In late May 2024, Connecticut became the 42nd jurisdiction to enact the Nurse Licensure Compact. Under this, the NLC, both registered nurses (or RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (or LPN/VNs) will be able to hold one multi-state license. This will grant license-holding nurses the ability to practice via telehealth and in person across NLC states.

This may sound great—or it may sound wildly complex. It could certainly be both. If you're wondering how this will impact your licensure or you're anticipating challenges standing between you and this opportunity, reach out to the Professional License Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm today by calling 888.535.3686 or filing out this form.

What Are the Benefits of the Nurse Licensure Compact?

The NLC aims to address the nationwide nursing shortage. Giving nurses the ability to move across state lines (seamlessly and easily) makes it far more likely that nurses will be able to go where they're needed. Currently, practicing across state lines comes with immense bureaucratic hurdles that make it impossible for willing nurses to help overburdened out-of-state systems.

Under the NLC, Connecticut-based nurses will benefit in several ways. They'll be able to enjoy streamlined licensure requirements, which will include a background check, passing the NCLEX, and maintaining their state license.

NLC Challenges and Defense Considerations for Nurses

Of course, the legislation on this complex does result in some potentially challenging factors for nurses who wish to benefit.

For example, if a nurse faces allegations of misconduct in any NLC state, they may risk disciplinary actions in that state that jeopardize their ability to practice anywhere. A complaint lodged against a nurse can lead to disciplinary measures in several different states, too, and require the nurse in question to find legal representation in multiple jurisdictions.

This could be, to put it mildly, a nightmare for the nurses involved in multi-state proceedings.

Protecting Your Multi-state License: What You Need to Do

Multi-state licenses come with many benefits. They also increase the likelihood—by simply widening the range of people a nurse will interact with—-that a nurse will face allegations of misconduct.

Common issues that result in these types of misconduct include:

• Patient abuse
• Patient neglect
• Fraud
• Unprofessional conduct
• Mishandling drugs

It can be far easier than you think to get caught up in allegations surrounding these issues, especially ones like “unprofessional conduct” that don't tend to be very well defined.

Unfortunately, even smaller-seeming challenges can have very severe consequences under the NLC. To mitigate any repercussions to your reputation as a nurse or your ability to make a living in healthcare, contacting the Professional License Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm can improve your chances of experiencing a successful outcome. Contact the Lento Law Firm today by calling 888.535.3686 or by filling out this form to tell us about your case.