Live in compact state but want to do something in non compact state

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi,

Okay, I live in a compact state. I really want a job that is in another compact state. That's not the problem, just simply change licensure state. But, the area I want to move to is very close to another state that is not a compact state. I would like to be involved in a service program that is in the non-compact state, but still reside in the compact state. Am I not allowed? Or can I obtain a license in the non-compact state and still retain my compact license in order to do this program? How do you nurses that live on the border of states that one is a compact and the other isn't get around this? Thanks!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

You can apply for endorsement in the non-compact state and still keep your compact license.

A compact license is not 30+ state licenses, but one state license that lets you practice in many states as long as you live in a compact state. Should you decide to move to the non-compact state, your compact license will no longer be compact: you'd still keep it, but it would revert to a license just for the state that issued it.

Hope this helps.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

You'll need to apply for a license in the new state.

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Thanks. I don't plan on moving to non-compact state. I just saw a program that I wanted to get involved in that I might possibly need a license for that state. But, thank you for answering.

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Altra, would I need to relinquish my compact license? I am wanting an addition license to just participate in service projects/programs that are in the non compact state

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

No, you can be licensed in more than one state.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I was living in a compact state and I didn't have to give it up when I got endorsed into a non-compact state.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I live in a "tri-state" area ... I know many who are licensed in all 3 states.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Can someone explain what a compact state is?

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

https://www.ncsbn.org/nlc.htm

For those who don't click on the link...basically, 30+ states got together and said that as long as you live in and are licensed in a compact state, we'll let you practice in all of them w/o having to get additional endorsements. This of course assumes you have a clean nursing record, are not under probation/stipulations, etc.

Say you live in NC. NC is a compact state. When you get licensed in NC, you get a NC license. You do not get 30+ separate state licenses, just the license for the state of your primary residence--in this case, NC. But as long as your primary residence is in NC you can work in any compact state.

Example: you find a job in SC that is near enough to commute to from NC. You keep NC as your primary state of residence. Since NC and SC are compact states, you can work in SC without having to get endorsed into there.

Example 2: If you decide you really like SC and move there, then you have to apply for a SC license since your state of residence changed from NC to SC. They'll cancel the NC license and give you a SC license, which will still let you work in any compact state (including NC, which you abandoned in a fickle flight of fancy) as long as you continue to have your primary residence in SC.

Example 3: You get tired of SC and decide to move to GA. GA is NOT a compact state so you have to apply for endorsement into GA. When you do this, you still retain your SC license...but it is no longer a compact license since your primary residence is now a non-compact state. That SC license is now good for SC only. Should you decide to work in another compact state other than SC (like my poor NC), you'd have to apply for endorsement into that state.

Hope this helps.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Thanks, it does!

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you can be licensed in more than one state. you don't give up your license when you move to another place, like your driver's license. i have licenses in 7 states all over the us, because sometimes i travel or work and do work that requires a local license. i don't live in a compact state, so i have to pay for all of them separately (:uhoh3:). some of them are compact states, but since they aren't my legal residence, they do not confer upon me the rights of a compact license. pia, if you ask me. wouldn't it be nice if we had national licensure? i digress...

you can have a compact license, move to another non-compact state, and get a license there too. you don't give up your compact license-- you have both.

lessee. you live in compact state a and get an rn license. it is good in compact states a, b, c, d... .

you move to compact state d, but want also to be able to work in a hospital just over the border in noncompact state z. if the zstate board of nursing accepts your nursing education and nclex score, you give them money and they give you an z rn license. you also work in state d with the d compact license you got when you moved to state d.

does that help?

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