Maryland NP clinicals for Sacred Heart University students
On Sacred Heart University's September 2026 disclosures, each FNP and PMHNP program carries a Maryland "Yes". Three Maryland details deserve a plan: a preceptor tax credit whose wording turns on Board of Nursing recognition, a Board that reviews NP programs before certifying their graduates, and a District of Columbia line just past the Maryland suburbs that sits on Sacred Heart's "No" list.
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Tell us your Sacred Heart program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your course.
Maryland's disclosure answers
The table shows Sacred Heart's Maryland entries as they stood in September 2026. Sacred Heart's catalog leaves final verification to each student, so confirm the entry before enrolling and again before any move.
| Program | Maryland | Delivery | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | Yes | Online, clinicals on site | 540 |
| Post-master's FNP certificate | Yes | Online, clinicals on site | 540 |
| BSN-to-DNP (FNP) | Yes | Hybrid | 1,000 minimum (guide) |
| MSN PMHNP | Yes | Online, clinicals on site | 540 |
| Post-master's PMHNP certificate | Yes | Online, clinicals on site | 540 |
| MSN Clinical Nurse Leader | Yes | Online | 420 (guide) or 400/500 (catalog) |
Every other state's answer is on our disclosures page.
The preceptorship tax credit, and a question to settle
Under Tax-General §10-739, Maryland trims the state income tax owed by nurse practitioners and physicians who supervise NP students without compensation, provided the preceptorship carries Board of Nursing approval. The threshold is three rotations or more, each at least 90 hours, in community-based settings inside a workforce-shortage area designated by the Maryland Department of Health. Credits are issued rotation by rotation and capped both per preceptor and statewide each year, and the section is marked effective through June 30, 2030 (Chapter 416 of 2025).
Here is the wrinkle. The statute's definition assumes a nursing program recognized by the State Board of Nursing, and nothing in our research says whether Sacred Heart's programs have that recognition. Present the credit to a Maryland preceptor as something worth checking, and put the question to Sacred Heart.
Board program approval matters after graduation too
MBON certifies graduates as advanced practice nurses only after it has reviewed and approved their NP program. For a program absent from the approved list, the Program Approval Form is the school's to submit, never the applicant's. Planning a Maryland NP career? Look for Sacred Heart's program on that list now and raise any gap with Sacred Heart long before graduation.
Our research found no MBON requirement that schools from other states seek approval before their students start Maryland clinicals. Online enrollment has its own rule: the Maryland Higher Education Commission registers out-of-state institutions, but COMAR 13B.05.01.02 excuses SARA participants, and Sacred Heart joined SARA on January 11, 2017.
Suburbs of Washington, and the District itself
Roughly 2.52 million Marylanders are counted in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro by the 2025 Census estimate. The District of Columbia reads "No" for both NP families on Sacred Heart's table, so a DC clinic that looks close from the Maryland suburbs is a question for Sacred Heart before it is a lead. Keep your search on the Maryland side unless Sacred Heart says otherwise.
Maryland's compact membership dates to January 19, 2018, and COMAR 10.27.01.03(B) allows multistate-privilege holders to practice there, following Maryland law. Health Occupations §8-301(d)(2) also lifts the license requirement for a student practicing advanced practice nursing within an accredited graduate APRN program. Sacred Heart still wants an active license for each clinical state; see the RN license guide.
Proximity is not permission: a clinic inside DC sits in a "No" jurisdiction on Sacred Heart's table.
Baltimore, southern Maryland and Hagerstown
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro holds about 2.86 million people. Lexington Park in southern Maryland counts about 211,000, and the Maryland share of Hagerstown-Martinsburg about 158,000. Five systems recur in Maryland NP searches: MedStar Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Luminis Health, the University of Maryland Medical System and LifeBridge Health. Each decides for itself, and none holds a place for Sacred Heart.
AANP calls Maryland full practice, though new NPs must declare that they spent 18 months mentored by a physician or a certified NP. Sacred Heart's preceptor criteria are on our requirements page.
Why Maryland students choose us
Your placement advisor searches Baltimore, the Maryland suburbs, southern Maryland and the west for preceptors suited to your Sacred Heart course, keeps the search inside Maryland's lines, and raises the tax credit question honestly with preceptors in shortage areas. We deliver Sacred Heart a complete preceptor packet and name the site's contract contact; if a preceptor drops, the search reopens at once. Begin on the contact page.
Questions Sacred Heart students ask
Would a Maryland preceptor earn the tax credit by teaching me?
Possibly. It takes three or more unpaid, community-based rotations of 90-plus hours in a state-designated shortage area, and it is written for NP students whose program the Board of Nursing recognizes. Our research does not settle Sacred Heart's status, so the preceptor should confirm with MBON and Sacred Heart.
Does Maryland require Sacred Heart to register before I enroll online?
Not as a SARA member. The Higher Education Commission makes most out-of-state schools register before signing up Maryland residents online, but SARA participants are exempt under COMAR 13B.05.01.02, and Sacred Heart has participated since 2017.
Can I do NP clinical hours in Washington, DC?
Treat it as unlikely until Sacred Heart says yes. The District of Columbia carries a "No" on both NP families in the September 2026 table. Ask your academic advisor before contacting any DC practice, and build your Maryland options in the meantime.
My multistate license is from Virginia. Does it cover a Maryland site?
Yes. Virginia and Maryland both implemented the compact on January 19, 2018, and Maryland lets multistate holders practice under its law. Upload the Virginia license to your Health Account, since Sacred Heart checks the license for your clinical state. Virginia also reads "Yes" on Sacred Heart's table.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Sacred Heart's own catalog, program pages and 2026-27 student guides. Your student guide, your academic advisor and your course faculty have the final word.
Sacred Heart asks you to secure your clinical placement. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Sacred Heart program, your city and your next clinical course. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare what your advisor, the NP clinical coordinator and the Contract Request Form ask for, early enough for the affiliation agreement.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care of adults, women and children for FNP, psychiatric care across the lifespan for PMHNP
- Preceptor CV, license, board certification and the site's contract contact ready before your week-10 deadline
- Close to home in any state where Sacred Heart's program meets licensure requirements, with New York's rule planned around
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