Update: Indiana to Effectively Join the Nurse Licensure Compact July 1, 2020
Update February 20, 2020: The Indiana State Board of Nursing announced its full implementation of the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) will be effective July 1, 2020. This comes one year later than what was initially expected and more than a year after legislation was passed to join the compact. Beginning July 1, 2020, Indiana nurses will be able to start applying for their multistate licenses and out of state nurses who hold a compact license will be able to practice within the state. In the Fall 2019 edition of NCSBN’s In Focus publication, a representative of the Indiana State Board of Nursing (ISBN) wrote: “Board members and staff are making substantial progress putting into place the technical and administrative updates necessary for multistate licenses to be issued. At the same time, ISBN is also working closely with state and national stakeholders, including NCSBN, to institute a seamless application process.” For updates and future resources about Indiana’s full implementation into the NLC, visit www.in.gov/pla/nursing.htm. Indiana lawmakers passed compact nursing license legislation during this year’s General Assembly, which ended last Wednesday. The bill allows for the Indiana State Board of Nursing to issue compact nursing licenses and allows nurses and licensed practical nurses who already have their compact license to practice in Indiana. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law on Monday, according to data from StateScape. Indiana is the 32nd state to join the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, narrowly beating out Alabama in passing an eNLC bill into law. The new compact law will take effect on July 1, 2019, according to the bill’s text. Nurses and licensed practical nurses applying for a compact nursing license must pay $25 in addition to any other standard licensing fees. The bill is expected to cut down on the amount of time it takes for nurses outside of Indiana to start working in the state. Currently, it can take several weeks for a non-Indiana nurse to obtain a single-state license. Larry Jenkins, a client advisor for LiquidAgents Healthcare who frequently works with Indiana healthcare facilities, said the bill passing could greatly help hospitals fill travel jobs faster and more efficiently. “Indiana has a ton of jobs available, but it can be a struggle to fill them because they were not a compact state, and not a lot of nurses I see have their Indiana license,” Jenkins said. “This will be really helpful to get more candidates to Indiana. “I also see a lot of people from Kentucky [with a compact license] who want to work in Indiana, so this will be helpful for them as well.” House Rep. Ed Clere introduced the bill and has advocated for Indiana to join the compact since last year. After a legislative study session over the summer, the bill quickly gained support during the 2019 General Assembly and passed the House in January. “It’s important legislation for our area,” Clere told the News and Tribune. “It came to me about three years ago, and Hosparus Health and Baptist Health Floyd are two regional organizations that identified this as a top legislative priority. There are countless other providers that supported it and will benefit from it. It will help providers address workforce challenges and will improve access to quality health care.” Supporters of the bill hope this will address gaps in nursing service across the Indiana-Kentucky state line, which was a issue frequently brought up to push legislators to support the bill. “This is particularly important to border communities like Floyd County, where a nurse might live in Louisville and work in New Albany or vice versa,” the Indiana Chamber, a statewide business advocacy group, said in a press release. “For proponents, this is both a workforce and quality of care issue.” Editor’s note: This story will be updated as more information about the process for obtaining an Indiana compact nursing license becomes available. Additionally, the original story stated the bill became law without a signature from Gov. Eric Holcomb. Holcomb signed the bill on the date the story was published, so it has been updated to reflect that information.
Louisiana Passes Compact Nursing License Legislation
Update, February 19, 2019 at 9:50 a.m. CST: The projected implementation date for Louisiana has changed from December 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019. Original article: Louisiana legislators passed Senate Bill 202 last Thursday, making Louisiana the 31st state to enter the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, according to a Louisiana State Board of Nursing press release. The bill, introduced by Sen. Barrow Peacock and Sen. Ronnie Johns on March 12 and signed into law last week, will enable Louisiana nurses to apply for compact licenses, which will allow them to work in any eNLC states without having to apply for a single state license. It also means current compact license holders can apply for Louisiana jobs after the implementation date. The state has six months to establish eNLC processes, and the current projected implementation date is Dec. 1, 2018, according to the state board press release. “[Passing] Senate Bill 202..was a team effort,” Sen. Peacock said in a statement to the Louisiana Hospital Association. “It was the way the process should work, and it was educating the members of the legislature of the importance of the nursing compact. This is a win for medical outcomes, for our nurses and for the great state of Louisiana.” While the exact impact on travel nurse activity is hard to measure, states that join the eNLC have a proven track record of getting more attention from travelers soon after, according to StaffDNA job board data. The eNLC went into effect early this year, updating the original Nursing Licensure Compact by adding uniform licensure and federal background check requirements. Five non-NLC states joined the eNLC when it was implemented, and Kansas brought the total to six after passing legislation in March. Of the remaining non-compact states, Indiana, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey currently have legislation in the works to join the eNLC. To see a detailed map of all states in the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, click here.
Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact Update: Questions Answered
After we posted our story about how new enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact states are handling the transition process, we got some specific questions from readers about the topic. We are still working to answer some of those, but we did want to answer what we could. Q: “I was told some Florida hospitals are still requiring travel nurses to have an actual FL license. I was planning on not renewing my Florida license because I have an Iowa compact license.” -Madonna A: Thanks for writing in, Madonna. We’ve got some good news and bad news. The bad news is that rumor seems to be correct. Some hospital systems in Florida are not accepting nurses who have multi-state licenses at this time. We’ve reached out to them to figure out why. The good news is if you are from out of state and hold an active single-state license for Florida, it’s still valid. There are also no shortages of hospitals to choose from when looking for places to work in the state. It’s important to remember, however, that once your single state license expires, you won’t be able to renew as long as you have a multi-state license from a compact state, according to eNLC rules. Do you need answers to your burning enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact questions? Check out our enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact coverage for more info, or send us an email with your question. Got a great story or news tip about the travel healthcare industry? Reach out to us today.
Nursing Licensure Compact Update: More Questions, More Answers
After we posted our story about how new enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact states are handling the transition process, we got some specific questions from readers about the topic. Last week, we answered the first one about whether some Florida hospitals are still requiring single state licenses despite being a eNLC state, and today we’ve got another question from a Florida-native nurse. Q: “I have Florida, North Carolina, and Massachusetts licenses. My home state is Florida. Do I still have to renew my North Carolina single state license even though it lapsed? ” — Stephanie M. A: That’s a good question, Stephanie. Whether or not to renew a license depends on your home state. Nurses who received their primary license in a non-eNLC state are still required to obtain single state licenses as usual, according to the National Council of State Nursing Boards. This rule was carried over from the old NLC. Luckily, since your home state is in Florida, you don’t have to renew your single state in North Carolina as long as you meet the qualifications for a multistate license. In fact, North Carolina wouldn’t be allowed to give you a single state license if you already have a multi-state, under Section 401 of the official eNLC rules. For reference, here are the new uniform requirements to qualify for a multistate license: Meets the requirements for licensure in the home state (state of residency) Has graduated from a board-approved education program; or has graduated from an international education program approved by the authorized accrediting body in the applicable country and verified by an independent credentials review agency Has passed an English proficiency examination (applies to graduates of an international education program not taught in English or if English is not the individual’s native language) Has passed an NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN examination or predecessor exam Is eligible for or holds an active, unencumbered license (i.e., without active discipline) Has submitted to state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks Has no state or federal felony convictions Has no misdemeanor convictions related to the practice of nursing (determined on a case-by-case basis) Is not currently a participant in an alternative program Is required to self-disclose current participation in an alternative program Has a valid United States Social Security number. Keep in mind that every state will most likely have a fee to upgrade your single state license to a multi-state. Florida charges a one-time fee of $100. If you don’t qualify for a multi-state license, don’t fret–you may still be eligible for that state’s single state license requirements. Got another enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact question, or just a question about traveling? Check out our eNLC coverage for more info, or send us an email with your question. Want to share a great story or industry news tip? Reach out to us today.
Compact License Update: Kansas Makes Progress; Low Demand for Wyoming Licenses
The Kansas legislature has moved quickly on HB 2496 in the past two weeks, meaning Kansas could join the 29 other states in the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact as early as next year. The bill was introduced to the House on Jan. 17 and promptly moved to the Committee on Health and Human Services the next day. After a small amendment bumping up the implementation date, the bill passed the House with almost unanimous support last Thursday. The Senate pushed the bill to the Committee on Public Health and Welfare this week, and legislators will resume session after the weekend. If the bill passes, Kansas nurses could potentially obtain new compact nursing licenses by January 1, 2019, according to the bill supplement. Kansas is one of seven states attempting to pass legislation to join the eNLC, which went into effect on Jan. 19 this year. The other states are Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. Wyoming: Low demand makes for easy eNLC transition Wyoming’s had an easier time addressing multi-state license demand compared to the others as one of the five new states to join the compact, Jennifer Burns, practice and education consultant for the Wyoming State Board of Nursing, said there have been less than 100 applications for new compact nursing licenses or upgrades from normal licenses. There are approximately 13,000 registered nurses and 1,100 licensed professional nurses in the state as of December 2017. “We’re a small state in number of licensees,” Burns said. “We’re not seeing any delays in processing applications. We were well prepared. To be honest, most of our home-state nurses like to live in the communities where they work.” Despite the low numbers, Burns said the state still sees traffic from travelers on a fairly consistent basis. Wyoming jumped significantly in the rankings for most applications submitted from travelers by state for February, moving from the 45th most popular state to the 37th, according to StaffDNA data. “I don’t know if there will be an increase in opportunity for travel nurses, but it will certainly decrease the time it takes for travelers (with compact nursing licenses) to come here,” Burns said. “A lot of travelers come to our state, so there’s the benefit of that for us being a part of the eNLC.”