How DC's APRN rules shape who can precept you

Full practice, and what it means for a DC preceptor

AANP lists the District as a full practice jurisdiction. DC law lets nurse practitioners evaluate patients, diagnose, and prescribe medications and therapeutic measures, and NP licensure is regulated by the Board of Nursing alone. The Code sections that once required written protocols and physician collaboration are repealed, and DC's rules define NPs as primary care providers.

For your search, that means a DC NP who agrees to precept you is practicing on their own authority, with no collaborating physician to identify in GW's paperwork. District NP licensure rests on an RN license, completion of an NP program and national certification, with 15 continuing education hours every two years to keep it current.

Who DC allows to precept an APRN student

Section 5610.7 sets the core test for anyone precepting APRN clinicals in the District. The preceptor holds an active, unencumbered license as an APRN or a physician, practices in a comparable practice focus, and acts as supervisor and teacher who evaluates your performance in the clinical setting. Other parts of Chapter 56 add surrounding rules:

• Section 5608.14: a clinical preceptor in DC health facilities holds an active DC nursing license in good standing, authorized at the student's level or above.
• Section 5608.12: the school keeps written criteria for selecting, orienting and monitoring preceptors.
• Section 5608.13: faculty verify the student's clinical competency before placing the student with a preceptor.

GW's own standard, from its 2021 clinical placement guide, sits inside these rules: an NP, MD, DO or CNM with at least two years in advanced practice and a current unencumbered license. Match the preceptor's specialty to your course's population, and let your program director judge the fit. The full GW standard is on GW's preceptor requirements.

Letters of Authorization for programs based elsewhere

Programs not approved to operate in DC fall under section 5611. They notify the Board before placing students, meet its standards and obtain a Letter of Authorization through the Board's online portal, which serves schools only, never individual students. A complete application brings a letter in about ten business days, valid for up to a year. The policy has shifted twice since 2024:

1. December 4, 2024: a pauseThe Board issues an alert that it will temporarily stop accepting distance-education and clinical placement applications from programs not approved to operate in DC while it reviews Chapter 56.
2. August 6, 2025: placements resumeA Board memo reauthorizes facilities to offer placements to distance-program students whose schools show HELC authorization (SARA participation counts), full home-state approval and national accreditation.
3. The same memo: a cap and a priorityUnder SARA, no more than ten students may be at one clinical site at any given time unless HELC approves more, and DC Health says it will prioritize DC-based programs and District residents enrolled in distance programs. The memo was later reprinted in the Board's January 7, 2026 agenda packet.

Putting DC's rules to work for you

Every District preceptor we bring to a GW student is checked against these rules before GW sees the name: an active, unencumbered APRN or physician license, a practice focus that matches your course, and GW's two-year advanced practice standard. Your placement advisor confirms your DC RN license will be active before the term and flags any site likely to ask about GW's program status, so the Clinical Placement Team hears the question early and your start date holds.

Site-by-site intake is on the DC preceptor guide, studying with GW from the District is covered on the Washington, DC page, and the contact form starts your search.