GW Nursing's clinical systems, one guide at a time
GW runs clinical placement through a handful of named pieces: CORE for requests and hour logs, the Site Prospector form, program director review, the affiliation agreement, Complio clearance and the on-campus skills events. The guides below take each piece on its own, using GW Nursing's pages and the Bulletin, and they point out where GW's sources say different things.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your GW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your GW course.
Where GW keeps the working detail
GW's Bulletin sets program rules, hour totals and grade standards. The day-to-day clinical detail lives elsewhere: GW Nursing's Clinical Rotations and Compliance and Clinical pages, the CORE Document Library, the Complio checklist, and the clinical orientation and workshops GW runs for NP students before their first rotation.
When a guide here reaches the edge of what GW publishes, it says so and names the place to check, usually your Clinical Experience Faculty, your program director or the Clinical Placement Team. Start with the placement process if you are new to all of it, or jump to the request deadlines if your term is close.
Preceptors and approval
The placement process, end to endHow a GW Nursing clinical placement moves from finding a preceptor to your first shift: CORE, the Site Prospector, five review stages and clearance.GW's five-step placement modelGW Nursing's Clinical Placement Model in plain terms: advised, identify, mentored, holistic assessment, contract, and the support loop when a preceptor says no.Securing your own site and preceptorGW Nursing asks most graduate students to find and secure their own clinical site and preceptor. What that means by program, the AGACNP exception and GW's tips.CORE (CORE ELMS)How GW Nursing uses CORE (CORE ELMS) for clinical requests, the site database, timesheets, logs, evaluations and the Document Library, and when access opens.The Site Prospector submissionHow to file GW Nursing's Site Prospector form in CORE: one per preceptor, site, rotation and term, license and bio or CV, the signatory rule and common delays.Placement request deadlinesGW Nursing's clinical request deadlines side by side: May 1, October 1 and February 1 on the website, the 2026 CORE priority dates, and why to start a year out.Clinical affiliation agreementsEvery GW clinical site needs a completed contract with GW Nursing. Who signs it, how long a new one takes, and what happens when your site already has one.Clinical clearanceWhat GW Nursing needs before you log a clinical hour: the executed agreement, preceptor papers, Complio and site rules, plus when clearance notices arrive.Preceptor requirementsGW Nursing's preceptor rules: an NP, MD, DO or CNM, two years in advanced practice, an unencumbered license, plus the PMHNP 6248 and leadership practicum rules.Preceptor bio and guideThe paperwork a GW preceptor completes: the Clinical Preceptor Biography form, the signed preceptor guide page you upload to CORE, and the CORE evaluations.AGACNP clinical placementsHow GW places Acute Care NP students: clinicals only in DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia, a year of critical care, ACLS, and three GW accounts of who arranges.Clinical Placement Team and rolesWho handles what in GW Nursing clinicals: the Clinical Placement Team, program associates by track, program directors, Clinical Experience Faculty and advisors.GW's list of past sitesGW shares past sites and preceptors on request and in CORE's site database. What the list shows, why a listed site may still say no, and how to use it well.Clinicals where you workCan a GW Nursing student do clinicals at their own workplace? What GW says now, what its 2017 FAQ said, and how to make a workplace rotation fit the course.
Hours, logs and evaluations
Clinical hours by programGW Nursing clinical hours for each program: 600 in every NP track, 840 for midwifery, 300 for leadership, the DNP totals, and where GW's figures disagree.600 NP clinical hoursEvery GW NP track needs 600 precepted clinical hours. See the 120/240/240 course splits, PMHNP's five 120-hour courses and the older figures still online.DNP practice hoursGW's post-BSN DNP: 600 direct plus 500 indirect hours, the web's 1,100 and the older 500 + 500. The post-MSN DNP: 1,000 hours, 500 carried in from the MSN.Hour logs in COREHow GW students log clinical hours in CORE: timesheets and patient encounter logs after each shift, total hours, one patient per hour, inside semester dates.Evaluations and site visitsHow GW's mid-semester and final preceptor evaluations work in CORE, what your Clinical Experience Faculty does, and when a faculty site visit usually happens.Rotation settings by courseWhich clinical settings fit each GW NP course, per GW's 2021 clinical placement guide: FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP and PMHNP, and what to confirm in your course.First clinical semesterWhen your first GW clinical course starts, by plan of study: MSN, DNP and certificate timing, NURS 6222 the term before, and when to begin the preceptor search.Grades and clinical course failureGW's B minimum in every graduate course, two attempts per course, dismissal after a second failure, and how one failed clinical course shifts your whole plan.
