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Is a Guam APRN license a compact license?

The compact covers RNs and LPNs/LVNs — but not advanced practice. Here is exactly how APRN authority works in Guam and why it is handled state by state.

Is a Guam APRN license a compact license?

No. The Nurse Licensure Compact does not cover APRN roles — nurse practitioners (NPs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). This is true everywhere, including Guam. Guam has partial compact implementation, and even where compact privilege reaches RN and LPN/LVN practice, APRN authority is separate — it is not covered by the compact and does not travel with an RN license. A separate APRN Compact exists but is not yet operational.

Last reviewed 2026-06-17

The act that defines APRN practice in Guam

The compact decides whether you may practice in Guam. What APRN practice actually means here — scope, titles, what you may do and delegate — is set by Guam’s own nurse practice act, Guam nursing licensure law (Guam Board of Nurse Examiners, HPLO), and interpreted by the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners. Two states can both recognize your license and still differ on what you may do with it.

Where Guam stands on the APRN Compact

We have found no APRN compact law on Guam’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, Guam 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 Guam

Guam has partial compact implementation: an out-of-state multistate license may be recognized for RN and LPN/LVN practice, but Guam residents generally cannot yet obtain a Guam-issued multistate license. Either way, APRN authority is separate from the compact — to practice as an APRN in Guam, you work through the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners; 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.

Next-step checklist

  • Confirm your RN license type (single-state or multistate) on Nursys (nursys.com).
  • Treat your APRN authorization as separate from your RN license.
  • For APRN practice in another state, obtain that state's APRN authorization.
  • Confirm current APRN requirements with the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners.

What to do with that answer

Frequently asked questions

No. The NLC covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only. APRN roles (NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM) are not covered, so an APRN needs separate authorization in each state where they practice — and that is true in Guam regardless of its compact status.