Your Liberty practicum in Montana
Liberty approves Montana for practicum in all of its online nursing programs, and the Montana Board of Nursing doesn't require graduate or RN-to-BSN programs to get its approval before holding clinicals in the state. The board's one condition for the program falls on you: since you'll be treating Montana patients, you need a license that's valid in Montana.
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Tell us your Liberty track and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what a Liberty-ready preceptor and site look like for you.
Montana at a glance for Liberty programs
| Liberty program | Montana practicum | Montana board approval of the program |
|---|---|---|
| DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner | Approved | Not required (graduate) |
| DNP, PMHNP, Post-BSN and Post-MSN | Approved | Not required (graduate) |
| PMHNP post-graduate certificate | Approved | Not required (graduate) |
| DNP, post-master's | Approved | Not required (graduate) |
| MSN tracks, MSN/MBA, MSN/MSHA | Approved | Not required (graduate) |
| RN-to-BSN | Approved | Not required |
Our research found no extra Montana step on Liberty's licensure pages. Your file still moves through Liberty's practicum placement process, Gate course first.
Why Montana's approval rule stops short of you
Montana does regulate clinicals from out-of-state programs, but only pre-licensure ones. Under ARM 24.159.608, a program preparing students for first licensure needs the board's or its executive director's approval before placing a student in a Montana clinical setting. The request includes proof of accreditation, the agreement with the facility, a plan for faculty supervision, and confirmation that placing the student won't displace any Montana student.
That's where the board's FAQ draws the line. Graduate nursing and RN-to-BSN programs can hold Montana clinicals without board approval, though the program has to confirm that the student's license is active and valid in Montana. Faculty based outside the state need a Montana license only when they provide direct patient care. If an instructor just consults with you and your preceptor, no Montana license is needed.
No board approval is not the same as no approval. Liberty still has to approve your Montana site and preceptor, and your Gate course paperwork still has to clear.
Full practice across a thinly settled state
Montana is a full practice state in AANP's ratings, and our research records no transition period or collaboration requirement for Montana NPs. For PMHNP students, the older Liberty FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as preceptors; FNP criteria aren't public, so see preceptor requirements.
Montana's metros are modest. Census estimates for 2025 put Billings at about 194,000 people, Bozeman and Missoula at about 129,000 each and Helena at about 97,000. Billings Clinic and Logan Health have combined into one system. Other large names are Intermountain Health, which runs St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings; Providence Montana, including Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula; and Benefis Health System. For Community Health students, a starting point might be the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Our research turned up no Montana incentive for preceptors. If Liberty offers a site hours away, read declining a site for distance first.
Your license: Montana or multistate
According to Montana's RN licensing page, a nurse who holds a multistate privilege through another compact state can practice in Montana without a Montana license. Liberty's rule matches: an active Montana or multistate RN license. Montana hasn't enacted the APRN Compact, which isn't operating anywhere yet. The RN license for practicum page covers the rest.
If your best lead is over a state line
- Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota are all compact states, and Liberty approves all four for practicum.
- North Dakota adds board recognition of distance programs and a notice before APRN clinicals.
- Wyoming expects written notice to its board from the program when a student will do clinicals in the state.
Why Montana students choose us
We search Montana, and neighboring compact states when that shortens your drive, for a preceptor and site that fit your Liberty track. We assemble the preceptor and site details your Gate course needs and stay on call if a preceptor withdraws. Every approval is Liberty's to give, and in a state this wide, a closer site is worth the extra search.
Questions Liberty students ask
Does Montana need to approve Liberty's program before my clinicals?
Not for Liberty's online tracks. According to the board's FAQ, graduate and RN-to-BSN programs can run clinicals in Montana without board approval. ARM 24.159.608, the approval rule, applies to pre-licensure programs. Liberty's own approval of your site and preceptor still applies, and the practicum team can confirm anything specific to your term.
My Liberty instructor lives in another state. Is that a problem in Montana?
Not by itself. Per the Montana board's FAQ, a faculty member based outside Montana needs a Montana nursing license only when giving direct patient care. Consulting with you and your preceptor doesn't trigger that requirement. Our research found no Liberty description of faculty site visits for online tracks.
Is a multistate license from Idaho enough for Montana clinicals?
If it's active and multistate, yes. Montana's licensing page recognizes a multistate privilege held through another compact state, and Liberty asks for a Montana or multistate RN license. If your license status changes, Liberty asks you to report it to its Online Student Support Coordinator.
Can a Montana PMHNP student do some hours by telehealth?
Yes, within Liberty's limit of up to 50% of practicum hours for PMHNP students; telehealth sites are off-limits for FNP students. If your telehealth preceptor or patients would be in another state, ask the practicum team how licensing works before you commit. Liberty's limits are set out on the telehealth hours page.
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
Start your placement plan
A placement advisor replies with what a Liberty-ready preceptor and site look like for you.