About the Author
Key Findings
1. The global, national and state nursing shortage was a well-recognized issue even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Hiring qualified nurses with multistate licenses is one of the ways in which we could help patients, hospitals and nurses, improving access and safety.
3. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the need to lessen regulatory burdens on nurse licensure, so nurses could more easily mobilize to disease hotspots.
4. Nurses who are qualified in their profession should be able to move freely about the country. Similar to how driver’s licenses operate, a multistate license for nursing with quality standards makes sense and exists.
5. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) was introduced in 2000 and has been updated since to address various concerns. It has been joined by 37 states and two jurisdictions.
6. NLC nurses can work in any compact state without licensing barriers and delays, and the compact maintains patient protection at the state level.
7. Allowing multistate licenses would greatly help nurses who are military spouses and nurses looking to relocate to Washington state.
8. Washington state has not been successful in enacting the NLC due to opposition from the state nurses’ union and legislators who support the wishes of the union. Money and control are primary factors, coming before what is best for Washington patients.
Introduction
The coffee shop on the corner can close for the day and hang a sign in the window letting customers know there aren’t enough employees to serve them. “Hospitals can never do that,” a spokeswoman from the Washington State Hospital Association correctly noted. State leaders need to do all they can to help ensure enough trained staff members are available to provide for the public’s health needs.
Washington state is facing a serious shortage of trained nurses. Hospitals have diverted patients and delayed surgeries, and patients are often experiencing extensive wait times. Staffing is a factor, and the shortage has a harmful effect on patient care and patient waiting times. These poor conditions in the state’s health care system have the same effect as a “closed” sign on a hospital’s front doors.
Policies imposed by the state’s elected leaders are contributing to the problem. Under Washington state law, the knowledge, experience and certification a trained nurse has gained in another state are excluded from consideration. In other words, hiring a qualified nurse from another state is banned.
This study reviews the current practice in Washington state, assesses its effect in limiting care for patients and recommends constructive policy change that would increase the amount and availability of high-quality nursing care in Washington state.