Currently, 40+ states and territories participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), allowing registered nurses and LPN\/LVNs to practice across member states with a single multistate license. If you\u2019re licensed in an NLC state, you can seamlessly take assignments in other compact states without the delays, paperwork, and fees of additional single-state licenses.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s a huge win for travel nurses, but there\u2019s still a problem. Not all states are compact members yet.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The U.S. continues to face a critical nursing shortage, with demand for nurses projected to grow significantly in the next decade. Staffing gaps are especially severe in rural areas and during times of crisis, such as public health emergencies or natural disasters.<\/span><\/p>\n Compact states are already leaning into the future by recognizing that healthcare doesn\u2019t stop at state borders. By adopting the NLC, these states give nurses the ability to move quickly where they\u2019re needed most, supporting hospitals, clinics, and patients without unnecessary red tape. For travel nurses, this mobility isn\u2019t just convenient, it\u2019s essential to meeting nationwide demand.<\/span><\/p>\n The rise of virtual healthcare and telehealth has changed the way patients receive care and where nurses can provide it. But the current patchwork of state licensing creates unnecessary complications for nurses who provide care across state lines in a virtual setting.<\/span><\/p>\n A nationwide compact system would streamline telehealth nursing by removing artificial state barriers. Nurses could support patients anywhere in the country, giving healthcare systems more flexibility and ensuring patients in underserved regions get the care they need.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the clear advantages of the NLC, several large and influential states remain outside the compact including California, New York, Oregon, and Washington. For travel nurses, this means:<\/span><\/p>\n These holdouts create unnecessary friction in a healthcare system that already struggles with staffing shortages. Expanding the compact to include all 50 states would not only benefit nurses, but also patients and hospitals nationwide.<\/span><\/p>\n The value of a nationwide compact is clear. One of Vivian\u2019s employees, a travel nurse on our team, co-authored a white paper for the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO) advocating for universal compact participation. You can read that white paper here for a deeper dive into why this change is so urgently needed. <\/span>Click here to access the NATHO white paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n While legislative change takes time, there are steps you can take as a travel nurse:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong> A nationwide compact is the future of nursing. It removes red tape, empowers the nursing industry, strengthens telehealth, and helps hospitals meet patient needs faster during an unprecedented nursing shortage. Until then, make sure you\u2019re maximizing the freedom your compact license provides and keep advocating for the day when all states are finally part of the NLC.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
Why the Compact Matters for Travel Nurses<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Hospitalist](\"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/12\/Hospitalist-NP-iStock-Resized-scaled-e1738793676849.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
The Nursing Shortage and the Need for Mobility<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
Telehealth and the Expanding Role of Nursing<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
The Holdout States<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"map](\"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-2.44.01-PM.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
Advocating for Change<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
What You Can Do<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n