Courses and on-campus events
NURS 6222 and CLASIHow GW's NURS 6222 Advanced Health Assessment course opens every clinical rotation: CORE access, CLASI by track, the webinar invite and what to wear.OSCEs and skills assessmentWhen GW NP students sit OSCEs, the 2026-27 dates at Ross Hall, AGACNP simulation events, the PMHNP 6248 event and the end-of-program skills assessment.FNP clinical coursesGW's three FNP clinical courses: 120, 240 and 240 hours, the settings in GW's 2021 guide, the preceptor each one calls for, and OSCEs in 6231 and 6232.AGPCNP clinical coursesGW's Adult-Gerontology Primary Care clinical courses: 120, 240 and 240 hours, where each can take place, and the long-term care hours in NURS 6229.AGACNP clinical coursesGW's Acute Care NP clinical courses: 120, 240 and 240 hours, hospital medicine to critical care and beyond, and the on-campus simulation events in each.PMHNP clinical coursesGW's five PMHNP clinical courses at 120 hours each: the order they run in, why 6245 comes first, the PMHNP/CNS preceptor rule in 6248 and the 2027 event.Midwifery clinical immersionGW Nurse-Midwifery clinical immersion: 840 hours in NURS 6321 and 6322, CLASI in semester 7, the Birth Center workshop and how GW supports site searches.Leadership practicum (NURS 6258/6259)GW's two 150-hour leadership practicums, NURS 6258 and 6259: master's-prepared preceptors, a different site for 6259, the MSN/MPH version and prerequisites.DNP project courses (NURS 8489-8492)How GW's DNP project courses, NURS 8489 to 8492, carry in-program practice hours for post-BSN and post-MSN students, the 8351 change, and project settings.GW student systemsCORE, Complio, CastleBranch, Blackboard, GWeb, GWMail, the GWorld card and Himmelfarb Library: what each GW system does and when it matters in a clinical term.Semester calendar and IncompletesGW Nursing's 2026-27 dates, 10-class and longer sessions, drop and withdrawal rules, Incompletes, leave of absence, and what to do when a site falls through.
Clearance and licenses
Complio requirementsWhen to buy Complio for GW Nursing clinicals, every pre-clinical item with its renewal cycle, review times, and why GW's checklist still says CastleBranch.Background check and drug screenGW's 18-month rule for the background check and drug screen, its preferred vendor, the 2021 guide's 10-panel test, what a positive can mean and site extras.Immunizations and health formsMMR, varicella, hepatitis B and TB rules, GW's waiver forms, flu and COVID, the physical on GW's form, BLS and ACLS, and health insurance for GW clinicals.RN license for clinicalsGW requires an RN license in every state where you rotate. The DC plus MD/VA multistate advice, compact basics, and why unlicensed hours do not count.
Where you live
State authorizationsWhich states GW's online nursing programs cannot accept, the New York rule, program exclusions for AZ, TN, UT and WA, and GW's licensure disclosures.Clinicals outside the DMVGW clinicals far from DC: an RN license in each state, boards that must approve GW and where GW is listed, remote preceptors, CLASI and OSCE travel, and moving.Accreditation and approvalsCCNE accreditation of GW's BSN, master's, DNP and certificates through 2035, the ACME midwifery conflict, Virginia and DC approvals, and what sites ask for.
Questions GW students ask
Which GW system do I use to request a clinical site?
CORE. GW Nursing uses CORE for clinical requests and as the home for hour logs, clinical documents and evaluations. Each preceptor, site, rotation and term needs its own Site Prospector submission there.
What is the difference between CORE and Complio?
CORE handles the placement itself: requests, approvals, hours and evaluations. Complio, run by American DataBank, tracks your own clearance items such as the background check, drug screen, immunizations, BLS and licenses. You need both before your first clinical hour counts.
Where are the rules for my specific course?
In the course itself and in CORE. GW's program pages give the hours per course, and the syllabus and your Clinical Experience Faculty set the details for each rotation. Our course pages summarize what GW publishes and show where to confirm it.
Related pages
Start hereThe placement process, end to endHow a GW Nursing clinical placement moves from finding a preceptor to your first shift: CORE, the Site Prospector, five review stages and clearance.CORECORE (CORE ELMS)How GW Nursing uses CORE (CORE ELMS) for clinical requests, the site database, timesheets, logs, evaluations and the Document Library, and when access opens.ClearanceClinical clearanceWhat GW Nursing needs before you log a clinical hour: the executed agreement, preceptor papers, Complio and site rules, plus when clearance notices arrive.GuideGW nursing programsEvery George Washington University nursing program with clinical hours: MSN and DNP NP tracks, midwifery, leadership, certificates and the Ashburn BSN.GuideGW clinicals by stateDoing GW Nursing clinicals where you live? Guides for DC, every state and GW's state limits: RN license rules, boards, compacts and local preceptors.
Last checked 2026-09-24
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
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Your program, city and next clinical term is all we need to begin.