Nationwide Nurse Licensure Compact

Nurses in Virginia and thirty-eight other jurisdictions have the great advantage of licensing under the nationwide Nurse Licensure Compact. Virginia and each other participating state issue their own nursing licenses. You must generally have a Virginia nursing license to practice nursing in the state. But when you meet the Nurse Licensure Compact requirements for a license in one state, your licensure in that state permits you to practice nursing in any other Nurse Licensure Compact state. The Nurse Licensure Compact makes it far easier for nurses to take employment across state lines and when moving from state to state without having to get another state license. Virginia Code Section 54.1-3040.3 specifically authorizes Virginia to issue both a state nursing license and multi-state privileges under the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Threats to Nurse Multi-state Licensure Rights

Recently, though, Virginia's Board of Nursing has been auditing its files to confirm whether its licensed nurses actually meet Nurse Licensure Compact educational requirements. Nurses, like other professionals, can face licensing issues, often resolved when first applying for the license. Audits, by contrast, are unusual. Virginia's audits may or may not have to do with an ongoing Florida nursing school scandal. But no matter the immediate cause for concern, in some cases, Virginia Board of Nursing officials are revoking the nurse's multi-state licensing privilege for failure to meet those Nurse Licensure Compact educational requirements. Virginia nurses are receiving notices stating:

An audit of your application and your license record in NURSYS indicates that you may not meet the required pre-licensure educational requirements for a Registered Nurse (RN).... Therefore, you are not eligible to maintain a multi-state privilege…. However, at this time, you may be eligible for a single-state license authorizing practice only in Virginia. Unless we receive additional information from you in writing regarding this application review, an updated license will be mailed to your address of record….

Extra Multi-state Licensing Requirements

It may surprise you to know that you may be able to keep your Virginia nursing license but lose your multi-state nursing privileges. You'd, of course, rather have both Virginia and multi-state privileges so that you can practice nursing in Virginia and elsewhere under one license. But Virginia Code Section 54.1-3040.3 lists the Nurse Licensure Compact's several additional requirements beyond what Virginia may require for a license only within the state. Those extra requirements include education from board-approved nursing programs. If the Virginia Board of Nursing finds that your nursing education doesn't meet Nurse Licensure Compact standards, you can lose your multi-state privileges even while keeping your Virginia license.

Fighting for Your Multi-state Nursing License Privileges

Don't give up if you receive a Virginia Board of Nursing notice that you are losing your multi-state privileges. Retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national professional license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento for your skilled and experienced multi-state license defense. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.