Washington to Allow Nurses with Multistate Licenses to Begin Practicing in the State

Washington, which recently became the 40th jurisdiction to enact the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), will allow nurses holding an active, unencumbered multistate license (MSL) to begin practicing in the state on July 24.

Additionally, as part of the NLC legislation, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission will officially change its name to the Washington State Board of Nursing on the same date.

Beginning July 24, employers hiring nurses holding MSLs may begin to verify and report them to the Nursing Commission and supply proof that these nurses have met the Suicide Prevention Training requirement. Starting Sept. 1, 2023, employers must report MSL nurses to the Nursing Commission within 30 days of hire.

Although the NLC has been enacted in Washington, an implementation process must be completed before its residents can apply for a multistate license. Residents of Washington will be able to obtain a multistate license once the NLC is fully implemented in the state. A task force has been convened to outline the full implementation plan of the NLC.

The compact allows registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) to have one multistate license, with the ability to practice in person or via telehealth, in their home territory/state and other NLC states.

Licensure requirements are aligned in NLC states, so all nurses applying for a multistate license are required to meet those same standards, including submission to a federal and state fingerprint-based criminal background check.

With the multistate license, nurses can provide telehealth nursing services to patients in NLC states without obtaining additional licenses. A multistate license facilitates cross-border practice for many nurses who routinely practice with patients in other states, including primary care nurses, case managers, transport nurses, school and hospice nurses, and many others. Further, military spouses who experience moves every few years also benefit significantly from the multistate license.