Update: Indiana to Effectively Join the Nurse Licensure Compact July 1, 2020
Update February 20, 2020: The Indiana State Board of Nursing announced its full implementation of the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) will be effective July 1, 2020. This comes one year later than what was initially expected and more than a year after legislation was passed to join the compact. Beginning July 1, 2020, Indiana nurses will be able to start applying for their multistate licenses and out of state nurses who hold a compact license will be able to practice within the state. In the Fall 2019 edition of NCSBN’s In Focus publication, a representative of the Indiana State Board of Nursing (ISBN) wrote: “Board members and staff are making substantial progress putting into place the technical and administrative updates necessary for multistate licenses to be issued. At the same time, ISBN is also working closely with state and national stakeholders, including NCSBN, to institute a seamless application process.” For updates and future resources about Indiana’s full implementation into the NLC, visit www.in.gov/pla/nursing.htm. Indiana lawmakers passed compact nursing license legislation during this year’s General Assembly, which ended last Wednesday. The bill allows for the Indiana State Board of Nursing to issue compact nursing licenses and allows nurses and licensed practical nurses who already have their compact license to practice in Indiana. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law on Monday, according to data from StateScape. Indiana is the 32nd state to join the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, narrowly beating out Alabama in passing an eNLC bill into law. The new compact law will take effect on July 1, 2019, according to the bill’s text. Nurses and licensed practical nurses applying for a compact nursing license must pay $25 in addition to any other standard licensing fees. The bill is expected to cut down on the amount of time it takes for nurses outside of Indiana to start working in the state. Currently, it can take several weeks for a non-Indiana nurse to obtain a single-state license. Larry Jenkins, a client advisor for LiquidAgents Healthcare who frequently works with Indiana healthcare facilities, said the bill passing could greatly help hospitals fill travel jobs faster and more efficiently. “Indiana has a ton of jobs available, but it can be a struggle to fill them because they were not a compact state, and not a lot of nurses I see have their Indiana license,” Jenkins said. “This will be really helpful to get more candidates to Indiana. “I also see a lot of people from Kentucky [with a compact license] who want to work in Indiana, so this will be helpful for them as well.” House Rep. Ed Clere introduced the bill and has advocated for Indiana to join the compact since last year. After a legislative study session over the summer, the bill quickly gained support during the 2019 General Assembly and passed the House in January. “It’s important legislation for our area,” Clere told the News and Tribune. “It came to me about three years ago, and Hosparus Health and Baptist Health Floyd are two regional organizations that identified this as a top legislative priority. There are countless other providers that supported it and will benefit from it. It will help providers address workforce challenges and will improve access to quality health care.” Supporters of the bill hope this will address gaps in nursing service across the Indiana-Kentucky state line, which was a issue frequently brought up to push legislators to support the bill. “This is particularly important to border communities like Floyd County, where a nurse might live in Louisville and work in New Albany or vice versa,” the Indiana Chamber, a statewide business advocacy group, said in a press release. “For proponents, this is both a workforce and quality of care issue.” Editor’s note: This story will be updated as more information about the process for obtaining an Indiana compact nursing license becomes available. Additionally, the original story stated the bill became law without a signature from Gov. Eric Holcomb. Holcomb signed the bill on the date the story was published, so it has been updated to reflect that information.
