Pennsylvania and Indiana Wesleyan: NP clinicals under Section 21.118
Pennsylvania is a "meets" state in IWU's September 2022 NP disclosures. Pennsylvania's rules also speak directly to visiting students: the provision at 49 Pa. Code § 21.118 permits an RN licensed elsewhere to complete required graduate clinicals without a Pennsylvania license, and since July 2025 the state honors multistate licenses too.
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Pennsylvania in IWU's disclosures
IWU holds NC-SARA membership, and its 2022 disclosures mark Pennsylvania "meets" for all six NP programs they cover, from the two MSN tracks to both BSN-to-DNP options. For the ASN-to-MSN FNP, the June 2024 disclosure lists Pennsylvania as "not yet determined". IWU admissions can confirm the picture for your specific program.
| Program | IWU disclosure for Pennsylvania | Delivery | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | Meets | Online; onsite health-assessment residency | 850 (catalog) with 800 encounters |
| MSN PMHNP | Meets | Online; residency plus two intensives | 820 (catalog) |
| FNP post-master's certificate | Meets | Online; residency weekend | 780 (catalog) |
| BSN-to-DNP, FNP or PMHNP | Meets | Online; four residencies | At least 1,000 |
| ASN-to-MSN FNP | Not yet determined | Online; onsite residency | 850 |
Section 21.118 and out-of-state programs
None of the Pennsylvania rules we reviewed obliges out-of-state or distance programs to obtain approval ahead of placing students; the Board's distance-education form is for schools it already approves. The rule that matters is 49 Pa. Code § 21.118. An RN whose current license comes from Canada or another U.S. jurisdiction, and who is a student in an accredited graduate or BSN program, may carry out the program's required clinical work in Pennsylvania with no Pennsylvania license, provided the only pay involved is a stipend, scholarship or program award.
Two limits apply. To hold an RN job in Pennsylvania while enrolled, you need a temporary practice permit and then licensure by endorsement, and IWU's catalog separately expects an active, unencumbered license for each practicum state, so ask your program faculty how IWU reads that next to § 21.118. The Board delivered its broader nursing-education rulemaking, IRRC #16A-5141, in final form on September 8, 2026; IRRC meets on it October 15, and the final annex leaves § 21.118 essentially intact.
Reduced practice and the two-physician rule
In AANP's ratings Pennsylvania is a reduced-practice state. NPs there work under a written physician agreement throughout their careers, and an NP needs two or more collaborating physicians under written agreements to prescribe. Your preceptor will work inside that structure, which is routine in the state and no barrier to teaching.
Approval of each preceptor rests with IWU, guided by its NP Clinical Guidelines; who can precept an IWU NP student is the page to read first.
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg
Pennsylvania's share of the Philadelphia metro holds about 4.24 million people, greater Pittsburgh about 2.42 million, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton about 775,000 and Harrisburg-Carlisle about 617,000. Geisinger, Penn State Health, Jefferson Health, UPMC and Penn Medicine are the systems you will hear about most.
Use them as a guide to where care concentrates, not as sites reserved for IWU students. Independent family and psychiatric practices in smaller towns are often where FNP students find the pediatric and women's health encounters IWU's catalog counts.
Compact licensing since July 2025
Full compact implementation in Pennsylvania arrived on July 7, 2025. Since then, an RN holding an active, unencumbered multistate license from another member state, such as Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey or Maryland, may practice in Pennsylvania on it. Between that and § 21.118, many students can reach a Pennsylvania site without adding a license. New York, next door, remains outside the compact. See RN license for clinicals and our Ohio guide.
Why Pennsylvania IWU students choose us
In a state with this many systems and practices, an organized search pays off. Near your home, your placement advisor hunts for a preceptor whose practice matches your IWU course, confirms license and collaborative-agreement details, and assembles what IWU checks about the preceptor and site into one complete request. If a preceptor drops mid-course, we move to the next candidate at once. See how it works.
Questions IWU students ask
Do my IWU clinicals require a Pennsylvania RN license?
Often not. Section 21.118 allows an RN holding another state's license, while studying in an accredited graduate program, to complete unpaid required clinicals in Pennsylvania without adding a Pennsylvania license, and another member state's multistate license has worked there since July 7, 2025. IWU's catalog also requires a license valid in each practicum state, so confirm with faculty which route IWU accepts.
Does Pennsylvania make IWU get approval before placing me?
Our research found no Pennsylvania Board rule requiring out-of-state or distance programs to seek approval before clinical placements. Only programs the Board has already approved use its Distance Education Application. Your site and preceptor still go through IWU's own vetting and approval, and faculty follow your progress through each clinical course.
Does Section 21.118 also let me work as an RN in Pennsylvania during clinicals?
Not on the strength of 21.118 alone. The rule is limited to clinical practice your program requires, done without pay. For RN employment, you would need a temporary practice permit, followed by licensure by endorsement, unless you carry another compact state's multistate license, which has allowed practice in Pennsylvania since July 7, 2025.
Why does my Pennsylvania preceptor have two collaborating physicians?
Before an NP can prescribe in Pennsylvania, the state asks for collaborative agreements with two physicians or more, on top of a career-long written agreement, which is why AANP rates the state reduced practice. The setup is standard in Pennsylvania and fully compatible with precepting. IWU makes the approval call, so give faculty a full picture of how the practice is organized.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against IWU's own catalog and program pages. IWU's NP Clinical Guidelines, your syllabus and your program faculty have the final word.
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