National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. 111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900 Chicago, IL 60601-4277
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NCSBN Welcomes Missouri as the 24th State to Join the Nurse Licensure Compact
| Quelle: NCSBN
CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - July 22, 2009) - The National Council of State Boards of Nursing
(NCSBN®), www.ncsbn.org, is pleased to announce that Missouri recently
passed legislation to join the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The
state will begin the rule writing process to work toward implementation of
the NLC in 2010.
"We are delighted to join the NLC on the 100th year anniversary of the
Missouri State Board of Nursing. The NLC puts nursing regulation in harmony
with current nursing practice and technology. It simplifies government
processes and removes regulatory barriers in order to access safe nursing
care," comments Lori Scheidt, executive director, Missouri State Board of
Nursing.
Developed in 1997 by NCSBN and its member boards, the NLC model is based upon the
concept of mutual recognition of nurse licensure. Under the NLC, nurses
hold one license in their state of residency and are able to practice in
the other NLC states, provided that they follow the state's nursing
practice act for where the care is provided (similar to the drivers license
compact). All NLC states are required to participate in a coordinated
licensure database called Nursys® that aids the NLC in the advancement of
its objective to enhance public protection through timely and more complete
information sharing.
Scheidt adds, "The NLC will also enable employers to hire safe, competent
licensed nurses from compact states more easily, assuring the Missouri
State Board of Nursing's mission to protect the public by development and
enforcement of state laws governing the safe practice of nursing."
Currently, 23 other states have enacted the legislation allowing for
participation in the NLC, including: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware,
Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Operationally, the NLC is administered by the Nurse Licensure Compact
Administrators (NLCA), which is made up of the participating
state-designated NLC administrators.
In addition to the NLC, NCSBN also recognizes and supports the single-state
licensure model.
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a not-for-profit
organization whose members include the boards of nursing in the 50 states,
the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories -- American Samoa, Guam,
Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. The College of Registered
Nurses of British Columbia is an associate member.
Mission: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), composed
of Member Boards, provides leadership to advance regulatory excellence for
public protection.