Title 5
Businesses and Professions

Chapter 34.3
Nurse Licensure Compact

§ 5-34.3-4. Definitions. [Effective until January 1, 2024.]

As used in this chapter:

(1) “Adverse action” means a home or remote state action.

(2) “Alternative program” means a voluntary, nondisciplinary monitoring program approved by a nurse licensing board.

(3) “Coordinated licensure information system” means an integrated process for collecting, storing, and sharing information on nurse licensure and enforcement activities related to nurse licensure laws, which is administered by a nonprofit organization composed of and controlled by state nurse licensing boards.

(4) “Current significant investigative information” means investigative information that a licensing board, after a preliminary inquiry that includes notification and an opportunity for the nurse to respond if required by state law, has reason to believe is not groundless and, if proved true, would indicate more than a minor infraction; or investigative information that indicates that the nurse represents an immediate threat to public health and safety regardless of whether the nurse has been notified and had an opportunity to respond.

(5) “Home state” means the party state which is the nurse’s primary state of residence.

(6) “Home state action” means any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action permitted by the home state’s laws which are imposed on a nurse by the home state’s licensing board or other authority including actions against an individual’s license such as: revocation, suspension, probation or any other action which affects a nurse’s authorization to practice.

(7) “Licensing board” means a party state’s regulatory body responsible for issuing nurse licenses.

(8) “Multistate licensure privilege” means current, official authority from a remote state permitting the practice of nursing as either a registered nurse or a licensed practical/vocational nurse in such party state. All party states have the authority, in accordance with existing state due process law, to take actions against the nurse’s privilege such as: revocation, suspension, probation, or any other action which affects a nurse’s authorization to practice.

(9) “Nurse” means a registered nurse or licensed practical/vocational nurse, as those terms are defined by each party’s state practice laws.

(10) “Party state” means any state that has adopted this compact.

(11) “Remote state” means a party state, other than the home state, where the patient is located at the time nursing care is provided, or, in the case of the practice of nursing not involving a patient, in such party state where the recipient of nursing practice is located.

(12) “Remote state action” means any administrative, civil, equitable or criminal action permitted by a remote state’s laws which are imposed on a nurse by the remote state’s licensing board or other authority including actions against an individual’s multistate licensure privilege to practice in the remote state, and cease and desist and other injunctive or equitable orders issued by remote states or the licensing boards thereof.

(13) “State” means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia.

(14) “State practice laws” means those individual party’s state laws and regulations that govern the practice of nursing, define the scope of nursing practice, and create the methods and grounds for imposing discipline. It does not include the initial qualifications for licensure or requirements necessary to obtain and retain a license, except for qualifications or requirements of the home state.

§ 5-34.3-4. Definitions. [Effective January 1, 2024; Expires January 1, 2027]

As used in this chapter:

(1) “Adverse action” means any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action permitted by a state’s laws which is imposed by a licensing board or other authority against a nurse, including actions against an individual’s license or multistate licensure privilege such as revocation, suspension, probation, monitoring of the licensee, limitation on the licensee’s practice, or any other encumbrance on licensure affecting a nurse’s authorization to practice, including issuance of a cease and desist action.

(2) “Alternative program” means a voluntary, nondisciplinary monitoring program approved by a nurse licensing board.

(3) “Commission” means the interstate commission of nurse licensure compact administrators, the governing body of the nurse licensure compact.

(4) “Coordinated licensure information system” means an integrated process for collecting, storing, and sharing information on nurse licensure and enforcement activities related to nurse licensure laws that is administered by a nonprofit organization composed of and controlled by state nurse licensing boards.

(5) “Current significant investigative information” means investigative information that a licensing board, after a preliminary inquiry that includes notification and an opportunity for the nurse to respond if required by state law, has reason to believe is not groundless and, if proved true, would indicate more than a minor infraction; or investigative information that indicates that the nurse represents an immediate threat to public health and safety regardless of whether the nurse has been notified and had an opportunity to respond.

(6) “Encumbrance” means a revocation or suspension of, or any limitation placed on, the full and unrestricted practice of nursing imposed by a licensing board.

(7) “Home state” means the party state which is the nurse’s primary state of residence.

(8) “Home state action” means any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action permitted by the home state’s laws that is imposed on a nurse by the home state’s licensing board or other authority including actions against an individual’s license such as: revocation, suspension, probation, or any other action that affects a nurse’s authorization to practice.

(9) “Licensing board” means a party state’s regulatory body responsible for issuing nurse licenses.

(10) “Multistate licensure” means a license to practice as a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse (LPN/VN) issued by a home state licensing board, that authorizes the licensed nurse to practice in all party states under a multistate licensure privilege.

(11) “Multistate licensure privilege” means a legal authorization associated with a multistate license, permitting the practice of nursing as either a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse (LPN/VN) in a remote state.

(12) “Nurse” means a registered nurse or licensed practical/vocational nurse, as those terms are defined by each party’s state practice laws.

(13) “Party state” means any state that has adopted this compact.

(14) “Remote state” means a party state, other than the home state.

(15) “Remote state action” means any administrative, civil, equitable, or criminal action permitted by a remote state’s laws that is imposed on a nurse by the remote state’s licensing board or other authority including actions against an individual’s multistate licensure privilege to practice in the remote state, and cease and desist and other injunctive or equitable orders issued by remote states or the licensing boards thereof.

(16) “Single-state license” means a nurse license issued by a party state that authorizes practice only within the issuing state and does not include a multistate licensure privilege to practice in any other party state.

(17) “State” means a state, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia.

(18) “State practice laws” means those individual party state’s laws and regulations that govern the practice of nursing, define the scope of nursing practice, and create the methods and grounds for imposing discipline. It does not include the initial qualifications for licensure or requirements necessary to obtain and retain a license, except for qualifications or requirements of the home state.