Pennsylvania will begin allowing in nurses with multistate licenses to begin practicing in the state on Sept. 5, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing reported.

However, while Pennsylvania has enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact, residents of the state must still wait until the compact is fully implemented before they can apply for multistate licenses. The compact allows registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses to have one multistate license which will enable them to work in both their home state and other Nurse Licensure Compact states that have the same compact.

Licensure requirements are aligned in compact states to ensure all nurses applying for a multistate license meet the same standards, including a federal and state fingerprint-based criminal background check, according to the council.