Mississippi clinicals for Maryville NP students start with an IHL review

Where Maryville's grids leave Mississippi

Mississippi is open to all five NP tracks on the MSN, post-master's certificate, DNP-NP and BSN-to-DNP grids. That sets it apart from its neighbor to the west, where the grids close four of the five tracks.

A Mississippi clinic doesn't change Louisiana's status for someone who lives in Louisiana. If that's you, read our Louisiana guide and get Maryville's answer on your track first.

IHL, not the Board of Nursing, reviews out-of-state programs

Nursing degree programs in Mississippi answer to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, (IHL for short), while the Mississippi Board of Nursing approves practical nursing programs. When a nursing program from another state, graduate or undergraduate, offers clinicals here, IHL wants it held to Mississippi standards. A clinical practicum inside the state counts as domiciled and creates physical presence, which puts the program in line for a review from IHL Nursing Education.

1. Request the review earlyPrograms controlled from outside Mississippi should ask at least four months before they start, per Appendix S of IHL's August 2024 procedures manual.
2. Allow for the review itselfIHL says the process may take up to three months.
3. Hold distance-education authorizationThe program must participate in SARA or obtain non-SARA authorization through MCCA. Maryville's NC-SARA participation is stated on its 2020 status page.
4. Keep Mississippi's standardsIncluding the RN license standard for APRN clinical courses, below.

These are Maryville's steps, not yours, and our research doesn't show whether Maryville's Mississippi review is complete. Ask the Maryville Online Clinical Team before you ask a Mississippi preceptor to commit, and plan with the four-month lead time in mind. See the Maryville clinical timeline.

The license IHL's standards require

IHL's nursing program standards speak to APRN clinical courses taken by post-licensure students: each one needs an unencumbered RN license good for the state hosting the clinicals. Programs based in other states are held to that same bar, which lines up with Maryville's own rule.

Mississippi's start date under the Nurse Licensure Compact was January 19, 2018. The Board's reading is that a nurse who has declared a compact state as home, meaning the primary state of residence, and who remains in good standing may also practice in the other compact states. More in RN license for clinicals.

Collaborating physicians, dentists, and who Maryville accepts

AANP classifies Mississippi as reduced practice: Mississippi NPs work under a collaborative relationship with a physician or a dentist, the board approves that arrangement, and the collaborator must be licensed in Mississippi. That collaborator is a useful second contact, but only if they're a physician. Maryville's preceptor must be an APRN, MD or DO, so a collaborating dentist can't precept you.

The rest of Maryville's preceptor rule applies too: board certification, one year or more in practice, and an unencumbered license in their home practice state. For PMHNP, Maryville also lists LCSWs and psychologists with a PsychD or PhD. Our research found no Mississippi preceptor tax credit, and Maryville doesn't pay preceptors.

Jackson, Gulfport-Biloxi, Hattiesburg and the Memphis edge

Jackson and Gulfport-Biloxi are Mississippi's largest metros on 2025 Census estimates, followed by the Mississippi side of the Memphis metro and Hattiesburg. In Jackson, NP students often start with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and with Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, which Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Health Care runs. Elsewhere in the state they look at Forrest Health, at North Mississippi Health Services and at Singing River Health System. They're listed as places to look; none is known to host Maryville students. A clinic across the line near Memphis follows Tennessee rules.

Where we fit

Once Maryville confirms its Mississippi review covers you, a placement advisor looks near you for an NP or physician who fits Maryville's criteria. Nothing is final until Maryville approves it. Send your track and city through the form below.