Nashville: Nurses licensed in Tennessee can now legally practice in Mississippi, North Carolina, Arkansas, and 11 other states without getting a license from those states. Nurses from those states will also be able to practice in Tennessee under their present license.
Tennessee has joined the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact, an agreement between states which allows nurses to have multi-state licensure. Under the compact, nurses licensed in participating states can legally practice in other compact states without having to be issued a license in those states.
"A Tennessee nursing license no longer stops at the state border," said Elizabeth Lund, MSN, RN, executive director of the Board of Nursing. "By adopting the compact, our state will now have greater access to nurses in neighboring states to address emergencies or shortages. Employers will be able to increase their recruiting field, and nurses pay for only one license." Lund said that multi-state licensure encourages uniformity in laws and nursing practice among compact states and addresses telecommunication practice across state lines.
All nurses practicing in Tennessee must comply with Tennessee's nursing laws, regardless of where they are licensed. The Tennessee Board of Nursing can take disciplinary action if they violate the law. Only nurses who have established primary residence within a state that has adopted the compact through legislation have a multi-state privilege to practice. For example, nurses who practice in Tennessee but live in a non-compact state, such as Kentucky or Georgia, must continue to hold a Tennessee license.
Other compact states include Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.