Compact License: What Is It? How Do I Get One?
With travel nursing gaining popularity, many nurses are seeking licenses in Nursing compact states to grant their careers flexibility and allow them to travel to different states for work. A compact license enables nurses to practice in clinical settings or via telehealth in other participating compact states without securing another license from another state.
In this article, learn more about compact nursing licenses, the steps in getting and maintaining a multistate license, and the benefits and drawbacks of having one.
What is the Nurse Licensure Compact?
A compact nurse state allows nurses with a nurse compact license to work in different states without getting additional state licenses. This provides nurses career flexibility for the nurse and helps address state
On July 18, 2018, the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) replaced Nurse Licensure Compact originally organized in 2000. This change, backed by legislation, simplified securing licenses across different states. With the eNLC, nurses can hold a multi-state license in their primary state of residence (or home residence) and practice in other states that are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact.
The eNLC has allowed the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administration to begin drafting appropriate rules and regulations for the new licensure. The eNLC can only be applied to registered nurses and licensed practice nurses. Advanced practice registered nurses are not yet included in the agreement. Instead, they must hold an individual APRN license in each state where they practice.
The list of states that are part of the eNLC is continuously growing. As of July 2022, 39 states are part of the eNLC.
What are the Compact States?
Below are the 39 states that have already enacted/implemented the eNLC as of July 2022:
Guam
Virgin Islands
Ohio, a new addition to the list, has recently set its implementation date on January 1, 2023. Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands have passed legislation to enact the eNLC but have not yet established an implementation date.
How Do I Get a Compact License?
The Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administration has developed uniform licensure requirements for a multistate license. These requirements are the following:
Meet the home state's requirements for licensure
Have graduated from an approved educational program or an international program that an appropriate accrediting body has approved
Have passed an English proficiency exam (applies to graduates of an international education program not taught in English, or if English is not the applicants’ native language)
Have passed the
exam
Is eligible or holds an active, unencumbered RN license
Have submitted fingerprints and/or a criminal background check
Has no misdemeanor convictions related to the nursing profession
Not currently participating in an alternative program, and must disclose if so
Have a valid US social security number
Before applying for a multi-state license, make sure that your primary state of residence is an eNLC state. Your primary state of residence is determined by your driver’s license, voter registration, and where you file your annual income tax. If your primary residence is not in a compact state, you are not eligible for compact licensure.
A nurse can apply for a compact license in 2 ways:
License by Exam
This involves applying for a license with the state board of your primary state of residence and taking the NCLEX. Once the NCLEX is passed, a multi-state license will be issued to the nurse.
License by Endorsement
If a nurse is from a compact state and is transferring to a new state, they must first identify if their new state of residence is a member of the eNLC. If the new state of residence is a member of the eNLC and the nurse is already licensed by a compact state, the nurse applies for a license in the state where they plan to practice. However, the nurse may still use their previous license to practice until their new license is granted. Once the nurse receives their new license, their former license will be inactivated.
If the nurse’s previous state of residence was not a member of the eNLC, the nurse must apply for an RN license with their new state of residence and wait until their new license is issued before they can practice the profession.
Only residents of a state that is a member of the eNLC can apply for compact licensure. If your state is not an eNLC state and you are looking to move to a new state, you must apply for licensure to your new state of residence. A nurse may hold one compact license and may also have multiple licenses from non-compact states.
How do I check if I have a compact license?
Nurses are encouraged to sign up for the
The Nursys portal allows nurses to see their licenses (both active and lapsed) and their compact status. Nursys also lists all the states where a nurse is eligible to practice.
What are its Benefits?
Working as a nurse in a compact nurse allows you to practice in any of the 39 eNLC member states. A multi-state license simplifies the process of licensing in various states. It also will allow nurses to have better career mobility and the ability to expand their career options. This type of license especially benefits travel nurses.
Learn more about travel nursing
here.
With a multi-state license, nurses do not have to worry about applying for and renewing their licenses across multiple states. This saves time and money, as nurses do not have to apply for and renew various state licenses. This also makes it easy for nurses to sign up with a nursing agency and look for work in their home state or elsewhere.
Learn more about the benefits and challenges of the signing up with a nursing agency
here.
Apart from this, the eNLC itself has many benefits to a healthcare system currently encountering a nursing shortage. The eNLC helps increase access to health care, reduce overall costs to insurance companies, hospitals, and individual patients, and support efficient and strong health care delivery.
What Are Its Challenges?
There aren’t many immediate challenges to having a license from a compact state. However, if you want to practice in a non-compact state, like California or New York, you will have to apply for a license there. You will also have to keep up-to-date with a non-compact state’s requirements for licensure in addition to those required by your compact license.
How do I comply with CE requirements with a compact license?
Nurses with a compact license must meet the CE requirements of their primary state of residence. Regardless of the eNLC, each state requires specific CE courses and a specific number of continuing education hours. It is the nurse’s responsibility to comply with those requirements to ensure license renewal.
Final Thoughts
A compact license removes barriers and unburdens nurses looking to work in various states. This allows nurses to have a borderless practice, expands their career options, and also helps increase patient access to care.