South Carolina Code 40-33-1305. Findings; purposes
(1) the health and safety of the public are affected by the degree of compliance with and the effectiveness of enforcement activities related to state nurse licensure laws;
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 40-33-1305
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Nurse: means RN or LPN/VN, as those terms are defined by each party state's practice laws. See South Carolina Code 40-33-1310
- Party state: means any state that has adopted this compact. See South Carolina Code 40-33-1310
- State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia. See South Carolina Code 40-33-1310
- State practice laws: means a party state's laws, rules, and regulations that govern the practice of nursing, define the scope of nursing practice, and create the methods and grounds for imposing discipline. See South Carolina Code 40-33-1310
(2) violations of nurse licensure and other laws regulating the practice of nursing may result in injury or harm to the public;
(3) the expanded mobility of nurses and the use of advanced communication technologies as part of our nation’s health care delivery system require greater coordination and cooperation among states in the areas of nurse licensure and regulation;
(4) new practice modalities and technology make compliance with individual state nurse licensure laws difficult and complex;
(5) the current system of duplicative licensure for nurses practicing in multiple states is cumbersome and redundant for both nurses and states; and
(6) uniformity of nurse licensure requirements throughout the states promotes public safety and public health benefits.
(B) The general purposes of this compact are to:
(1) facilitate the states’ responsibility to protect the public’s health and safety;
(2) ensure and encourage the cooperation of party states in the areas of nurse licensure and regulation;
(3) facilitate the exchange of information between party states in the areas of nurse regulation, investigation, and adverse actions;
(4) promote compliance with the laws governing the practice of nursing in each jurisdiction;
(5) invest all party states with the authority to hold a nurse accountable for meeting all state practice laws in the state in which the patient is located at the time care is rendered through the mutual recognition of party state licenses;
(6) decrease redundancies in the consideration and issuance of nurse licenses; and
(7) provide opportunities for interstate practice by nurses who meet uniform licensure requirements.