Liberty clinical clearance: the full checklist and when it's due
Before any Liberty practicum starts, you need AHA BLS, a background check, a drug screen and immunizations, plus HIPAA and OSHA or bloodborne pathogens training, and doctoral students also submit a physical exam form. You hand these in through a zero-credit Gate course, which for NP tracks sits a semester before the first practicum. Sites can add their own requirements on top.
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The checklist by track
Liberty's 2026-27 catalog lists clearance items for the doctoral and MSN programs. The wording differs slightly between them, but the core is the same.
| Item | FNP, PMHNP DNPs, PMHNP certificate, post-master's DNP | MSN concentrations |
|---|---|---|
| CPR | AHA BLS for Health Care Providers with AED | AHA CPR card |
| Background check | Required | Criminal background check |
| Drug screen | Required | 10-panel drug screen |
| Immunizations | Immunization/Physical Exam Form | MMR, TB testing, varicella titer or immunity, Hepatitis B, influenza |
| Physical exam | Physical examination, on the same form | Not listed in the catalog |
| Training | OSHA and HIPAA training | HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens |
| Other | Essential Attributes; site-specific requirements | Site-specific requirements |
The RN-to-BSN is lighter: a background check and RN license verification inside the first nursing course, plus whatever the NURS 440 community observation site asks for. BLS has its own page.
When it's due: the Gate course timing
Liberty collects clearance in zero-credit Gate courses where, per the catalog, "Candidates will submit practicum requirements." No Liberty page publishes a deadline in days, so the plan of study is the best guide to timing.
- FNP: Gate 1 (
NURS 731) in semester 6; the first practicum,NURS 771, in semester 7 alongside Gate 2 (NURS 738). - Post-BSN PMHNP: Gate 1 (
NURS 756) in semester 5; Gate 2 (NURS 757) with PMHNP Practicum I in semester 6. - Post-MSN PMHNP and PMHNP certificate: Gates
NURS 745andNURS 746. - Post-master's DNP and both PMHNP DNPs:
NURS 828, the DNP Practicum Gate, beforeNURS 840. - MSN:
NURS 527in the first semester, passed before any practicum course.
Liberty's DNP page says students must "become fully compliant" to move forward with practicum. Anything that depends on a lab result or a clinic appointment should start before the Gate course opens. The Gate courses page covers what each course collects.
Immunizations in detail
The current MSN catalog names MMR, TB testing, varicella titer or immunity, Hepatitis B and influenza. The doctoral catalog asks for an Immunization/Physical Exam Form without listing each vaccine publicly. The 2022-23 MSN handbook gives the most detail Liberty has published, though it's dated.
Extra detail in the 2022-23 MSN handbook
- Tetanus, in addition to the catalog list
- TB by PPD, QuantiFERON, T-Spot or chest x-ray
- Influenza vaccine within the past 12 months
- A Hepatitis B Vaccine Declination Form as an option, sent to the practicum coordinator
NP students should treat the MSN detail as a guide only. Your Immunization/Physical Exam Form and your Gate course instructions set the actual list. Sites may add vaccine rules of their own, and those apply on top of Liberty's.
Keep a copy of everything you submit. The flu vaccine rule alone means new proof each year under the 2022-23 handbook, so you'll likely upload more than once during the program.
Background check and drug screen
Every DNP admission pathway in the catalog lists a background check and drug screen, and Liberty's NP pages say the steps after acceptance include buying "a standardized background check." MSN students need a criminal background check and a 10-panel drug screen before any practicum course.
The 2022-23 MSN handbook fills in three details: both were done through CastleBranch at the student's own expense, both were valid for one year, and flagged results went to a review committee while placement waited. The CastleBranch page walks through that process.
The one-year life is the part that catches people. A check completed at admission may be close to expiring by your second or third practicum course. Ask your Gate course or the practicum team whether a renewal is due for your term.
Forms and training
Clearance isn't only medical. Liberty's sources also name forms and training items, some current and some from the older handbook.
