What You Need to Know About Nurse Licensure Compact
Nurses obtain a license in order to practice their chosen profession, and the license typically covers a particular state where the nurse can perform his or her duties. However, there are many entities that believe the nursing profession can take one step forward if there is a way for the licenses to be accepted in multiple states simultaneously with the Nursing Licensure Compact.
In 2016, the Nursing Licensure Compact consisted of eight states. With the NLC, a person who has obtained a nursing license in one specific state will have the ability to practice his or her profession in the other states. By 2018, there should be an alliance of 26 states. [1]
Why an NLC May Be Beneficial for Nurses
According to the director of the NLC, who also happens to be the director of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, telemedicine served as the impetus for creating the NLC. [2] There are under-served populations for medical care who can benefit from multi-state licensing.
If the licenses are approved for practice across state lines, the registered nurses, as well as licensed practical nurses, will be able to deliver medical service or advice through the use of phone or through the internet. With the help of NLC, it is possible for the nurses to work at a healthcare agency in more than one state without many problems. If the nurses see an opportunity to visit another state to serve people who require medical care, the NLC may allow them to do so.
Another reason why the NLC can be useful for nurses is the fact that nursing licenses obtained in several states can be quite expensive. However, the use of a multi-state licensure program takes out the redundancy of work while eliminating pressure from a licensing board in any state that may have an issue with overloaded work.
The NLC helps nurses relocate with ease from one state to another with the help of a multi-state license. They can use this opportunity to work at a place where they may be comfortable or where they know demand is heavy.
Hospitals may also benefit from the NLC. Because it allows multi-state licensure for the nurses, a hospital that receives a lot of patients at once can get the help it needs. For instance, a flu outbreak during winter may cause the hospital to be slammed with more patients than it can handle. With the help of the NLC, a hospital system can turn to nurses from a nearby state, and they can lend a hand with the overload of patients. A multi-state licensure program can also be beneficial during hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters where there is usually a high injury count.
A problem on the shortage on the number of nurses in many states can be solved with the help of the NLC. A single state license may be problematic in motivating more people to join the healthcare industry. In California and Nevada, there are only about 600 nurses for every 100,000 people. [3] Ideally, there should be 1,000 nurses per 100,000 people. However, the national average is below 800 for every 100,000 residents, making it clear that there is a huge shortage of nurses in the U.S. [4]
With the Nurse Licensure Compact, these problems may be solved, and the benefits may be even clearer when practicing medical care can be performed with the help of technology.
References:
[1] https://www.ncsbn.org/compacts.htm
[2] https://www.annanurse.org/download/reference/health/activities/2_3_14.pdf
[3] https://www.beyond.com/articles/i/ad5369/blogs/Many-States-Suffer-Severe-Nursing-Shortage.htm
[4] http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/which-states-will-have-the-biggest-nursing-shortages-by-2025.html