The Minnesota Senate at this time authorized laws that will have Minnesota be a part of 39 different states as members of the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The invoice enjoys broad assist from working nurses and healthcare professionals.
“By becoming a member of the NLC, we’re serving to rural and underserved communities with the scarcity of nurses,” Senator Mark Koran (R-North Department) mentioned. “This commonsense reform permits nurses to instantly cross state borders and assist Minnesotans offering companies within the occasion of an emergency or each time scarcity happens. After the pandemic we simply skilled, it’s good to have this contingency in our pocket.”
The NLC is a nationwide settlement that enables nurses in collaborating states to acquire one license that’s legitimate throughout all member states. Nurses with an NLC license are capable of follow shortly and simply in different NLC states, bettering entry to care, assuaging employees shortages, lowering prices, and eliminating pointless pink tape.
A coalition of 60 organizations representing nurses, suppliers, telehealth supporters, and army household advocates helps Minnesota becoming a member of the NLC. Minnesota nurses overwhelmingly assist becoming a member of the compact. A 2022 survey by the Minnesota Board of Nursing exhibits nurses favor Minnesota’s becoming a member of the compact by a ratio of almost 10 to 1.
The NLC has been operational and profitable for greater than 18 years and continues to develop every year with the addition of recent states. The NLC’s licensing necessities are the identical as Minnesota’s, and candidates are required to move a federal legal background test, so sufferers in each compact state – together with Minnesota – will be assured the identical top quality of care.
- Entry to Care: Expands entry to nursing companies throughout the nation shortly and effectively, which is important for the well being of many rural and underserved communities.
- Telehealth: Permits nurses to follow in particular person or present telehealth nursing companies to sufferers situated throughout the nation with out having to acquire further licenses.
- Catastrophe Aid: Permits nurses to instantly cross state borders and supply very important companies within the occasion of a pure catastrophe or different emergencies, with out the necessity to watch for a declaration of emergency.
- Navy Households: Permits army partner nurses to seamlessly proceed working with out having to acquire a brand new license every time they relocate.
- On-line Schooling: Facilitates on-line nursing schooling by lowering educators’ want for a number of licenses.
- Price-Efficient:
- For Nurses: Nurses would not have to acquire further nursing licenses, making working towards throughout state borders reasonably priced and handy.
- For Employers: The NLC additionally removes a burdensome expense for organizations that make use of nurses and should share the expenditure of a number of licenses.
- Better Effectivity: Eliminates redundancy, duplicative regulatory processes, and pointless charges.
- Versatile Licensure: Permits nurses who’re ineligible for a multistate license to nonetheless receive a single state license based mostly on their state’s necessities and statutes.
How does the NLC maintain sufferers secure?
- All nurses working towards beneath a multistate license should meet a minimal set of licensure necessities, together with a fingerprint federal legal background test. These necessities are based mostly on the very best regulatory requirements for licensed well being care professionals. Nurses who fail to satisfy these necessities is not going to be eligible for a multistate license.