Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf last month signed legislation to enact the Nurse Licensure Compact in Pennsylvania. It becomes the 37th jurisdiction to have enacted the compact, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Pennsylvania follows Vermont, which was the 36th jurisdiction to enact it.
The compact allows registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses to have one multistate license that enables them to practice in their primary state of residence and other Nurse Licensure Compact states and jurisdictions.
In Pennsylvania, the compact will take effect once its implementation process is complete.
“The Nurse Licensure Compact is a modern licensure solution for the 21st century and it permits nurses to have one multistate license with the ability to practice in all compact states,” said state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, who put forward the legislation.
The governor signed the legislation on July 1. It had passed the state Senate on May 12 and the state House of Representatives on June 24.
“While the pandemic has highlighted this need in the short term, being a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact is also critical in the long run for our state’s residents,” Boscola said. “It’s critical to maintain the growing demand of nurses now and in the long term.”
