GW's Ashburn BSN and Direct-Entry MSN: placed by GW, finished with a preceptor
In GW's pre-licensure programs, finding clinical sites is GW's job: program staff arrange your placements across DC, Maryland and Virginia. You rotate in small groups with a clinical faculty member, then finish with a one-on-one preceptorship. This page covers the 540-hour Accelerated and Veterans BSN, the new 900-hour Direct-Entry MSN, and how we help you prepare for that final preceptorship and for the NP program that may come next.
Plan beyond your BSN
Tell us your program, graduation term and the NP specialty you have in mind. Your placement advisor helps you plan the preceptors ahead.
GW's pre-licensure options at a glance
All of GW's entry-level nursing study happens in person at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus (VSTC) in Ashburn, Virginia. GW's BSN page tells students to expect to live nearby, and GW has no housing on the Ashburn campus.
| Program | Credits | Clinical hours | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated BSN | 60 | 540 | 4 consecutive full-time semesters | Admitting for fall, spring and summer |
| Veterans BSN (the same BSN for prior service members with an honorable or general discharge, reservists included) | 60 | 540 | 4 consecutive full-time semesters | Admitting |
| Direct-Entry MSN | 64 | 900 | 4 consecutive semesters | New in the Bulletin 2026-27 |
| Online RN-BSN | 36, with 15 by portfolio | None listed | 4 part-time semesters | Not accepting applications |
The BSN accepts students with 60 or more college credits or a non-nursing bachelor's degree, with science prerequisites completed within seven years. The Direct-Entry MSN is built for non-nursing bachelor's graduates and ends with eligibility for the NCLEX-RN.
How BSN clinicals are arranged
GW's Clinical Rotations page is clear that BSN students leave the site search to GW: program staff arrange the placements, and GW Nursing partners with many healthcare agencies across DC, Maryland and Virginia. Sites spread across the region, so you need reliable transportation.
Most rotations are small-group experiences led by a clinical faculty member. Toward the end of the program you complete a one-on-one clinical preceptorship in NURS 4127 Transition to Professional Nursing Practice, which the Bulletin describes as a precepted clinical area. GW's pages disagree on when clinicals begin: the Clinical Rotations page says once a week from your first semester, while the compliance page and the December 2025 plan put the first clinical-hour course, NURS 3124, in semester 2.
| Course | Title | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3124 | Adult and Geriatric Nursing I | 135 (90 direct, 45 simulation) |
NURS 3125 | Mental Health Nursing | 45 (40 direct, 5 simulation) |
NURS 4124 | Adult and Geriatric Nursing 2 | 90 (72 direct, 18 simulation) |
NURS 4125 | Maternal and Women's Health Nursing | 45 (40 direct, 5 simulation) |
NURS 4126 | Nursing Care of Children and Families | 45 (36 direct, 9 simulation) |
NURS 4217 | Community and Public Health Nursing | 45 direct |
NURS 4127 | Transition to Professional Nursing Practice (preceptorship) | 135 direct |
Each of these courses needs a grade of B or better. The grades and clinical course page explains what happens when a clinical course goes wrong.
CastleBranch compliance for BSN students
GW's graduate students clear through Complio, but BSN students use CastleBranch, purchased by invitation after the first semester begins. The list covers a background check and drug screen, AHA BLS, the GWU Health Form, health insurance (GW's plan or private), MMR, varicella and hepatitis B by vaccine or titer, TB testing within 12 months, Tdap, a flu shot for the October to April season, yearly HIPAA and OSHA, and a COVID vaccination card.
BSN clinical and compliance questions go to bsnclinical@gwu.edu. Keeping the record current matters most before the final preceptorship, when a lapsed item can hold up your one-on-one start. If you later join a GW graduate program, the checklist moves to Complio; see Complio requirements.
Washington Squared at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Accelerated BSN students can also be considered for Washington Squared, a program with MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC). Students selected by MWHC receive clinical rotation fulfillment at MWHC, and GW's accelerated BSN page ties a residency option to the program.
