WABON's CR-101, filed December 5, 2025, starts a rewrite of the education rules from WAC 246-840-500 onward, section 571 included, and easing clinical placement barriers is among the stated aims.
Preceptors, systems and the compact
Washington ARNPs practice with full authority. WABON's education rules bar relatives and personal friends from precepting an ARNP student and ask for an ARNP, MD or DO license in active, unencumbered status, or another state's equivalent; Graceland's preceptor requirements point the same way.
Compact privileges have applied in Washington since January 31, 2024, so a multistate license from Missouri, Iowa or another member covers hours at a Washington site, provided Graceland receives board verification (RN license guide). Graceland treats a compact license as meeting its telehealth rule for PMHNP patients in compact states.
Greater Seattle, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, holds about 4.2 million people; Spokane, the Tri-Cities around Kennewick-Richland and the Washington share of metro Portland trail well behind. Students there often approach UW Medicine, MultiCare Health System, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, PeaceHealth and Providence, which now includes Providence Swedish, each on its own process. The state's student nurse preceptorship grant, run by WABON, excludes out-of-state programs even for hours worked in Washington, so it would not reach preceptors of Graceland students.
Why Washington students choose us
For FNP and AGACNP students on Graceland's list, we build the Washington search around your home base: primary care clinics for the FNP sequence, hospitalist and critical care teams for the AGACNP, every preceptor's license checked against WABON's rules before anything reaches Graceland. PMHNP students get the same full search once Graceland confirms Washington for their track. Tell us where you live on the form below.
Questions Graceland students ask
Can Graceland PMHNP students complete practicums in Washington?
The catalog's Washington approval names the FNP, AGACNP, FNP certificate, RN to BSN and DNP, but not the PMHNP. That may reflect an unrevised list rather than a decision, since it still names a discontinued track. Ask the School of Nursing for a current answer before you enroll or approach a Washington psychiatrist or PMHNP.
I live in Idaho near Spokane. Can I use a Washington clinic?
Under WABON's policy, approved placements for programs based elsewhere serve Washington residents, and exceptions are weighed case by case. Graceland also expects practicums in your home community within an approved state. Put the question to the School of Nursing first: WABON's approval runs to the program, so Graceland would be the one to ask about an exception.
Does the DNP on Washington's list include the BSN-to-DNP?
The catalog simply says DNP. Graceland's BSN-to-DNP pairs FNP, AGACNP or PMHNP practicums with DNP practice hours, and whether the Washington approval reaches the NP practicums inside it is not stated. Confirm with your track coordinator before arranging Washington sites.
Could WABON's rulemaking change things for Graceland students?
Possibly. The CR-101 filed on December 5, 2025 reopens Washington's nursing education rules, with fewer clinical placement barriers among the goals. Until new rules take effect, the current approval and residency conditions stand, so check WABON's education page each trimester.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Graceland's own catalog, program pages and Graduate Student Handbook. Your handbook, your track coordinator and the contract coordinators have the final word.
Graceland's practicums are arranged by you, with Graceland's help. We do the searching.
Tell us your Graceland track, your city and your next practicum. We find preceptors who fit the course, line up what Appendix A and Appendix B ask for, and aim everything at Graceland's paperwork deadline for your term.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP, hospital and ICU clinicians for AGACNP, psychiatrists and PMHNPs for PMHNP
- Site address, contract contact and preceptor details ready before the June 15, October 15 or February 15 deadline
- Close to home in your approved state, with a second preceptor planned for Graceland's two-preceptor rule
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