The Issue – Nurse Licensure rules and regulations were formed when nursing was practiced primarily within the boundaries of one or two states. With the development of managed care, tele-health and mobile populations, nurses are frequently required to work with patients who travel or reside across multiple state lines. Unlike drivers licenses, many state nursing licenses are not recognized by other states.
The Impact – Nurses and their employers are vulnerable to:
- Excessive costs for additional licensure
- Administrative oversight of additional fees
- Vulnerability to lack of malpractice coverage. Most managed care employers do not cover these expenses leaving both the employer and nurses personally vulnerable.
The Solution – Nurse Compact Licensure. Twenty state boards of nursing have joined together to form a Nurse Compact in which states mutually recognize nurse licenses from other Compact states.
Resources:
CMSA Position Statement
PowerPoint Presentation
Template Letter to Legislators
Template Letter for your support of the Nurse Licensure Compact
NLC Contact Lists
CMSA Press Release
The Case Manager: Multistate nurse licensure in case management
The Case Manager: What nurse case managers need to know about the Nurse Licensure Compact
National Council for State Board of Nursing (NCSBN)
State Nursing Associations
State Boards of Nursing