All students at the specialty level must maintain an active and unencumbered RN license, valid for the state in which clinical rotations are completed. If your clinical site is located in a state that does not participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), you may be required to obtain additional state licenses. Please keep in mind that, due to regulatory requirements or a lack of available preceptors, VUSN cannot accommodate clinical placements in all areas of the country.

All matriculation requirements must be completed and on file at the time of enrollment and must be kept current throughout your clinical practica. In addition to Vanderbilt’s requirements, clinical preceptors and/or agencies may require a drug screening, fingerprinting, additional criminal background checks, or other requirements specific to that site. Costs associated with these processes are each student’s responsibility.

The Clinical Placement office will notify you of any additional requirements associated with your rotation.

About COVID-19

The overwhelming majority of clinical placement sites also require either documentation of a completed series of COVID-19 vaccinations or (in some cases) an approved exemption before allowing students to rotate at their facilities. Students are strongly encouraged to have the COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of this requirement. VUSN will not assign clinical placement sites based on an individual student’s preference about COVID-19 vaccination, nor will VUSN reassign a student to a different site because of a student’s COVID-19 vaccination preference.

VUSN cannot guarantee students will be able to complete clinical rotations unless all agency requirements are met. You may not begin your clinical rotations until you have met all the site requirements and have received confirmation from your faculty and the Clinical Placement office that you are cleared to start.

Transportation and Lodging

You are responsible for your lodging and transportation to and from all clinical facilities and field trips. Practice sites are chosen for their ability to provide experiences consistent with the program requirements, Vanderbilt’s mission, and individual student objectives. MSN and PMC students admitted for MTA clinical placement should be prepared to travel up to 150 miles from VUSN.