Washington State

" The Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) is an agreement between states that allows nurses to have one license but the ability to practice in other states that are part of the agreement.

Originally developed in 2000, in 2024 the license has grown to include 39 states. To help streamline the process for nurses the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC) was implemented in 2018 and included standards for licensure which the original compact license was lacking.

Each state needs a competent medical workforce to meet the needs of its citizens. However, the requirements for some health care professions are not the same in each state. That is why it is important to find out what is required of you as a future or current registered nurse before moving across state lines. Contact information is located at the bottom of this page.

Endorsements

To apply for a license via endorsement in Washington, you need:

• Verification of your RN license from Nursys.com.
• Proof of completion of a nursing program (transcript or verification).
• TOEFL or IELTS scores if your program was outside the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, or some Caribbean Commonwealth territories.
• Verification of passing NCLEX scores.
• An active and current license.
• A valid social security number. Those without can find guidance here.

See the endorsement application here.

Continuing competency

For endorsement, a seven-hour AIDS course is required. No minimum practice hours are necessary unless you trained at Excelsior or outside the US. For those trained outside the US, the Nursing Commission may require a minimum of 1,000 practice hours.

After endorsement, you’ll need to meet continuing competency requirements, including:

• 8 continuing education hours annually for RNs and LPNs, with 2 of these being health equity CE.
• A one-time, 6-hour training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management.
• ARNPs need 30 continuing education hours and an additional 15 hours related to pharmacology if they have prescriptive authority.
• All nurses must complete e-Notify registration and survey online at Nursys®.

More on continuing competency here.

This state requires nurses to hold current ACLS certification.

Contact information

Mail correspondence with any fees to:

P.O. Box 1099
Olympia, WA 98507-1099

If not mailing fees, send mail to:

P.O. Box 47864
Olympia, WA 98504-7864

For visiting in person or other inquiries:

111 Israel Rd. S.E.
Tumwater, WA
98501

Email, phone, fax:

• Email: send email

• Phone: 360-236-4700
• Fax: 360-236-4738

FAQ

For frequently asked questions, visit the Washington State Nursing Board’s FAQ page.