State board notices and what they do to your start date
A few states want to hear about an out-of-state student's clinicals before they begin. For Alabama, Liberty's School of Nursing sends the board a notice at least 15 days before APRN clinicals, and only once it has reviewed and approved your practicum paperwork. Your real deadline is the paperwork, not your first clinical day.
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What a board notice is, and who sends it
A board notice tells a state's board of nursing that a student from an out-of-state program will be doing clinicals there. Liberty's licensure pages for its NP programs name the states where this applies and say who acts. In most of them it's Liberty, not you.
Liberty's FNP state pages say the School of Nursing files the notice once your practicum paperwork has been reviewed and approved, and the PMHNP pages match. That order is the point to hold on to: the notice can't go out until your file is complete and accepted. It sits near the end of the placement process, not the start.
These notes appear on the NP program pages. If you're in an MSN track, the post-master's DNP or RN-to-BSN, open your own program's page for your state, because the steps can differ by program. Our page on state restrictions shows how to find it.
Alabama, step by step
Alabama is the clearest example because Liberty's page gives a number. The board must receive notice at least 15 days before any APRN clinical, and Liberty files it after approving your paperwork.
- You submit your practicum paperworkPreceptor details, site details and compliance items go in through your track's Gate course. See Liberty's Gate courses for which one applies to you.
- Liberty reviews and approves itLiberty publishes no turnaround time for this review, so leave room for questions and corrections.
- The School of Nursing notifies the Alabama boardAlabama's rule asks the program for the student's name and license number, the clinical supervisor's name and license number, the facility, and a statement from the facility's director of nursing or chief nursing officer.
- The 15 days runThe notice has to reach the board at least 15 days before your first APRN clinical day. Alabama's board says students may not attend clinicals in the state without its approval.
- Clinicals beginOnly once that window has passed. Alabama also requires graduate students doing clinicals there to hold an Alabama or multistate RN license.
Working backward from your start date
Liberty doesn't publish a deadline in days for submitting a preceptor or site. The only timing clues are the Gate courses, which the current degree plans place a semester before the first NP practicum, and board rules like Alabama's.
So count backward from your first clinical day. Take off the 15 days the board needs. Before that, allow for Liberty's review. Before that, allow for the site's own onboarding and for collecting your preceptor's CV and license. The 15 days are the last link in the chain, not the whole chain.
The safer plan is to have your preceptor and site settled while the Gate course is still open, with every document in hand. If your practicum is close and nothing is confirmed yet, read need a preceptor fast.
Alabama's 15 days count from Liberty's notice, which follows approval of your paperwork. They don't count from the day a preceptor says yes.
Other states named on Liberty's pages
Liberty's NP state pages list these added steps. Where the board's own rules add useful detail, it's in the last column.
| State | Who acts | What happens | Timing or detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | School of Nursing | Notice to the Board of Nursing after your paperwork is approved | At least 15 days before APRN clinicals |
| North Dakota | School of Nursing | Notice to the board after your paperwork is approved | Before any APRN clinicals; the board's guidelines ask for student, preceptor and site details each semester |
| Louisiana | Liberty | Each clinical facility submitted on the Clinical Facility Form | The state board must approve the facility before the clinical start date |
| New Jersey | Liberty | Program, preceptor and site information sent to the board | Before the clinical start date |
| Wyoming | Liberty | Board notified of placements | The board's rules also call for a signed contract with the facility before clinicals |
| Alaska | You | APRN Preceptorship Registration Form filed with the Alaska Board of Nursing | Needs a copy of the preceptorship agreement; lasts up to 12 months |
| Mississippi | Liberty (already done) | Approval received from the state's Higher Learning board | No step for you |
Two other pages add conditions of a different kind. Colorado's says students in clinical practicum there must be covered by a workers' compensation policy, and the Missouri and Oregon pages define who counts as a qualified preceptor. Ask the practicum team how either affects your site before you commit to it.
States where the board asks for nothing extra
Most states on Liberty's approved list show no added step on Liberty's pages. Several boards say plainly that they don't regulate out-of-state graduate programs: Georgia's doesn't approve post-licensure programs, APRN programs included; Indiana's doesn't review graduate nursing programs; Virginia's doesn't regulate out-of-state or post-licensure programs; and Oregon's says out-of-state APRN programs don't need its approval to place students.
Board rules still move. Washington's board opened rulemaking on its nursing education rules in December 2025, and a 2026 Tennessee bill proposed a two-year pause on new approvals for out-of-state programs, with programs approved earlier keeping their approval. Its final status wasn't confirmed in our research.
Liberty's page for your state and program is the rule you follow. Check its last-updated date before each term, and ask the practicum team if anything looks different from what you expected.
What slows a notice down
Filing the notice is Liberty's job, but it rests on your file. These are the gaps that can hold a file back, and each one is in your hands.
- A preceptor's license number, CV or credentials missing or out of date.
- Site details left incomplete, or a facility still reviewing Liberty's agreement. The 2022-23 MSN handbook warns that a facility's own contract can slow approval.
- Your own compliance items, such as the background check, drug screen, immunizations or AHA BLS, not yet cleared.
- A preceptor or site that changes after approval. Alabama's notice names the supervisor and the facility, so a change means new details; ask the practicum team how they handle it.
- An RN license that doesn't cover the state where your clinicals happen.
The full list of compliance items is on clinical clearance.
Notice-ready paperwork, early
Liberty files board notices, and we make sure it has the pieces a notice depends on, early: a preceptor who fits your track, their CV and license, and the site details your Gate course asks for. In a notice state, that leaves Liberty room to review before the board's window.
If a preceptor drops close to your start, we search again at once, and a placement advisor maps out the new paperwork and any new notice so you can see the timing clearly. Use the form below to tell us your state and start date.
Questions Liberty students ask
Do I have to send Alabama's board notice myself?
No. Liberty's FNP and PMHNP pages for Alabama say the School of Nursing sends the notice once your practicum paperwork has been reviewed and approved. Your part is getting a complete, accurate file in early, including your preceptor's license number and the site's details, so the notice can go out at least 15 days before your clinicals.
How early should I submit paperwork for a Liberty clinical in Alabama?
Liberty doesn't publish a number of days. Work backward: 15 days for the board, plus Liberty's review, plus any site onboarding, plus time to gather your preceptor's documents. The current degree plans put the first Gate course a semester before the first NP practicum, which shows how early Liberty expects the paperwork to move.
Does every state need a board notice for a Liberty clinical?
No. Liberty's NP state pages name added steps for Alabama, North Dakota, Louisiana, New Jersey, Wyoming and Alaska, and Mississippi's approval is already in place. Boards in states such as Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and Oregon say they don't regulate or approve out-of-state graduate or APRN programs placing students there.
What is Alaska's APRN Preceptorship Registration?
It's a registration NP students file themselves with the Alaska Board of Nursing before clinicals there, according to Liberty's Alaska page. The board asks for an RN license in good standing, proof of APRN enrollment and a copy of the preceptorship agreement. It lasts up to 12 months or until the preceptorship ends, and the board charges a non-refundable fee.
Does Louisiana's board have to approve my clinical site?
Yes. Liberty's Louisiana page says the university must submit every clinical facility on the Clinical Facility Form, and the state board must approve it before your clinical start date. That makes a late site change harder in Louisiana than in most states, so settle the site early and tell the practicum team at once if it changes.
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.
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