Nursing Licensure in Multiple States

More and more nurses hold an individual nursing license (whether via endorsement or examination) in more than one state. A disciplinary investigation and proposed action against your license in State A may impact your license in State B at some point.

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am fifteen minutes from the borders of Kentucky and Indiana. Although I have an Ohio nursing license, I hold a law license in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. I practice law in all three states and have active cases in each state. Lots of nurses in this area have a nursing licensure in Ohio, Kentucky, and/or Indiana.

This is also true, I have found of nurses who live in Detroit, Michigan because of the proximity to Toledo, Ohio (and northern Ohio), nurses may hold a license in Michigan and/or Ohio. Nurses in Louisville, Kentucky may also be licensed in Indiana because of the short drive to the Indiana border. This is common in various parts of country for a variety of reasons whether it be geographical location, position related, etc.

If you hold a license in more than one state you really need to consider what impact a disciplinary investigation and/or Board of Nursing action against your license (whether through an Agreed Order, Board Order, Consent Agreement, etc.) will have in the State where the action was taken, other states where you hold a license, and on your nursing career.

I am speaking of individual state licensure because only one of the states where I practice nursing licensure defense (Kentucky) is a member of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC). See http://kbn.ky.gov/. Ohio and Indiana are not members of the NLC.

Do you hold a nursing license in more than one state? Are you currently practicing in more than one state? What do you think of the Nursing Licensure Compact? For additional information about the Compact, see the National Council of State Boards of Nursing website at www.ncsbn.org.

Also if you are practicing nursing in more than one state simultaneously and concurrently make sure you are keep the different nursing law and rules straight. I had a nurse contact me several years ago who was licensed in Kentucky and Indiana regarding a BON Complaint. She performed IV procedures that were allegedly outside the LPN Scope of Practice in the state where the facility was located. She confused her scope of practice in one state with the scope of practice of the other state because she routinely held nursing positions both states. This is common as many of us work part-time with one employer, part-time with another employer, and maybe prn at one or two other places. Don't let this happen to you.