Great news if you’re a nurse who’s primary license is from Washington or you currently hold a compact license from another state. Washington recently approved and implemented phase one of its addition to the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, allowing nurses who currently hold a compact license to work in Washington. Phase two will allow nurses with a current Washington license to work in other states, but implementation for this isn’t quite finished yet. There is no date set for phase two.
This means taking an assignment in Washington just got more streamlined. Once the entire implementation is complete, nurses with a Washington license will be able to work in other states. To read more about the Washington implementation, visit the Washington board of nursing website.
The eNLC is a standard set of licensure rules that states agree to abide by in exchange for accepting each other’s nursing licenses. It’s a great way to streamline healthcare travel if you’re a nurse from an eNLC state. To learn more, visit our previous blog post on the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact.
Current eNLC members
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
States With Pending Legislation to Join the eNLC
- Alaska
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- Rhode Island
These states have introduced legislation to add to themselves to the eNLC, but it has not been passed or approved. If your main nursing license is from one of these states, consider contacting your state’s Board of Nursing to ask about advocacy groups to help increase the visibility of the eNLC.
States With No Pending Legislation to Join the eNLC
- California
- Connecticut
- Washington D.C.
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Oregon
If your state currently has no pending legislation regarding the eNLC and you’re interested in learning more about why, contact your state’s Board of Nursing. They may have an advocacy group with an action plan to work with the decision makers regarding the eNLC.
If you’re looking for your next opportunity in an eNLC state, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Triage recruiter or search our list of allied and travel nurse jobs.