Colorado and the University of Memphis MSN
Colorado is one of the 16 states the Loewenberg College of Nursing lists as authorized, and Colorado's written Board rules show no extra approval step in front of graduate clinicals from other states. For an RN in Denver or Colorado Springs taking a UofM track, what matters most is a preceptor near home who fits UofM's rules.
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Tell us your UofM program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UofM course.
Where UofM's sources put Colorado
Colorado shows up on the partnerships office's roster of authorized states, and the licensure disclosures for UofM's MSN and certificates give it a Yes for FNP, AG-ACNP and PMHNP. That agreement is less common than you might expect, because UofM's state information lives on several pages that do not always match.
| UofM program | For Colorado residents | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MSN: FNP, AG-ACNP or PMHNP | Listed as authorized | On the 16-state list; disclosure says Yes |
| NP graduate certificates | Listed as authorized | Certificate disclosure says Yes |
| Nursing Education or Leadership | Listed as authorized | The disclosures cover the NP tracks only |
| RN to BSN (online) | Listed state | Confirm the program with LCON |
Lists change, so get Colorado confirmed by LCON ahead of any application; the state authorization guide explains why UofM's pages differ.
Colorado's Board and out-of-state graduate programs
For UofM's purposes, Colorado's Board of Nursing keeps a narrow focus. The approval rule (Rule 1.2 in 3 CCR 716-1) was written with entry-level schools in mind, the ones training future RNs and LPNs for initial licensure. Research for this guide found no Colorado line telling a graduate or APRN program based elsewhere, UofM included, to apply or to notify Colorado ahead of any UofM student's precepted hours.
Colorado also has a student permit, but it serves a different situation and plays no part in a precepted UofM practicum. Because dpo.colorado.gov would not load for our research, Board guidance outside the rules is unverified, and LCON can tell you whether any applies.
Two different 750-hour numbers
UofM sets at least 750 clinical hours for its FNP. Colorado happens to use the same figure for something else: per AANP, a new Colorado NP earns prescriptive authority only after attesting to 750 hours practiced under a mentorship agreement, and the mentor may be a physician or an APRN. UofM's hours come during school and Colorado's after licensure, so a future Colorado NP should plan for both.
Beyond that mentorship rule, AANP treats Colorado as full practice. Compact membership dates to January 19, 2018 for Colorado, and Tennessee is a member too, so a Colorado multistate license meets UofM's requirement that you be RN-eligible in the approved state hosting your clinicals. See our RN license guide.
The Front Range and the rest of the state
Denver-Aurora-Centennial is the big market, at about 3.1 million residents. Colorado Springs comes next at about 782,000, while Greeley and Fort Collins-Loveland each count near 378,000. Examples of Colorado systems include Denver Health, UCHealth, HCA HealthONE, the Colorado hospitals of CommonSpirit, and Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, run by Utah-based Intermountain Health.
Colorado's tax credit for rural and frontier preceptors was narrowed by HB22-1005 to those teaching students of accredited Colorado schools, so a UofM student's preceptor sits outside that group.
Why UofM students in Colorado choose us
Whatever part UofM plays in arranging your practicum, we find a Colorado preceptor and site that match its rotation rules, with an NP precepting at least one of your rotations and, for FNP students, a family practice setting. We prepare the preceptor agreement form details well ahead, so UofM's partnerships office receives a complete package. Send us your town and first practicum term through the contact page.
Questions UofM students ask
Can I study UofM's online FNP program from Colorado?
Colorado made the partnerships office's authorized list, and UofM's licensure disclosure gives the FNP a Yes, so the signs are good. UofM's state information changes over time, so get LCON's confirmation for Colorado before you apply. Admission itself depends on UofM's usual review.
Does Colorado need to approve UofM before my clinicals?
Not as far as the written rules show. Colorado's approval rule aims at entry-level nursing schools, and research turned up no requirement that UofM register or give notice before a student's Colorado practicum. UofM's own approvals still come first: the preceptor agreement and clinical faculty sign-off.
Is my Colorado RN license valid for UofM clinicals?
Colorado and Tennessee are both compact states, and a multistate license issued by Colorado lets you practice as an RN in either. That squares with UofM's license condition, which looks to Tennessee or to the approved state where you train.
Would precepting a UofM student earn my Colorado preceptor a tax credit?
It looks unlikely. HB22-1005 tied the credit to students enrolled in Colorado's own accredited colleges and universities, and UofM is based in Memphis. That is worth making clear to any Colorado preceptor weighing a UofM student.
Will Colorado's 750-hour mentorship count toward my UofM hours?
No. The two numbers measure different things. UofM's minimum covers precepted clinical hours inside the program, while Colorado's mentorship hours are logged after you already hold NP licensure, as a condition of prescribing. Budget time for each separately.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UofM's 2026-27 catalog, the LCON Academic Bulletin, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your clinical faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
Whether UofM helps or you start alone, we find the preceptor.
Tell us your UofM concentration, your next practicum and the town you train near. We find preceptors and sites that fit the course and prepare what the preceptor agreement form needs, early enough for approval before the first clinical day.
- Preceptors matched to the rotation rules: an NP preceptor, family practice for FNP, inpatient and critical care for AG-ACNP
- License, certification and site details ready for the preceptor agreement form, with your Complio items in order
- Across the Mid-South, Tennessee and the states UofM serves
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