Students in the MSN and DNP program are required to maintain their Washington State Registered Nurse (RN) license throughout the program. MSN and DNP students are required to provide a copy of their current license upon initial registration for coursework and provide a copy of their license each year as they renew. Failure to provide updated licensure information to the School of Nursing will prevent students from progressing in the program, as licensure is required for all graduate level clinical courses.
Entry-Level MSN students are required to pass the NCLEX-RN exam by December 1 of the second year of their program; the Fall they start the MSN level coursework. Failure to pass the NCLEX-RN exam by December 1st will prevent the student from progressing in the MSN program, as RN licensure is required for J-term clinical courses. Students are to provide proof of licensure to the School of Nursing by December 1st.
If a student in the Entry-Level MSN program is approved to take a leave of absence after completing the pre-licensure portion of the program, they are still required to pass the NCLEX-RN exam by December 1st. If the student chooses not to return to PLU after the leave (or if a student withdraws from PLU after completing the pre-licensure portion of the Entry-Level MSN), they may not request to complete the BSN degree instead, or apply to graduate with a BSN. While they may maintain nursing licensure, they are not eligible to earn a BSN from PLU.