The act that defines APRN practice in District of Columbia
The compact decides whether you may practice in District of Columbia. What APRN practice actually means here — scope, titles, what you may do and delegate — is set by District of Columbia’s own nurse practice act, District of Columbia nursing licensure law (Board of Nursing, DC Health), and interpreted by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing. Two states can both recognize your license and still differ on what you may do with it.
Where District of Columbia stands on the APRN Compact
We have found no APRN compact law on District of Columbia’s books. Read that as a floor rather than a census: our own research turned up two jurisdictions that the published member lists we checked had omitted, so “we have not found it” is the honest claim rather than “it is not there”. Either way no APRN is practicing across state lines on that compact today, District of Columbia included.
The compact does not cover APRN roles
The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It does not cover APRN authorization — NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs. That has been the case since the compact began and applies in every state.
What that means in District of Columbia
District of Columbia does not currently issue multistate licenses to residents, so there is no District of Columbia multistate license, and APRN authority is not portable through the compact either. To practice as an APRN in District of Columbia, you work through the District of Columbia Board of Nursing; to practice as an APRN elsewhere, you use that state’s process.
The separate APRN Compact
A distinct APRN Compact has been drafted to do for advanced practice what the NLC does for RNs and LPNs/LVNs, but it is not yet operational. Until enough states join and it is implemented, APRN privileges do not cross state lines automatically.