Ohio and GW Nursing's online programs
Ohio residents can enroll in GW Nursing's online MSN, DNP and certificate programs, apart from the Acute Care NP options. Ohio law asks nothing of out-of-state programs up front; instead, a statutory exemption lets APRN students train under an APRN supervisor, a detail worth weighing when you choose a preceptor.
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.
Can an Ohio resident enroll?
For most programs, yes. GW's State Authorizations page leaves Ohio untouched, and GW's professional licensure disclosures judge the MSN NP, post-BSN DNP, NP certificate and Nurse-Midwifery curricula to satisfy Ohio's educational requirements. Admissions has the final word on your program, since GW updates its list as boards change their rules.
| Program | Ohio residents | Clinical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Family, Adult-Gero Primary Care or Psych NP (MSN or DNP) | Yes | 600 precepted hours in Ohio settings |
| Adult-Gero Acute Care NP, any option | No, unless you move to DC, Maryland or Virginia | Clinicals only in DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia |
| Nurse-Midwifery MSN | Yes | 840 immersion hours |
| Nursing Leadership and Management MSN | Yes | Two 150-hour practicums, each at a different site |
| Post-master's AGPCNP or PMHNP certificate | Yes | PMHNP certificate rotations begin with NURS 6245 |
Does Ohio's Board of Nursing need to sign off first?
Nothing in the Ohio Revised Code makes an out-of-state school apply to, or notify, the Board. Section 4723.32 works differently: it lists who may practice nursing as a student without an Ohio license. Division (F) reaches APRN students in programs that prepare them to sit a national certification exam, or that award a qualifying graduate degree, as long as they work under the program's auspices.
The same division names the supervisor: the student works under an APRN who holds a faculty, teaching-assistant or preceptor role for the school. GW's 2021 clinical placement guide accepts MD and DO preceptors too, so before you line up an Ohio physician, ask your program director how GW squares that with the statute.
Who fits as a preceptor under Ohio's practice rules?
AANP places Ohio in its reduced-practice group. NPs there practice under a standard care arrangement for their whole careers, with a collaborating physician or podiatrist on the other side, and their Schedule II prescribing depends on the setting. An Ohio NP who has spent at least two years in advanced practice matches both the statute's APRN wording and GW's profile; GW's preceptor requirements covers the rest.
Many students start with Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals in Cleveland, OhioHealth or The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, and Bon Secours Mercy Health in Cincinnati, with Dayton the fourth large metro. GW also keeps a list of sites earlier students used and says it recruits remote preceptors in most states; see GW's clinical site database for how that list works.
Which license covers an Ohio rotation?
Ohio's multistate licenses only arrived on January 1, 2023, well after most compact members. A nurse whose primary residence is Ohio can now hold one multistate license and work across compact states, and the Ohio Board reports on nurses practicing in Ohio on multistate licenses from elsewhere. GW asks for a license that reaches each rotation state, so a Cincinnati-area student with a site across the line in Northern Kentucky or the metro's Indiana side needs a multistate license. The Kentucky guide covers that state's preceptor licensing.
How often will I travel to GW's campuses?
Expect a handful of trips. CLASI happens while you take NURS 6222; FNP and AGPCNP students sit OSCEs during the second clinical course, held for 2026-27 at Ross Hall in DC's Foggy Bottom neighborhood; and the program closes with a skills assessment for every NP student. PMHNP students do CLASI virtually, with an on-campus event added to NURS 6248 from Fall 2027. GW's event dashboard says schedules arrive about six months ahead. See OSCEs and the skills assessment.
Why Ohio students choose us
We match the preceptor to both your GW course and Ohio's supervision wording, so program director review starts from a strong file. Your placement advisor gathers the license, CV and site signatory details, builds a complete Site Prospector entry and moves fast on a replacement if a preceptor drops. Share your metro on the contact form.
Questions GW students ask
Do I need an Ohio license if I live and train in Ohio?
You need an RN license that reaches Ohio. If Ohio is your primary residence, that means an Ohio license, single-state or multistate. Since January 1, 2023, an Ohio multistate license also reaches other compact states, which helps if your preceptor practices across the state line in Kentucky or Indiana.
Can an Ohio physician be my GW preceptor?
Physicians appear on the preceptor list in GW's 2021 clinical placement guide. Ohio's student exemption in ORC 4723.32(F), though, pictures an APRN in the supervising seat, whether as faculty, teaching assistant or preceptor. Raise the question with your program director before settling on a physician, and keep an Ohio NP as your first option.
Can I rotate in Northern Kentucky while living in Cincinnati?
Yes, with care. Kentucky's board approves no out-of-state programs, so no filing is needed, but it asks preceptors in Kentucky to hold Kentucky RN and APRN licenses. Your Ohio multistate license covers the RN side of GW's every-state rule, and GW still needs an agreement with the Kentucky site.
Is there an Ohio tax credit or stipend for preceptors?
Ohio has no state preceptor incentive on record. What you can offer an Ohio preceptor is GW's own package: Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library privileges, an invitation to give a guest lecture in their specialty, and collaboration with the rest of GW's preceptor network.
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
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