- HIPAA training: in both the doctoral and MSN catalog lists
- OSHA training: in the doctoral catalog; the 2022-23 MSN handbook had a bloodborne pathogens exposure sign-off
- Essential Attributes: listed for DNP admission; the 2022-23 MSN handbook had a Statement of Essential Attributes Form
- Release of Information Form: in the 2022-23 MSN packet
- Your RN license: active and valid in the state where your practicum takes place
For MSN students, preceptor paperwork travels with your clearance: the 2022-23 handbook put the preceptor agreement and the preceptor's CV in the same packet. The preceptor site contract page covers that side, and the RN license page covers which license you need where.
What sites can add, and what Liberty can't control
Liberty's list is a minimum. The doctoral catalog allows for "other requirements as designed by specific practicum sites," and Liberty says it can't control a facility's extra onboarding requirements or fees. A site may run its own orientation, paperwork or screening before your first day.
Any fees a site charges are yours under Liberty's rules, to be negotiated directly with the site. The MSN catalog puts it plainly: "Students are responsible to assume all costs."
State rules can add items too: on Liberty's Colorado page, anyone in clinical practicum there needs workers' compensation coverage. Health insurance isn't listed as a nursing requirement on any public Liberty page, but a site can still ask about it, so check each site's list early.
Being cleared by Liberty doesn't mean you're cleared by the site. Ask each site for its onboarding list as soon as it's offered.
The site side, handled early
Clearance is personal: your vaccines, your background check, your training. We take on the site side. When we find a preceptor and site that fit your Liberty track, we ask about the site's own onboarding requirements early, so you can work through them alongside Liberty's rather than after. If a site's list includes something Liberty doesn't ask for, you hear about it before you commit, so you can judge whether the timing works. Your own records go to Liberty through CastleBranch, and the site and preceptor approval comes from Liberty.
If your Gate course is close and you have no site yet, read need a preceptor fast, or use the form below and tell us your Gate course and practicum term.
Questions Liberty students ask
Do I need health insurance for a Liberty practicum?
No public Liberty page lists health insurance as a nursing clinical requirement. Liberty's Student Accident Insurance applies to residential students on the Lynchburg campus and isn't a substitute for primary health insurance. A clinical site can still set its own rule, so ask each site what it expects before you accept a placement.
Can I start clearance before my Gate course opens?
Liberty collects the items in the Gate course, but nothing public stops you gathering records and booking appointments earlier. Watch the items with a shelf life: under the 2022-23 MSN handbook, the background check and drug screen lasted a year and the flu vaccine had to be within 12 months. Time those so they're still current at practicum.
Is a physical exam required for MSN practicum?
The current MSN catalog doesn't list one; its pre-practicum list covers CPR, immunizations, HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens, a background check and a drug screen. The doctoral catalog does require a physical examination on the Immunization/Physical Exam Form. An MSN practicum site may still ask for a physical as part of its own onboarding.
Do RN-to-BSN students need clinical clearance?
Less than graduate students. The background check and RN license verification happen in the first nursing course. The NURS 440 community observation is two 8-hour shifts at a location you choose and submit for approval, per the course guide, and that site may have its own requirements. See the RN-to-BSN page for more.
What does "fully compliant" mean at Liberty?
It's the phrase on Liberty's DNP page: students must complete every step in the placement process and become fully compliant before practicum can move forward. In practice it means every required item is submitted, accepted and still in date. An item that expires mid-program puts you out of compliance until it's renewed.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against Liberty's own published sources. The practicum team and Liberty's current handbook have the final word.
More leads, sooner, for your practicum.
Tell us your Liberty program, your county and when your practicum starts. We look for a preceptor and site that fit Liberty's rules for your track, and help you get the Gate-course paperwork right.
- Matched to your track: FNP, PMHNP, DNP or MSN
- Paperwork ready for the Gate course and the site contract
- In person near you, or telehealth where your track allows it
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