RN Compact States

RN Compact States are US states which have agreed to the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) that allow qualified Registered Nurses to practice in approved States.  Medical professionals and agencies sometimes refer to RN Compact States as ‘Compact RN License States’ depending on who you’re speaking with.  There are currently 33 approved Compact RN License States.  These range from Maine and New Hampshire all the way down to Florida and Texas in the South to Arizona and Colorado in the West.  There are no mid-Atlantic States that are RN Compact States.

RN Compact License

The RN Compact License is synonymous to a Multi State RN License or Multi State Registered Nurse License.  You may ask what exactly does that mean?  It means if you are a Registered Nurse with a RN Compact License you can move around freely and work within all 33 approved Compact RN License States.

For example, if you move from one RN Compact State to another RN Compact State you can begin work the very next day.  In concrete terms, if you lived in Florida, a RN Compact State.  If you had a Multi State RN License and you found a job in Texas, you can move and start working at your new job the very next day.  It is really that convenient and simple!

On the other hand, if you did not have a RN Compact License or were moving to in a Non-Compact State, things would be vastly different.  In this instance, if you were a RN in Florida (a RN Compact State) and found a job in California (a Non-Compact State), you would need to apply for a temporary license from the California Board of Nursing.  This process may take 10-12 weeks before you are actually able to begin your new job.  As you can tell, a RN Compact License and the RN Compact States makes life dramatically easier.  Check out Licensure by Endorsement for more details on Compact and Non-Compact States.

Apply for Compact RN License

To apply for the Compact RN License, you must meet the requirements under the multi-state nursing license.  The difference in RN Compact States License versus the LPN Compact States License is in the Multi State Nursing License requirements.  The only difference is the third requirement of NCLEX exam, where the LPN must pass the NCLEX PN versus the RN must pass the NCLEX RN.  Other than that, all the requirements to get the RN Compact License are exactly the same as the LPN Compact License.  To clarify, all Compact RN Licenses are done at the State-level.  To apply for the Compact RN License, go to your State Board of Nursing website as listed out below.

Northeast Compact States

New England Compact RN License 

Maine Board of Nursing
New Hampshire Board of Nursing

Midwest Compact States

East North Central Compact RN License 

Indiana Board of Nursing
Wisconsin Board of Nursing

West North Central Compact RN License 

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 RN Compact States

South Atlantic Compact RN License 

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 RN License 

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

West South Central Compact RN License 

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

Western Compact States

Mountain Compact RN License 

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

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