The Scope Of Nursing Practice - 1573 Words

Multistate Licensure The scope of nursing practice is regulated and outlined by the State Board of Nursing for each state. While every eligible student takes the same National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX), minimum education requirements and eligibility may differ state to state (Potter, Perry, 2013). Since nurses must have a license for each state practiced in, this becomes complicated for those working near state borders, occupational nurses for companies operating in multiple states, and traveling nurses. Obtaining and upholding individual state licenses can become burdensome and expensive. To circumvent this issue, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) came into fruition to allow nurses to practice in participating states while only†¦show more content†¦The NLC provides a â€Å"mutual recognition model of nurse licensure that allows a nurse to have one license†¦ and to practice in other states†¦ subject to each state’s practice law and regulation† (Litchfield, 2010, p.1). In order to have a multistate license a nurse must have primary residence in an NLC participating state, have licensure as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse/Vocational Nurse in good standing, and meet all the states requirements of licensing (NCSBN, n.d.a). When practicing in states other than the nurse’s primary residence, even though it may be a compact states, the nurse must adhere to each individual states practice law and regulation. That means that the nurse must know and adhere to each individual states Nurse Practice Act (NPA) to be sure to practice under its parameters which have the â€Å"full force and effect of the law† (NCBSN, n.d.b). The NPA establishes a Board of Nursing, education standards, scope of nursing practice, titles and licensure, requirements for licensure, and grounds for disciplinary actions (NCSBN, n.d.b). While organization for the NLC started in 1996, the first participating states passed it into law in January 2000 (Litchfield, 2010). Starting out with just four states, Maryland, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin (Litchfield 2010), the NLC