Hawaii, Indiana, Washington Introduce Nursing Licensure Compact Legislation In 2019
Exactly a year and one month ago, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) enacted the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact—referred to as the NLC—with the goal of streamlining the compact license requirements and adding an extra layer of security by requiring federal background checks for all applicants. A total of 31 states have joined the NLC since January 19, 2018, including Kansas and Louisiana, which both passed legislation to join last year and are expected to fully implement their NLC programs by July 1. They weren’t the only states interested in joining the NLC last year. Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey all had pending legislation last year to join the NLC. Of those states, only New Jersey, Massachusetts, Indiana and Michigan still have legislation pending. Three new states—Hawaii, Indiana and Washington—have all introduced some form of legislation related to the NLC earlier this year that could result in three new compact states. While it’s unlikely that these states will implement NLC programs this year, we’ve provided a breakdown of the issues surrounding each piece of legislation, and if they will realistically pass muster with their state governments. Breakdown of potential new nursing compact license states Hawaii What legislation is in the works? Hawaii does not have a bill to actually join the NLC, but on January 24, House Rep. Ichiyama Takumi introduced a bill that would establish a study to identify potential issues that could arise if the state joins the NLC. How much progress has it made so far? As of February 16, the bill has been recommended for approval almost unanimously by every House committee assigned to review it, including the Consumer Protection and Commerce, Health and Intrastate Commerce committees. The bill is scheduled for a final review with the Finance committee on February 21. Why is this a big deal? While it’s not technically legislation to join the NLC, it’s still big news that Hawaii lawmakers are considering joining in the first place. If the results of the study are favorable and NLC legislation is introduced, Hawaii could become the first non-continental state to join the compact. Hawaii is already an incredibly popular destination state for travel nurses, but it could be even more popular if its made accessible for compact license holders. It could incentivize native Hawaii nurses to travel as well since they would gain more than 30 additional states to practice in if NLC legislation is approved. What are the chances it will actually pass? Very high. Almost every committee assigned to review it has recommended it for approval and are moving it quickly through the House, so there is a solid chance the bill could pass through the House by the end of February. Indiana What legislation is in the works? House Bill 1344, introduced on January 14 by Republican Rep. Edward Clere, would allow for Indiana to join the Nursing Licensure Compact. How much progress has it made so far? The NLC legislation passed unanimously in the Indiana House on January 31 and is making its way through various committees in the state Senate as Senate Bill 436. Why is this a big deal? If Indiana passes legislation to join the NLC, not only would compact license travelers have access to a new state, but it would allow for Indiana nurses to practice across the Indiana-Kentucky state line in Louisville—an issue that is frequently brought up by compact license advocates when addressing gaps in nursing service. It would also allow for nurses without a single-state license but who have a compact license to possibly start jobs quicker, as it can currently take several weeks to obtain a permanent nursing license in Indiana. What are the chances it will actually pass? Very high. This is the second time Rep. Ed Clere has introduced NLC legislation after his first attempt in 2018 with House Bill 1317, which urged legislators to conduct a study into the impact of joining the compact, among several other provisions. The bill went into a legislative study over last summer to address any concerns, and since then has gained significant momentum and support among lawmakers, according to a Komoko Tribune report. The current NLC bill also has the support of several healthcare associations and interest groups, including Baptist Health Floyd, One Southern Indiana, the Indiana Hospital Association and the Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses of Indiana, according to the Indiana Chamber. Washington What legislation is in the works? Washington House Bill 1882 and Senate Bill 5460 were both introduced this year and would allow Washington to join the NLC. How much progress has it made so far? Both bills have moved to committee for further discussion and debate. The Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee public hearing on February 1 can be found here. Why is this a big deal? If implemented, Washington would be the first state on the West coast to join the NLC. It would also allow for Washington nurses to practice across the Washington-Idaho state line, as Idaho is already a part of the NLC. What are the chances it will actually pass? Mixed. Some members of the business and military sector in Washington, as well as the NCSBN, support the state joining the NLC, according to several testimonies given on February 1 during a Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee hearing. “We have, as a state, already passed the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact and the [Interstate] Medical Licensure Compact, and we’ve done so because we know the compacts are effective,” Sen. Annette Cleveland, a sponsor for the bill, said during the hearing. “31 other states…already have nurse licensure compacts, others are also considering joining, and I want to ensure our state is also having that conversation.” The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) opposes the bill, according to a Senate committee testimony by Melissa Johnson, a spokesperson for the WSNA. Some of the concerns of the WSNA include a lack of need for the compact with the state board’s
5 Best Value States for Thrifty Travel Nurses
