What Do the New Rules Mean for Your Recruitment Plans?
With a need to urgently hire licensed practical nurses to help fight COVID-19, many states are relaxing their licensing requirements. New regulations, though temporary, allow licensed nurses to travel across state lines and practice without the need to apply for a license in that state.
Do We Have Enough Beds and Nurses to Fight COVID-19?
There is increasing concern across the country that there will not be enough hospital beds for the people who need them. Hospitals and healthcare providers are redeploying staff and wards as they attempt to manage demand. However, even if providers can free up enough beds, the country is short of nurses to work in critical care units. Therefore, many states are relaxing regulations to enable the flexibility that healthcare providers and hospitals need to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
What States Are Relaxing Regulations?
Some of the states that have changed regulations include:
- California
From March 24th California allowed licensed medical personnel from other states who crossed into California “to assist in preparing for, responding to, mitigating the effects of and recovering from COVID-19 shall be permitted to provide services in the same manner as prescribed in Government Code section 179.5, with respect to licensing and certification.”
This statement was issued by the Emergency Medical Services Authority from the state. They will only accept requests that come from California Medical Facilities or agencies contracted with California Medical Facilities.
- Louisiana
Louisiana has become one of the country’s hotspots in the outbreak and their State Board of Nursing is now allowing temporary permits for medical staff. The permits last for 60 days and can be applied for if you have a license in another state, a copy of the license and valid ID.
- Massachusetts
Massachusetts has now reported over 500 deaths from coronavirus (as of April 9). It needs temporary nurses to help manage the outbreak, and as such the Board of Registration in Nursing is expediting license application for nurses licensed in other states. Applications with all the correct documents and fees can now expect to be processed in one day.
- Maryland
Maryland is another hard-hit state that is relaxing some regulations. If you are a nurse that is licensed in the state, but your license is due to expire during the state of emergency, you will be given an extension throughout the state of emergency plus an additional 30 days.
- Ohio
In Ohio, The State Board of Nursing has started expediting the process for nurses coming from other states with a valid license to get a temporary license granted in Ohio. The process has been accelerated considerably, and when a nurse receives their temporary license, they can practice within five business days.
- Texas
The Texas State Board of Nursing has been given authority by the governor to adjust the process for issuing temporary licenses to nurses crossing state lines. Texas is the state with the second-largest population and the outbreak is causing there to be a huge disparity between the number of sick patients and the nurses available to treat them. As such, temporary license applications are now being expedited to help speed up the response to the outbreak.
Texas is also suspending regulations that center around student nurses’ ability to assist in the response effort to COVID-19. Retired nurses or those who have not renewed their licenses will be able to reactivate also.
Summing Up
The United States has been hit hardest of all the world’s countries by COVID-19. Individual states are responding positively, and doing all they can to ensure that hospitals and healthcare providers are in with a fighting chance to beat the virus. Central to this effort is the relaxation of regulations to enable more flexibility and faster hiring of travel nurses.
We can help healthcare providers access a huge resource of nursing talent and help ensure that employers are up to date with evolving licensing regulations. Contact Loyal Source for more information and access to a huge pool of qualified nursing staff.