Licensure rules getting more flexible

Wolters Kluwer [published Dec. 30, 2025] framing the Nursing Licensure Compact as a strategic tool for nurse leaders to expand mobility and virtual care models. wolterskluwer.com The Nurse Licensure Compact now covers 40 full member states as of Jan. 21, 2026, expanding where a single multistate RN/LPN license grants practice privileges. engage.healthtrustjobs.com Pennsylvania fully implemented the NLC on July 7, 2025, a change that the state board and NCSBN said enables Pennsylvania nurses to apply for a multistate license. ncsbn.org Pennsylvania currently licenses roughly 300,000 nurses who became eligible to pursue a multistate license after that implementation. pasenate.com Connecticut went live with the NLC on Oct. 1, 2025, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported that more than 3,500 nurses had applied for multistate licensure in the weeks after implementation. ncsbn.org The NLC’s Uniform Licensure Requirements require graduation from a board‑approved program, passage of the NCLEX, and submission to state and federal fingerprint‑based background checks, among other criteria listed by NCSBN. ncsbn.org Hospitals and health systems are already using the compact to accelerate cross‑state hiring and redeployment during staffing surges, a dynamic highlighted in Wolters Kluwer’s analysis and summarized by the AHA market scan. wolterskluwer.com Notably, major states including California, New York and Illinois remained non‑compact as of early 2026 while the separate APRN Compact still needs seven states to enact it (five states had enacted as of early 2026). nurselicenseguide.com