Evers brings in retired, out-of-state, student nurses
Gov. Tony Evers issued an emergency order Friday relaxing licensing rules to allow an influx of nurses into Wisconsin hospitals to help combat coronavirus.
The order allows retired nurses to quickly have their licenses reinstated and permits nurses licensed elsewhere to practice in Wisconsin. In addition, it waives the requirement that student nurses complete at least 50% of their clinical hours in person.
Hospitals had canceled clinical rotations for many of the 3,000 nursing students who were expecting to graduate this year, stalling their progress. The waiver allows them to complete clinical hours via simulation.
“Our health care professionals are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, and it is critical that we maximize the size of our workforce and eliminate unnecessary barriers so we can effectively meet the demand for care,” Evers said in a written statement. “Remember, while our health systems respond to COVID-19, they also must continue to care for patients with other conditions and issues, such as cancer or accidental injury, that require ongoing or immediate attention.”
The changes take effect immediately and will remain in place for the duration of the outbreak, the order states.
Students and nursing school administrators pushed the Wisconsin Board of Nursing for the changes. The board unanimously approved the measures Wednesday and encouraged Evers to use his authority to move swiftly to ensure more nurses are available to fight the pandemic.
“At this point we need all hands on deck,” nursing board chairman Peter Kallio said. “We need people that can take care of patients.”
Wisconsin already faces a nursing shortage and is expected to need nearly 10,000 new nursing school graduates by 2025 to keep up with health care demands.
Linda Young, vice president of the Wisconsin Center for Nursing, said it would have been devastating to Wisconsin had the students not been able to graduate this year.
“We’re already short,” she said.