Home / Tennessee
StateCapella Preceptor and Practicum in Tennessee
Tennessee is a restricted nurse practitioner practice state, which shapes who can serve as your Capella preceptor and how oversight is documented. This page explains what that means for a Capella student lining up practicum here, then how we secure a verified preceptor for you statewide.
Last updated: June 21, 2026 · Reviewed by the Capella Preceptor placement team
Nurse practitioner practice authority in Tennessee
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners classifies Tennessee as a restricted practice state, the most limited of its three categories (AANP, Tennessee state practice environment). In plain terms, a nurse practitioner in Tennessee cannot practice independently. State law requires a career-long relationship with a collaborating physician, with that oversight written down rather than informal.
For a Capella student, the practical question is not your future scope but who can precept you now. Because Tennessee ties NP practice to physician collaboration, the cleanest preceptor is a physician (MD or DO) or an experienced APRN whose own collaborative agreement is on file at the practice. When we vet a Tennessee site, confirming that supervisory chain is part of the check, because Capella faculty will look for a preceptor who is properly credentialed and authorized in the state where you log hours.
Full, reduced, and restricted are the three AANP tiers. Full means an NP can evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe under the board of nursing alone. Reduced means at least one element requires a regulated agreement with another health professional. Restricted, Tennessee's tier, means career-long supervision, delegation, or team management by an outside health professional is required for at least one element of practice.
The Tennessee Board of Nursing
Advanced practice nursing in Tennessee is regulated by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, housed within the Tennessee Department of Health (Tennessee Board of Nursing). The board licenses registered nurses, recognizes advanced practice registered nurses, and runs license lookup so a site or program can confirm a clinician's status.
Two board rules matter when you choose a preceptor in Tennessee. First, an APRN who prescribes controlled substances must hold a certificate of fitness from the board (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1000-04-.04). Second, the collaborating physician relationship is formalized through a written agreement kept at the practice site, with protocols specific to the population served that are reviewed and updated on a set schedule (Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists, certificate of fitness summary). Rules are revised periodically, so verify the current text on the board's own pages rather than relying on a summary. We confirm a preceptor's license and any required collaboration before we present a match.
Verifying a Tennessee license
You can confirm any RN or APRN credential through the Tennessee Department of Health license verification service, reachable from the board's site. We run that check on every preceptor we propose so the name on your Willis (CORE ELMS) submission matches an active, Tennessee-recognized clinician.
Finding a preceptor and clinical site in Tennessee
Capella requires the student to secure their own preceptor and clinical site; the university does not assign one, and it recommends completing practicum in your local community. That is the step where Tennessee students lose the most time, because a restricted state means fewer NPs can sign on solo and clinics field a steady stream of student requests. We carry the search for you.
We place across Tennessee's metros and the regions around them: Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Shelby County, Knoxville and East Tennessee, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Jackson, and the Tri-Cities of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. When you are in a rural county where a local match is genuinely thin, the virtual option keeps you on schedule instead of waiting months for a nearby opening.
Family medicine and internal medicine clinics across Middle, West, and East Tennessee for FNP and AGPCNP hours.
Outpatient psychiatry and counseling practices in the larger metros for PMHNP students.
Primary care and clinic settings managing chronic disease and the older-adult population.
A full virtual preceptorship by video when you are in a county with few in-person options.
Practicum requirements, done in Tennessee
Securing the preceptor is the start. Before you log a single hour, the same Capella clearance applies wherever you practice, and there is no Tennessee shortcut around it. Capella manages practicum application, site and preceptor approval, hour logging, and evaluations through its practicum system, which we track in our workflow as Willis (CORE ELMS). We prepare each piece so a restricted-state approval does not stall on paperwork.
- Submit the Tennessee site and preceptor in Willis (CORE ELMS) for Capella review and approval.
- Execute an affiliation agreement between Capella and the Tennessee clinical site before practicum begins.
- Clear third-party compliance through a background-check and health-records vendor such as CastleBranch; confirm the current vendor with your program.
- Log and submit hours in Willis (CORE ELMS), where your Tennessee preceptor approves what you record.
Hour totals depend on your program: the RN-to-BSN capstone practicum, the MSN-FNP at 750 hours across six 125-hour courses, other NP tracks at similar volumes, and the DNP project hours. We break the numbers down by program on the hours page, with the specialty detail on the FNP, PMHNP, and AGPCNP pages.
Virtual or in person for Tennessee students
Both paths satisfy Capella, and the right one usually comes down to geography. If you live near Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, or Chattanooga, an in-person placement is often quick because the clinic density is there. If you are in a rural county in the Upper Cumberland, West Tennessee, or the mountains east of Knoxville, a fully virtual preceptorship can be the difference between starting this term and waiting for the next.
Hands-on hours at a vetted Tennessee clinic with a licensed, board-recognized preceptor, ideal in and around the major metros.
Supervised practicum by video for rural counties or hard-to-fill specialties, with hours tracked in Willis (CORE ELMS) the same way.
Tennessee FAQ
Is Tennessee a full practice authority state for nurse practitioners?
No. AANP classifies Tennessee as a restricted practice state. A Tennessee nurse practitioner works under a written collaborative agreement with a supervising physician, so your Capella preceptor should be a physician or an APRN whose own collaboration is documented.
Does Capella assign a preceptor in Tennessee?
No. Capella requires the student to secure their own preceptor and clinical site; the university does not assign one. We do that for you, matching a verified, Tennessee-licensed preceptor and handling the Willis (CORE ELMS) paperwork.
Where in Tennessee do you place students?
Across the state, including Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, and the Tri-Cities, plus rural counties through our fully virtual option.
Sources
- AANP, Tennessee state practice environment (restricted)
- Tennessee Board of Nursing, Tennessee Department of Health
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1000-04-.04, APRN certificate of fitness
- Certificate of fitness and collaboration agreement summary (TANA)
How Capella Preceptor helps
In a restricted state, the hard part is finding a Tennessee preceptor who is both available and properly authorized, then clearing Capella's approval without losing a term. We handle both. We match a verified, Capella-compliant preceptor in Tennessee, in person or fully virtual, and prepare every Willis (CORE ELMS) form and compliance step so your hours start on time.
- Verified, Tennessee-licensed preceptor matched in 7 days, no payment until matched
- Every Willis (CORE ELMS) form, affiliation agreement, and CastleBranch step handled
- In-person across Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, or virtual for rural counties
Get a Capella preceptor in Tennessee
Free 15-minute consult. No payment until matched. We map your entire practicum plan.
Get my free consult →