For some travel nurses, the appeal of jumping into the healthcare gypsy lifestyle is more about finding adventures in new parts of the country—for others making money is still a major motivator. But keeping the money you make as a traveler can be just as hard as making it. With a good chunk of your income going towards travel and living expenses, not to mention the unpredictability of temporary staffing, finding the best places to work where you can make your dollars stretch is tough. We’ve narrowed down the five states where you can work and earn the most bang for your buck, based on data from our Travel Nursing Pay Package Rankings and Cost of Living By State list. Our five best states were selected using the following criteria: Each state had to rank among the top 20 highest pay packages offered. Each state had to be at least 5 points or more below the 100.00 baseline of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parity index. This gave us the best balance of how much you can make vs. how much you can expect to spend, as you can save significantly more money in states below 100.00 even if they don’t offer sky-high pay packages like California or New York, where the high cost of living negates the benefit of significant earnings. Let’s start from the bottom and work our way to No. 1. 5. Louisiana Louisiana just barely edged out Montana to make our Best Value list. The state currently ranks No. 20 for highest pay packages, but what gave it the edge is its cost-of-living rating, which is almost 10 points below the national average (90.4) Now that Louisiana is part of the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact as of May 31, we expect to see more competition for jobs as many more travelers will have easy access to the state by December. 4. Wisconsin Wisconsin comes in at No. 4 on our Best Value list, thanks to its No. 17 ranking for highest travel nurse pay packages and low cost of living rating at 92.8, more than 7 points below the national average. Since the state is one of the less-traveled vacation spots in the U.S. and a prime target for frigid but profitable winter travel jobs, the low cost of living means there’s plenty of opportunities to earn money in The Badger State. 3. Michigan Speaking of profitable northern states, right across from Wisconsin is our No. 3 Best Value state, Michigan. Michigan ranked slightly higher in our pay package list at No. 14 and subsequently had a slightly higher regional cost of living at 93.3 on the index. Both Michigan and Wisconsin made our Highest Paying Jobs post this week. 2. Indiana Indiana consistently ranks among the top 10 most applied-to states for travelers in the first place, so the fact that it boasts the No. 12 slot in pay packages and a dirt-cheap cost of living rating at 90.3 percent. Some of the cities that regularly have job listings on the StaffDNA boards include Fort Wayne, Bloomington and Indianapolis. 1. Iowa With only one decimal point lower than Indiana on the cost of living index and several ranks above Indiana in terms of pay packages, Iowa takes the cake as our top Best Value travel nursing state. Out of all the other states on this list, Iowa is the true exception in that it currently ranks in the top 10 highest paying states, yet comparatively in the middle in travel nurse applications each month.
Travel Nursing Jobs: Midwest States To Consider
Part of the appeal of a travel nurse career is the adventure–the opportunity to discover places you’ve never been before. But those places aren’t just on the coast or in the mountains. There are literally travel nursing jobs everywhere, and America is a big place. We want to take a look at some of those markets that you may have missed in your last job search. We start in the Midwest. Illinois travel nursing jobs Where are the jobs: All over, and more are being added every day. What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Any and all, the jobs are plentiful How quick are the hospitals hiring: Almost immediately. Most interviews are being done the same day resumes are submitted. How easy is it to get a state license: This is where it can get tricky in Illinois. It takes between four and six weeks for a state license to be issued, so accepting your first Illinois assignment takes a bit of preparation. Where many get hung up is submitting an incomplete file. When the state receives an incomplete file, it uses the U.S Postal Service to notify the nurse and requests missing documents be sent back to the state in the same way. That creates a nearly two week delay. Then once the state receives the documents, the four- to six-week clock starts over. So, if you aren’t careful, getting an Illinois nursing license can become a months long process. One way around this, if you’re applying from a neighboring state, is to go to either Chicago or Springfield to the state nursing board’s offices with your full file and ask for a review before you submit your application for a license. It will still take up to six weeks to get the license, but you avoid those delays caused by missing documents. Indiana travel nursing jobs Where in the state are the jobs: Obviously, there are jobs in Indianapolis, but there are also several opportunities in Fort Wayne and Evansville. What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Right now there seems to be a growing number of Med Surg/TELE positions as well as ICU How quick are the hospitals to hire: The answer here obviously depends on the facility, but some hospitals are interviewing the same day candidates are submitted. How easy is it to get a state license: Indiana is not a member of the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, so before accepting a placement there you’ll need a temporary license. Indiana isn’t a walk-through state either, so make sure you leave two to four weeks for the state to issue your license once it’s received all of the required documentation. The license is valid for 90 days. Here are the documents you’ll need to provide: Completed application — notarization is required for a temporary license A 2 ½ X 3 ½ Photo signed on front Proof of current active license Verification of original state license Verification of ALL licenses held, current or expired Completed fingerprint card, not complete prior to sending in the application Missouri travel nursing jobs Where are the jobs: Sedalia, Springfield, St. Louis and surrounding cities What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Med Surg & TELE RN’s are the biggest needs at this time. How quick are the hospitals to hire: Interview typically happen within 48 hours How easy is it to get a state license: Missouri is a compact state, so if you already have a multistate license then you are cleared to work. If you don’t have a multistate license, Missouri is a walk-through state. Go to the board of nursing in Jefferson City and you can leave with an active Missouri temporary license. When you go, you’ll need a completed application, a copy of your current active state license, and proof of your fingerprint registration.