The hospital runs the selection. GW's Washington Squared page says MWHC has discretion in choosing participants and their clinical placements, so treat it as an opportunity to pursue rather than a standard part of the BSN. Ask the undergraduate clinical team how and when your cohort can apply, and what the hospital expects from participants before you commit your schedule to it. GW describes the program for Accelerated BSN students; if you are in the Veterans option or the Direct-Entry MSN, ask whether a similar path is open to you.
The new Direct-Entry MSN
GW's Direct-Entry MSN first appears in the Bulletin 2026-27: 64 credits and 900 clinical hours over four consecutive semesters at VSTC, ending with NCLEX-RN eligibility. Applicants need a non-nursing bachelor's degree (a 3.0 GPA is preferred) and prerequisites passed with a B or better: ethics, anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology and chemistry, the sciences within seven years, plus nutrition and statistics.
The GW Hatchet, GW's student newspaper, reported on September 3, 2026 that the program begins in January 2027 and that clinical placements are arranged through GW's clinical placement team, naming MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Children's National and Inova. GW's own program page could not be read directly to confirm the start term, so check it with admissions.
The Bulletin lists seven clinical courses, among them NURS 6523 Adult Health I Clinical, NURS 6433 Community Health Clinical and NURS 6434 Transition to RN Practice, a clinical immersion with NCLEX preparation. How the 900 hours divide among them is not public.
Where we help: the final preceptorship and the road to NP
GW handles your pre-licensure placements, so our work with BSN and Direct-Entry students centers on making the most of them and planning what comes next. Before your one-on-one preceptorship, your placement advisor helps you prepare: a current compliance file, a resume and learning goals to share on day one, and a realistic plan for travel across the region.
The bigger payoff comes after licensure. GW's own NP tracks ask graduate students to find their own preceptors, and its FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP pages encourage it outright. Nurses who build relationships with NPs and physicians during their first RN years reach their clinical courses with a head start, and when that time comes we are the specialists: we find preceptors who fit each NP course, prepare what the school's review needs and stay on call through every rotation. Compare the FNP MSN, read how it works, or reach us through the contact form.
Thinking about acute care? GW's AGACNP MSN asks for a year of critical care experience within the past five years, so your first RN job shapes that option. Details are on the AGACNP MSN page.
Questions GW students ask
Do GW BSN students have to find their own preceptor?
No. GW's Clinical Rotations page says program staff arrange BSN clinical placements, so you can focus on the work itself. Rotations run in small faculty-led groups across DC, Maryland and Virginia, and the program closes with a one-on-one preceptorship in NURS 4127. The find-your-own rule belongs to GW's graduate programs, as our securing sites page explains.
When does GW's Direct-Entry MSN start?
The GW Hatchet reported a January 2027 start. GW's Bulletin 2026-27 lists the program but gives no start term, and the program page could not be checked directly, so confirm the first intake and application dates with GW Nursing admissions before you plan around them.
Can I work during GW's Accelerated BSN?
GW advises against it. The program runs four consecutive full-time semesters on campus in Ashburn, with clinicals at sites across the region, and GW's page says employment while pursuing the degree is not recommended. Settle finances and transportation before your first semester begins.
Is GW's online RN-BSN accepting students?
No. The program page reads "Not Accepting Applications," although the program still appears in the Bulletin 2026-27. It listed no clinical hours: 36 credits, 15 of them awarded through a portfolio review, taken online and part-time over four semesters. If you are already an RN and want a GW bachelor's degree, ask admissions whether it is expected to reopen.
Can a Direct-Entry MSN graduate move on to GW's NP programs?
Partly. GW's FAQ says graduates of direct-entry MSN or CNL programs are ineligible for its post-master's DNP and post-master's certificates, and may apply to its MSN tracks case by case. Another sentence on the same page says they must first complete advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment, so ask admissions which rule applies to you.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against GW's Bulletin and GW Nursing's own program and clinical pages. Your course, CORE and GW's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.
GW asks you to find your own site and preceptor. Hand that search to us.
Tell us your GW program, where you live and which clinical course is next. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the license, bio and site details GW's review asks for, so your Site Prospector goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice for
NURS 6230toNURS 6232, older-adult primary care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - License, bio or CV and the site's agreement signatory ready for your CORE submission
- Close to home, in DC, Maryland, Virginia or wherever you live and hold your RN license
Start your placement plan
Your program, city and next clinical term is all we need to begin.