On November 20, 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy signed into law new legislation that brings Massachusetts into the Nurse Licensure Compact. This law aims to address the critical issue of nursing shortages by facilitating the process for out-of-state nurses to begin working in Massachusetts. By joining Nurse Licensure Compact, Massachusetts will allow nurses licensed in the 41 other compact states and territories to practice within the Commonwealth without undergoing the in-state licensure process. Massachusetts licensed nurses will also be permitted to practice in any other compact state.
This initiative is expected to reduce the time required for nurses to start working in Massachusetts, thereby helping to alleviate the current nursing shortage. Massachusetts healthcare employers will be able to hire nurses from all bordering states, with the exception of New York, which has not yet entered the Nurse Licensure Compact.
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission reported that joining the Nurse Licensure Compact will “facilitate the Commonwealth’s emergency preparedness, enabling the Massachusetts health care delivery system to react more dynamically to unforeseen and sudden changes in nursing needs” and that “the ability to fill short-term staffing needs and facilitate telehealth could yield positive effects for health care access, quality, and cost.”
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing will be responsible for implementing this new law and ensuring appropriate safeguards to verify the education and licensure of nurses from other compact states.
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