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For registered nurses moving to Tennessee

How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Tennessee

Is Tennessee a nurse compact state? Yes. Tennessee is in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC): a nurse whose home state is a compact state and who holds its multistate license can work in Tennessee without another license, and a nurse who lives in Tennessee applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

Yes
Compact state
2,030
RN jobs in Tennessee
$47.25
Median posted RN pay

What the Tennessee Board of Nursing asks

The board's own page is where to apply; its endorsement page has not been read here, so no fee or rule is stated.

Apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing. A nurse licensed in another state applies by endorsement: the license is verified through Nursys, the board runs a background check, and it charges an application fee its own page states.

The steps

What every move takes; the board's page above says what it asks in each.

  1. Check whether your home state and the new state are both in the Nurse Licensure Compact: if both are and you keep living in your home state, your multistate license already lets you work there.
  2. If you are moving your home to the new state and it is a compact state, apply for its multistate license; if it is outside the compact, apply to its board of nursing for a license by endorsement.
  3. Have your current license verified to the new board, through Nursys where your state takes part in it.
  4. Complete the background check the board asks for (most ask for fingerprints) and any state exam or course it names.
  5. Pay the board's fee and, where the board offers one, ask for a temporary permit so you can start work while the application is processed.

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Nurses in Tennessee: new openings every week

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Nursing jobs in Tennessee today

2,030 registered nurse and 498 LPN jobs are open in Tennessee on this board, read every night from each employer's own job board.

Transferring a nursing license to Tennessee: common questions

Is Tennessee a nurse compact state?

Yes. Tennessee is in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC): a nurse whose home state is a compact state and who holds its multistate license can work in Tennessee without another license, and a nurse who lives in Tennessee applies for the multistate license there. A nurse from a state outside the compact needs a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board of Nursing, by endorsement for a nurse licensed in another state. (NCSBN, read 9 Nov 2026.)

How do I transfer my nursing license to Tennessee?

If your home state is another compact state and you keep living there, your multistate license already lets you work in Tennessee. If you move to Tennessee, apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing for its multistate license. If your license is from a state outside the compact, apply to the Tennessee Board of Nursing for a license by endorsement: have your license verified through Nursys, complete the background check, and pay the fee.

How do I transfer an LPN or LVN license to Tennessee?

The same way: the compact covers LPN/VNs too, so a multistate LPN license from a compact home state works in Tennessee; otherwise apply for a license by endorsement to the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Its own page states the LPN fee. LPN jobs in Tennessee.

How much do registered nurses make in Tennessee?

Open registered nurse jobs in Tennessee that post an hourly rate pay $43.25–$52 an hour in the middle half, median $47.25 (447 jobs from 42 employers on this board today).

Do employers in Tennessee offer relocation assistance?

112 open healthcare jobs in Tennessee offer relocation help in their own posting today, each quoting the offer (a set amount, reimbursement or a package); ask for the terms in writing before you accept.

Who is hiring registered nurses in Tennessee?

By open jobs on this board today: Vanderbilt University Medical Center (228), HealthTrust Workforce Solutions (193), Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (144), Covenant Health (140), ARMStaffing (116), Advantis Medical (112). Every RN job in Tennessee.

Sources and method

The compact status is NCSBN's map on the day read. The board's rules are its own page's words, shown only where the page states them; a sentence of it is checked against the page every week, and a change is read again. The jobs and pay are the registered nurse jobs open on this board in Tennessee.

  1. NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map (nursecompact.com), read 9 Nov 2026, published 9 Nov 2026
  2. CareJobs.Now job board: open jobs read every night from each employer's own careers site

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). How to Transfer Your Nursing License to Tennessee. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/transfer-nursing-license/tennessee

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