Montana: a No in Troy University's table, with a process attached
Troy University's online nursing disclosure from 2020 puts Montana among the states where clinical experiences are not available, yet the same row sends students to the Clinical Placements Specialist about an approval or application process. It was last updated 12/15/2020. If you live in Montana or are headed there, that person is your first call, before an application or a preceptor search.
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Montana's odd entry in Troy's table
Montana is the only state Troy marks No that also names a process. Hawaii, Kentucky and New York carry reasons; Indiana carries nothing. Troy does not explain how Montana's No and its process note fit together, so treat the state as unavailable until the Clinical Placements Specialist tells you otherwise.
| Source | What it says about Montana |
|---|---|
| Online Nursing Programs disclosure | No; approval or application process through the Clinical Placements Specialist (12/15/2020) |
| State authorization page | SARA authorized |
| Graduate manuals | An RN license valid in Montana, all semester, before any Montana preceptor request moves |
The SARA listing adds a second tension: Troy may offer distance education to Montanans, while its clinical table says No. Ask the Coordinator of State Authorizations about that too, and see how Troy's lists differ.
Montana's board is lighter on graduate students
Montana's own rules ask less of graduate programs than Troy's entry might suggest. The Board's published answers exempt two groups from its approval for Montana clinicals: RN to BSN programs and graduate nursing programs. Its concern with those students is licensure. Because the student will be caring for Montana patients, the school has to confirm the student is actively licensed in a way Montana recognizes.
An out-of-state instructor who only confers with the student and preceptor needs no Montana license; one who treats patients does. Schools whose students are not yet licensed face a different path, laid out in ARM 24.159.608: Board approval, backed by statements from Montana's own program directors that their students will not lose clinical spots.
None of this overrides Troy's entry. It tells you what Montana itself would ask if Troy says yes.
Your license, and Montana's practice climate
Montana has used compact licensing since January 2018. The Board's RN licensing page treats the multistate privilege held by nurses from other compact states as enough to practice in Montana. Troy's own license rule still asks for licensure valid in Montana across the entire semester, so have your faculty advisor confirm how yours counts. The APRN Compact is not law in Montana.
AANP counts Montana as full practice. Under Troy's FNP criteria, any of these can be proposed: an NP with a year in practice, an MD or DO, a nurse midwife, or a physician assistant, and faculty make the call on each.
Where Montana students would look
Montana's metros are small and far apart. Billings leads at about 194,000 people in 2025, and Bozeman, Missoula and Helena are each smaller still. In Billings, Billings Clinic (now joined with Logan Health in one system) and Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital are the big hospitals. Providence runs St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, and Benefis Health System is another major name. Treat these as a sense of the landscape; none holds places for Troy students.
Around Montana, Troy's 2020 table read Yes for South Dakota, Not yet determined for North Dakota and Idaho, and Applied for authorization for Wyoming. The full list is on clinicals by state.
Checking first, or moving to Montana
If you live in Montana, ask the Clinical Placements Specialist before you apply. A mid-program move to Montana belongs on your faculty advisor's desk as soon as it is likely. Our part begins once Troy gives you a path: we find preceptors in your region who meet Troy's course rules, gather their licenses and biosketches, and keep your forms ahead of Troy's deadlines. Send us a note through the form below.
Questions Troy students ask
Why does Troy's Montana row say No but mention a process?
Troy's table does not say. The entry lists clinicals as not available and also points to the Clinical Placements Specialist for an approval or application process, both as of 12/15/2020. That specialist is the right person to explain what the process is and whether it applies to you now.
Would Montana's board have to approve Troy's MSN or DNP?
Montana's Board exempts graduate and RN to BSN programs from its approval for clinicals held in the state, while still expecting the school to confirm each student's license is active and recognized in Montana. Troy's 2020 entry is a separate matter that only Troy can update.
Will a multistate license cover me for Montana clinicals?
On Montana's side, a multistate privilege from another compact state is recognized for RN practice. Troy separately wants proof of licensure in the clinical state for the whole semester, so ask your faculty advisor whether your multistate license meets Troy's rule before any request goes in.
Is South Dakota an option for Montana residents?
South Dakota read Yes in Troy's 2020 table, with a note that one faculty member licensed there oversees students. A South Dakota site would need licensure valid in that state for the full semester and Troy's current confirmation, and the distance from much of Montana is considerable.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Troy's own 2026-27 MSN, DNP, AMSN and RN to BSN orientation manuals, program pages, degree maps and state authorization pages. Your faculty advisor, your course faculty and the School of Nursing have the final word.
Troy asks you to recruit your preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Troy program, where you live and which semester your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors who meet Troy's rules for the course, check the setting against Troy's limits, and prepare everything the Preceptor Information Form and biosketch ask for, well ahead of the form deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: a graduate-prepared NP or physician for
NSG 6619, pediatrics and women's health forNSG 6666, adults and older adults forNSG 6668 - Preceptor Information Form details, a biosketch and a copy of the preceptor's license, ready for your faculty advisor
- In your own area, in Alabama or a state where Troy can offer clinicals, never in your own work setting
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