The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) allows eligible nurses to practice in multiple participating states with one multistate license. This often makes it easier to take travel assignments, provide telehealth services across state lines, and respond where care is needed most.
In this article, you’ll learn:
The benefits the NLC can offer nurses
Yes, Texas is an NLC state. Texas nurses can be awarded a compact license, allowing them to practice in all NLC states, so long as they remain a Texas resident and do the following:
Earning a compact license is an accomplishment that can lead to a number of new, exciting opportunities in the nursing field, including the chance to become a travel nurse.
With the recent shortage of nurses, the demand for travel nurses has surged. To meet this need, many hospitals are offering significantly higher pay to attract skilled professionals from other states. As of March 2023, travel nurses earned an average of $2,588 per week, while permanent nursing staff earned $1,375 per week.
But the benefits of having a compact license don’t end there. With a compact license, a nurse can:
As of 2026, 43 jurisdictions are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, though implementation status can vary by state or territory. Here’s an exact breakdown of each state currently in the Compact:
| Alabama | Michigan | Pennsylvania |
| Alaska | Minnesota | Rhode Island |
| Arizona | Missouri | South Carolina |
| Arkansas | Mississippi | South Dakota |
| Colorado | Montana | Tennessee |
| Delaware | Nebraska | Texas |
| Georgia | Nevada | Utah |
| Idaho | New Hampshire | Virginia |
| Illinois | New Mexico | Vermont |
| Iowa | New York | Washington |
| Kansas | North Carolina | West Virginia |
| Kentucky | North Dakota | Wisconsin |
| Louisiana | Ohio | Wyoming |
| Maine | Oklahoma | |
| Maryland | Oregon |
The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that prepares nurses for leadership and decision-making roles in patient care. Nurses who hold a current, unencumbered RN license and live in Texas or another NLC state can enroll in the program.
Designed with nurses’ demanding schedules in mind, our program is almost entirely online and asynchronous. Nurses can complete courses, view lectures, and participate in online discussions from any of the 43 NLC states. Our program does require two clinical courses, which can be conducted in your home state and with the preceptor of your choice. Through our program, you can:
Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), our online program delivers critical, comprehensive, and relevant healthcare training through the highest quality instruction. Courses like Transcultural Nursing, Theories and Issues in Professional Nursing &
Health Care, Management Concepts and Organizational Theory, and Clinical Leadership I and II train students to become tomorrow’s nursing leaders.
In addition to building valuable knowledge and skills, our graduates can also earn an optional Nurse Manager Certificate from Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. With a compact license, BSN, and Nurse Manager Certificate, graduates are ready to succeed in the nursing field regardless of the state they’re in. If you’d like to expand your skill set and reach your full potential, apply to UT Permian Basin’s online BSN program.
Sources:
https://www.leaderstat.com/compact-state-nursing-license#benefits_of_a_compact_lpnrn_licens
https://cepr.net/publications/how-does-travel-nurse-pay-compare-to-permanent-staff-nurses/
https://www.nursecompact.com/
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