Frequently Asked Questions

• Moving between 2 party states- obtain license from the new home state; license from the former home state is no longer valid.
• Moving from a nonparty state to a party state- obtain license from the new home state; license from the non-compact state is not affected and remains in full force.
• Moving from a party state to a nonparty state- license issued by the prior home state converts to a single state license “valid only in___”.

Effective June 23, 2017, the Board of Nursing is no longer required to receive, review, or maintain Advanced Practice Registered Nurse protocols.

Statutory authority on protocols is Section 464.012(3), F.S. — An advanced practice registered nurse shall perform those functions authorized in this section within the framework of an established protocol which must be maintained onsite at the location or locations at which an advanced practice registered nurse practices. In the case of multiple supervising physicians in the same group, an advanced practice registered nurse must enter into a supervisory protocol with at least one physician within the physician group practice.

In addition, Section 464.012(4), FS, references: (e) A psychiatric nurse, who meets the requirements in s. 394.455(35), within the framework of an established protocol with a psychiatrist, may prescribe psychotropic controlled substances for the treatment of mental disorders.

The eNLC is only for RN and LPN licenses.

Once the eNLC is effective, your nurses will now be able to practice (in person or by telehealth) in other eNLC states with just one license obtained in their state of residence. Faculty and military spouses will just need one license to teach or practice across states in the eNLC. The eNLC is only for registered nurses (RNs) or licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs), not for advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs).

For more information provided by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing about the eNLC click https://www.ncsbn.org/NLCA_Employers_Fact_Sheet.

The states that are part of the eNLC are not exactly the same as the original NLC. If you have an eNLC multistate license, you can only practice in those designated eNLC states. You will need a single state license issued by every other state in which you plan to practice to continue to deliver care in each of those states. Click here to view a map showing up to date eNLC membership information.

Removing barriers to cross-border practice, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an interstate agreement allowing a nurse to have one license and the privilege to practice in other compact states. Implemented in 2000, the NLC fosters public protection and access to care through the mutual recognition of one state-based license that is enforced locally and recognized nationally. Along with a majority of state nurses associations, hospital associations and health care facilities in every state overwhelmingly support the NLC. The NLC includes important patient safety features such as facilitation of the sharing of licensure, investigative and disciplinary action information among member states. Since the NLC’s initial launch, advances in technology and an increasingly mobile nursing workforce and patient population have created the need to break down barriers to interstate practice. Access to care has expanded and telehealth has transformed care delivery and erased geographic boundaries. The NLC has the ability to remove the licensure barrier to telehealth practice for more than 4 million nurses.

Florida is a member of the enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC). The eNLC allows a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed in a Compact state to practice across state lines in another Compact state without having to obtain a license in the other state. It is important to remember that the eNLC requires nurses to adhere to the nursing practice laws and rules of the state in which he/she practices under his/her Compact license. If a nurse moves from one state to another and establishes residency, the nurse must apply for licensure in that state. Please visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) website (www.ncsbn.org) for a list of states that have implemented the Compact. If a party state issues a temporary permit or temporary license to an endorsee, that permit or license shall confer the same rights and privileges of nursing practice as does the permanent license among party states. Nursys will not track temporary licenses and employer must verify licensure directly from the state issuing the temporary permit/license. For more information provided by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing about the eNLC click https://www.ncsbn.org/compacts.page.

No, only an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who has met the necessary requirements outlined in statute is recognized as a psychiatric nurse.

Pursuant to s.394.455(35), F.S., “Psychiatric nurse” means an advanced practice registered nurse certified under s.464.012 who has a master’s or doctoral degree in psychiatric nursing, holds a national advanced practice certification as a psychiatric mental health advanced practice nurse, and has 1 year of post-master’s clinical experience under the supervision of a physician.

In addition, Section 464.012(4), FS, references: (e) A psychiatric nurse, who meets the requirements in s. 394.455(35), within the framework of an established protocol with a psychiatrist, may prescribe psychotropic controlled substances for the treatment of mental disorders.

For more information about this advanced practice certification, please visit the “Latest News” section of our website at http://floridasnursing.gov/latest-news/important-legislative-update-regarding-hb-977/.

In 2009, the Florida legislature adopted a new law to address the state’s growing problem with prescription drug abuse and diversion. Chapter 893.055 established new guidelines for operating pain management clinics and approved development and utilization of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (“PDMP”) database to collect controlled substance prescription records from dispensers.

For further information concerning PDMP, http://flboardofmedicine.gov/latest-news/prescription-drug-monitoring-program-2/

The Board of Nursing will accept Livescan fingerprints completed within the previous 90 days of applying for the upgrade. If you have not had your fingerprints done and sent to the Board in the last 90 days, you will need to be fingerprinted.

The Nurse Practice Act, Section 464.0095, FS, talks about the requirements specific to the Nurse Licensure Compact. Please visit Chapter 464, Part I: Nurse Practice Act to see the statute.

Any nurse desiring to be certified as an advanced practice registered nurse shall apply to the department and submit proof that he or she holds a current license to practice professional nursing or holds an active multi-state license to practice professional nursing pursuant to Section 464.0095, FS.