The Nurse Licensure Compact: A Historical Perspective

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) became the first organization to develop and implement two interstate compacts to reduce regulatory barriers to cross-border nursing practice for licensed practical/vocational nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. The compacts were intended to move from the traditional single-state license to a state-of-residence license allowing the licensee to practice in other participating states. After 15 years, adoption of the compacts by states had stalled. In response, NCSBN identified impediments to adoption of the compacts and initiated steps to promote their acceptance. Two new compacts were developed and are being introduced as the preferred regulatory model to preserve state autonomy while providing solutions to the problems of regulating nursing practice across state lines.