Studying UofM's online MSN from Hawaii
Hawaii sits outside the nurse compact, so a UofM student training on the islands needs a Hawaii-issued RN license. UofM's own papers disagree on Hawaii: the partnerships office leaves it off its 16-state list, while UofM's MSN licensure PDF lists Hawaii as meeting requirements. Ask LCON to confirm your eligibility before you apply.
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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.
UofM programs, read from Hawaii
| UofM program | Where Hawaii stands | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| MSN: FNP, AG-ACNP, PMHNP | Licensure disclosure says yes, adding that the APRN license comes by endorsement and can be sought alongside the RN license | Missing from the 16-state partnerships list; confirm with LCON |
| NP graduate certificates | The certificate disclosure also says yes | Same list conflict as the MSN |
| Nursing Education or Leadership | Not among the 16 named states | Ask LCON directly |
| Traditional or Accelerated BSN | Taught on campus in Tennessee | UofM assigns BSN clinicals in West Tennessee and north Mississippi |
A disclosure speaks to licensing after graduation, not to where you may study or train. The state authorization guide sets every UofM source side by side.
Licensing on the islands: no compact, full practice
Hawaii licenses nurses through its Board of Nursing, part of the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of the state's commerce and consumer affairs department. Hawaii remains a non-compact state, and no legislation to change that is pending, so multistate licenses, Tennessee's included, grant no practice privilege on the islands.
That makes UofM's license expectation concrete. UofM's admission rule looks for RN eligibility in Tennessee or in your approved clinical state, and for rotations on Oahu, Maui or the Big Island that state is Hawaii, which means a Hawaii RN license (license page). Once you are certified, AANP counts Hawaii among the full practice states for nurse practitioners.
What the Hawaii Board has said about out-of-state programs
Back in 2016, the Board's education committee decided that a BSN program based elsewhere may not bring pre-license students to Hawaii clinical sites. UofM's BSN tracks are campus-based in Tennessee, so its online students are untouched by it.
Under the Board's post-licensure FAQ, the Board neither approves an online program lacking a Hawaii campus nor expects to hear from it, and the program's faculty need Hawaii licensure solely for hands-on teaching or precepting done in the state. Hawaii has published nothing aimed at graduate NP programs, so that FAQ is the nearest guide.
The state's preceptor income tax credit is tied to programs with a Hawaii footprint: accredited or sited in the state, with a majority of Hawaii-resident students. A preceptor working with a UofM student sits outside it.
Clinicals close to home in Hawaii
UofM pairs online MSN courses with in-person practicums near where you live. For most island students that means Urban Honolulu, with smaller population centers on Maui around Kahului-Wailuku and on the Big Island around Hilo-Kailua.
Queen's, the Kaiser Permanente region, Hawaii Pacific Health and the public Hawaii Health Systems Corporation show the landscape. They are examples only; any host must agree and then clear UofM's approval.
UofM's NP tracks all call for an NP preceptor on at least one rotation, and FNP students also log time in family practice (rotation rules). Book flights early too: the NP tracks bring you to campus for as many as three brief intensives, with January 2027 mandatory for all of them.
Why Hawaii students choose us
An ocean away from Memphis, a complete first submission saves weeks. However your placement is handled at UofM, our team searches out an island preceptor and site that satisfy UofM's rules, checks the preceptor's Hawaii license and certification, and prepares the preceptor agreement details well before the term. Should a preceptor withdraw partway through, we go straight to finding the next one. Start at how it works, or send your island and track below.
Questions UofM students ask
Will my Tennessee multistate license cover Hawaii rotations?
No. Hawaii gives no practice privilege to multistate licenses, whichever member state issued them. Rotations on the islands require a license from the Hawaii Board, kept active and unencumbered for the length of the program so it also meets UofM's expectations.
What does the Hawaii note on UofM's licensure disclosure mean?
UofM's MSN disclosure marks Hawaii as meeting requirements and notes that the APRN license comes by endorsement, which can run alongside the RN license application. That concerns licensing after graduation. It does not settle whether LCON enrolls Hawaii residents, so confirm that with LCON first.
Could my preceptor use Hawaii's preceptor tax credit?
Most likely not. The credit is aimed at preceptors whose students attend a program based or accredited in the islands, where most enrollees are Hawaii residents. An online program run from Tennessee does not match that description. A preceptor who wants certainty can read the credit program's own FAQ.
How often would I fly to Tennessee during the program?
As many as three times, each visit lasting between one and three days, and UofM posts dates at least six months out. Every NP track must attend the January 2027 intensive. From Hawaii, that notice leaves room to plan flights and time off.
Can I do clinicals at the Honolulu hospital where I work?
Only in unusual cases. UofM keeps practicum hours away from a student's current employer unless compelling circumstances exist, and any exception needs sign-off and documentation from faculty and program administration. The workplace clinicals guide explains the rule and how exceptions work.
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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