What decides whether you need a new license
Two things: whether Pennsylvania is a compact state, and whether your own license is multistate rather than single-state. Compact privilege only exists between compact states, and only a multistate license carries it. Run your exact home/assignment pairing through the compact state checker.
Practicing in Pennsylvania on assignment
Working under privilege still means following Pennsylvania's scope of practice and nurse practice act, and you remain accountable to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing while you are here. If any of the assignment is telehealth, remember licensure generally follows the patient’s location — see the Pennsylvania telehealth guide.
The law that governs this in Pennsylvania
Taking an assignment in Pennsylvania is practice in Pennsylvania, so it is Pennsylvania’s own nurse practice act that defines what you may do and the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing that applies it. That act is Professional Nursing Law, 63 P.S. § 211 et seq..
The compact itself is separate law. Pennsylvania adopted it at Act 68 of 2021 (Senate Bill 115), which is what allows a multistate license issued elsewhere to reach Pennsylvania at all — the practice act still decides what you may do once it does.
Before you sign
We are an independent licensing reference — we do not list assignments, agencies, or pay rates, and nothing here is a job offer. For the wider pre-assignment checklist (contract terms, credentialing, housing), see what to check before accepting a travel assignment. Confirm licensure with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
Since when has a compact license worked in Pennsylvania?
Nurses holding another state’s multistate license have been able to practice in Pennsylvania since July 7, 2025. That is recent enough that employer handbooks, agency briefings, and articles written before then still describe Pennsylvania as non-compact — so if you are told you need a Pennsylvania license, check the date on the guidance.