The act that defines APRN practice in North Dakota
The compact decides whether you may practice in North Dakota. What APRN practice actually means here — scope, titles, what you may do and delegate — is set by North Dakota’s own nurse practice act, NDCC 43-12.1 (Nurse Practices Act), and interpreted by the North Dakota Board of Nursing. Two states can both recognize your license and still differ on what you may do with it.
Where North Dakota stands on the APRN Compact
North Dakota has already legislated for it. The APRN Compact is enacted into North Dakota’s own code at N.D. Cent. Code ch. 43-12.5 (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure Compact), § 43-12.5-01. North Dakota puts the ENTIRE compact in a single section, 43-12.5-01, while giving the Nurse Licensure Compact a whole chapter next door at 43-12.4. Chapter title read off the state’s own title 43 index, which names 43-12.4 “Nurse Licensure Compact” and 43-12.5 “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure Compact” on adjacent rows — the clearest side-by-side either compact gets in any code. That is enactment, not activation — the compact needs enough states before any APRN practices on it, so it changes nothing for you today beyond telling you where this state stands.
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 North Dakota
North Dakota is a compact state, so your underlying RN license can be a multistate license. But your APRN authority sits on top of that RN license and is not part of the compact — to practice as an APRN in another state, you generally need that state’s APRN authorization, granted by its board. Confirm specifics with the North Dakota Board of Nursing.
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.