Liberty practicum in North Carolina: open for every track
Liberty's lookup approves North Carolina for practicum in every online nursing program, NP tracks included. You need a North Carolina or multistate RN license. The state board's out-of-state approval rule is written for unlicensed pre-licensure students, so it doesn't add a board step for Liberty's post-licensure programs.
Get your placement plan
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.
North Carolina on Liberty's lookup
North Carolina is one of the states Liberty marks as approved for practicum across the board. The license rule is the same for every row.
| Liberty program | North Carolina practicum | License |
|---|---|---|
| DNP: FNP, and both PMHNP DNPs | Approved | North Carolina or multistate RN |
| PMHNP post-graduate certificate | Approved | North Carolina or multistate RN |
| DNP (post-master's, non-NP) | Approved | North Carolina or multistate RN |
| MSN tracks and RN-to-BSN | Approved | North Carolina or multistate RN |
Approved means Liberty will consider sites here. It doesn't mean a preceptor is waiting: Liberty's practicum team aims to match NP students, and students are also asked to bring their own leads.
What the North Carolina Board of Nursing covers
21 NCAC 36 .0233, the NC Board's out-of-state rule, is aimed at unlicensed students enrolled in programs based in other states. In those cases the chief nursing administrator at the North Carolina agency files a request no later than 30 days ahead of the clinical start. The request includes documentation of the program's home-state approval, the CV and license of the coordinating faculty member, and proof that the preceptor has an active North Carolina RN license.
Liberty's online students are already RNs. By the Board's own account, RN-BSN, post-licensure graduate and doctoral programs fall outside its jurisdiction, and it neither approves nor disapproves post-licensure graduate programs, whether they are based in North Carolina or elsewhere. So your FNP, PMHNP, DNP, MSN or RN-to-BSN site goes through Liberty's approval, not the Board's.
The 30-day Board request is for unlicensed pre-licensure students. If a clinic raises it, bring Liberty's practicum team in rather than filing anything yourself.
Your license for a North Carolina practicum
North Carolina began implementing the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 19, 2018. Either a North Carolina license or another compact state's multistate license works, including one issued by Virginia.
The Board adds one instruction for graduate students: if you have no North Carolina license and no multistate license, use the Email Us form to ask its Licensure Department what's required. Liberty's own rule already asks for a license valid where the practicum happens, so settle this before your Gate course. Our RN license guide covers the compact in more depth.
Restricted practice and who you'll ask
AANP rates North Carolina as restricted. An NP must maintain an agreement with a physician for their whole career, and a Joint Subcommittee of the Medical Board and the Board of Nursing handles NP licensure. That agreement governs the preceptor's own practice; Liberty's approval of the preceptor is a separate question.
Liberty hasn't made its FNP preceptor credentials public. An older PMHNP FAQ names PMHNPs and psychiatrists as approved preceptors, with half of each practicum's hours under a prescriber. MSN preceptors must be MSN or doctorally prepared. The placement process page covers how a preceptor gets submitted.
Where students look
The largest systems are ECU Health, Duke Health, Novant Health, UNC Health and Atrium Health, which is based in Charlotte and part of Advocate Health. The main metros are Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, Raleigh-Cary, Greensboro-High Point and Winston-Salem.
Two metros cross state lines. The Charlotte area reaches into South Carolina, and a site on that side is a South Carolina practicum with that state's page to check. The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro also takes in part of North Carolina, which puts Virginia sites within range for students living there.
Why North Carolina students choose us
We search for North Carolina preceptors and sites that match your Liberty track and assemble the preceptor and site details Liberty asks for. The decision on each site and preceptor is Liberty's, and it arrives with everything Liberty needs to make it. Use the form below to tell us your city and start term.
Questions Liberty students ask
Does the North Carolina Board of Nursing need to approve my Liberty FNP site?
Not according to the Board's own statements. It states that post-licensure graduate and doctoral programs are outside its jurisdiction, and its 30-day approval rule is for unlicensed students whose programs are based out of state. Liberty's practicum team and the Gate course handle approval of your site and preceptor.
Can I use my Virginia license for a North Carolina practicum?
If your Virginia license is multistate, yes: both states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact, and Liberty's rule accepts a multistate license where the practicum state takes one. If it's a single-state license, you'd need a North Carolina license first.
Can I do my RN-to-BSN community hours in North Carolina?
Yes. Liberty's lookup approves North Carolina for RN-to-BSN, and the Board says RN-BSN programs are outside its jurisdiction. The hours are two 8-hour community shifts in NURS 440, done at an approved location near you with a North Carolina or multistate license.
Does it matter that North Carolina NPs need a physician agreement?
It shapes how your preceptor practices, not whether Liberty can place you. The career-long physician agreement is part of North Carolina NP licensure. Liberty's decision on your preceptor rests on its own requirements, which for the FNP aren't published, so confirm with the practicum team.
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.