Nursing Compact States


Nursing Compact States are US States that have agreed to the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) that allows nurses to have one multi-state license where they are allowed to practice in their home residence state as well as in all other Nursing Compact States.  Typically, industry insiders and medical professionals sometimes refer to Nursing Compact States as Compact License States interchangeably.  Therefore, nurses within the Compact License States network are able to start working in new States right away.  In addition, applying for additional licenses and paperwork are accelerated.  In short, this essentially allows those with multi-state nursing licenses to work across Nursing Compact States borders freely and easily.

For example, if you were in a Compact State and wanted to work in California, a Non-Compact State, you would need to apply for licensure by endorsement paperwork which would take 6-9 weeks processing in addition to mailing time.

However, if your home residence is Florida (Nursing Compact State) and you found a nursing job in Texas (Nursing Compact State), you could literally start work the next day.

That is to say, the number of nurse Compact States has grown over the years.  Back in 2015, the Nursing Compact States had 25 US States in the agreement.  As of 30 September 2020, there are now 33 Nursing Compact States that have implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).  Today, more than two million nurses in these 33 States and have multi state licenses to practice without borders and restrictions.  To clarify, these states are listed below by region

Northeast Compact States

New England Compact License States

Maine Board of Nursing
New Hampshire Board of Nursing

Midwest Compact States

East North Central Compact License States

Indiana Board of Nursing
Wisconsin Board of Nursing

West North Central Compact License States

Iowa Board of Nursing
Kansas Board of Nursing
Missouri Board of Nursing
Nebraska Board of Nursing
North Dakota Board of Nursing
South Dakota Board of Nursing

Southern Nursing Compact States

South Atlantic Compact License States

Delaware Board of Nursing
Florida Board of Nursing
Georgia Board of Nursing
Maryland Board of Nursing
North Carolina Board of Nursing
South Carolina Board of Nursing
Virginia Board of Nursing
West Virginia Board of Nursing

East South Central Compact License States

Alabama Board of Nursing
Kentucky Board of Nursing
Mississippi Board of Nursing
Tennessee Board of Nursing

West South Central Compact License States

Arkansas Board of Nursing
Louisiana Board of Nursing
Oklahoma Board of Nursing
Texas Board of Nursing

Western Compact States

Mountain Compact License States

Arizona Board of Nursing
Colorado Board of Nursing
Idaho Board of Nursing
Montana Board of Nursing
New Mexico Board of Nursing
Utah Board of Nursing
Wyoming Board of Nursing

Enacted But Not Yet Implemented

On July 2019, New Jersey approved the legislation multi-state Nurse Licensure Compact, becoming the 34th state to join the multi-state nursing license.  Consequently, implementation is expected to happen in 2021.

New Jersey Board of Nursing

States Still Pending NLC Legislation

Moreover, there are an additional three US states that are pending the Nursing Compact bill to pass.

Massachusetts Board of Nursing
Michigan Board of Nursing
For instance, Michigan recently passed legislation and is likely to move towards implementation in 2021.

Pennsylvania Board of Nursing

If you are a nurse in one of these three States, you just need to wait for the legislation to be finalized and pass.  Your State Board of Nursing will reach out to all registered nurses in the State once implementation is underway.

Non-Compact States

In contrast, none of the Mid-Atlantic States and Pacific States have implemented the Nursing Licensure Compact.

Although each of the States have different reasons for being Non-Compact States, they generally fall into the main categories.  In other words, these categories include:

  1. First, there are disputes over jurisdiction of nurses for disciplinary activities.
  2. Second, loss of State revenue from fees and
  3. Third, privacy concern for patients.

To clarify, there are currently 14 Non-Compact States as listed below:

Alaska Board of Nursing
California Board of Nursing
Connecticut Board of Nursing
District of Columbia Board of Nursing
Hawaii Board of Nursing
Illinois Board of Nursing
Minnesota Board of Nursing
Nevada Board of Nursing
New York Board of Nursing
Ohio Board of Nursing
Oregon Board of Nursing
Rhode Island Board of Nursing
Vermont Board of Nursing
Washington Board of Nursing[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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