NLC 101: Everything you need to know about Nursing Compact States Part I
During your NCLEX preparation, you may have come across the compact license and single-state license. However, you may not fully understand what these subjects mean. This article discusses the Nurse Licensing Compact as well as other information you'll need to know before you apply to take your NCLEX in order to achieve your #USRNDream.
What is a compact state in nursing?
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), also known as the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC), allows nurses to hold one multistate license and practice in their home state and other enhanced compact states. In other words, it's an agreement that allows registered nurses who are legal residents of one of the enhanced compact states to practice nursing in any of the other enhanced compact states without even having a license in that state.
What are the advantages of Nursing Compact States to nurses?
Nurses who hold a multistate license have greater opportunities for career advancement and job flexibility. As many as 38 states do not require nurses to apply for licensure for their licenses. As a result, there are fewer difficulties, application fees, and barriers.
What are the Nursing Compact States?
Nurses who presently practice in states where legislation is pending are not required to do anything until the bill(s) is enacted. When the state joins the eNLC, the state board will contact all registered nurses in the state. Nurses will subsequently be needed to verify that their permanent address is up to date with the state board for compact license eligibility to be determined.
Nurses who are not due for license renewal will not be charged a fee to migrate to the eNLC. All nurses who fulfill the eNLC standards will be granted a new license.
You must declare a domicile in an eNLC state to apply for a compact license. As a non-resident of an eNLC state, you can apply for state licensure through endorsement, but you will only be given a single-state license rather than the compact license. Nurses are permitted to have multiple single-state licenses.
Here are the list of compact nursing states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Vermont enacted the NLC on June 7. The implementation date is Feb. 1, 2022.
- Pennsylvania enacted the NLC on July 1, 2021. The implementation date is to be determined.
- Ohio enacted the NLC on July 1, 2021. The implementation date is Jan. 1, 2023.
- New Jersey allows nurses who hold active, unencumbered multistate licenses issued by NLC member states to practice in New Jersey under their multistate licenses.
While some states are hesitant to implement the eNLC, the NCSBN claims that more than 2 million nurses already live in eNLC states and can practice in other compact states. Nurses with compact licenses are in higher demand because they may fill urgent job opportunities without waiting for licensing.
Knowing more about the NLC may give you the opportunity to work as a registered nurse in nursing compact states. Don't let another opportunity pass you by; take advantage of it while you still have it. It is a good time to start preparing for the NCLEX exam.
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