Shapiro addresses lag times in licensing

Gov. Josh Shapiro has announced plans to cut red tape and make it easier to work in Pennsylvania by creating a “money-back” guarantee for industries that require different professional licenses, certificates and permits --- and that includes nursing licenses.

In February 2021, PANA joined with the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) and the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (PCNP) to push the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (SBON) to do more to address urgent concerns and challenges regarding licensing.

At the time, members reported difficulties related to initial licensure and/or renewal application processes. There were numerous examples where an employer has suspended a nurse due to a lag in new or renewal applications. Problems still persist, today.

Under the executive order Shapiro signed on Jan. 31, the governor is directing state agencies to catalog all the licenses, certificates and permits they issue, the rules outlining how long agencies should take to process applications, and the fees that are charged. Agencies have 90 days to comply.

Shapiro also made the pledge that if it takes too long to get a professional license, applicants should get their money back.

In 2021, NPR reported that Pennsylvania had some of the longest wait times in the country to issue nursing licenses, a critical need during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But it's not just nurses. More than one million workers need a license from Pennsylvania to do their jobs, ranging from doctors and hair stylists to accountants and real estate agents, according to a 2018 report by the Department of State.

Shapiro is directing state agencies to review existing digital services used to apply for licenses, certificates and permits, and then work to modernize them.

More details are forthcoming as agencies prepare their reports in the next 90 days.

PANA PRESIDENT: Enhanced Leadership, Increased Engagement, Mentorship Key to Growing Profession

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA

Lt. Col. (R), U.S. Air Force

It is a pleasure and honor to be assuming the role of President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA). I am looking forward to serving the membership in the upcoming year. There certainly is no shortage of work to do.

Our Government Relations Team and Government Relations Director, Jessica Poole, are confronting several issues in Harrisburg. I attended a meeting there Oct. 27 with the Department of State and the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs on behalf of PANA and our members. During this meeting, they discussed the antiquated PALS system and license renewals within the state of Pennsylvania. PANA is trying to determine how our new title designation will be processed through this system, or any other system the state develops. We learned several things at this meeting, but the most important thing is not to delay renewing any licenses. Get them done as soon as you receive notification because there will be obvious growing pains in activating a new system and removing the old PALS system.

As your new PANA President, I am setting the following goals for our association:

• Enhance the leadership of the board of directors;

• Increase member engagement; and

• Mentor our future leaders

I think as CRNAs we are experts at patient care and clinical competence. I feel that we are sometimes lacking in the leadership realm. I hope to improve on this within our board by encouraging participation in the AANA Leadership Summit and offering other leadership training throughout the year. Advocacy continues to be one of our main priorities, especially during an election year. We need to be out in front, meeting with our legislators and forming long-lasting relationships with legislative aides, legislators and lobbyists to solidify our position on various health-care issues that will present themselves within the coming year. Leadership in this area is a priority and necessity. We are fully expecting legislation to be re-introduced in the next session, which begins in January 2023, to license anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) for the first time in Pennsylvania. The connections and relationships we form now with lawmakers will be extremely important in helping us maintain our position and will help us with gains in propelling the profession forward.

I also hope to increase member engagement by communicating with members directly on issues that affect our profession. PANA’s Communications Director, Sarah Trau, will help facilitate this huge undertaking. She will be working with the team at Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy to make sure our members are in the know and kept informed. My hope is that as we increase engagement, more members will participate in district events and other educational activities and political action committee (PAC) events.

Finally, mentoring our future leaders is extremely important in ensuring the ongoing success and trajectory of the profession. Please encourage student involvement at every level of participation! I am motivated and encouraged by the excitement and enthusiasm of the SRNAs we have on the PANA board. Hopefully, their enthusiasm is contagious and will be felt by all of the members in the coming months.

I remain committed to helping this profession succeed in this time of uncertainty. With change there is always room for opportunity. Advancing our profession is worth the fight. If you have any ideas or suggestions for upcoming PANA events or want to know how to contact your legislators, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to working with all of you and serving this association.

Joint State Government Commission Study Suggests Ways to Improve Nurse Licensing

By Robert Swift Capitolwire.com Staff Reporter

HARRISBURG (May 11) – The pathway to licensing nurses could be made smoother by hiring more employees at the state Board of Nursing, better processing of licensing applications and changing the criminal background check process, a new legislative study has concluded.

The study by the Joint State Government Commission concerns delays with issuing nursing licenses by the board.

The House adopted Resolution 142 authorizing this study last year.

The study is part of an overall focus in recent years by the Wolf administration and lawmakers of both parties to remove barriers and streamline the state licensing process for a number of occupations.

As of June 2021, there were more than 300,000 active licenses for five nursing-related occupations in Pennsylvania with registered nurses being the largest category.

The resolution sponsor, Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, said recent nursing school graduates have contacted him about delays with the issuance of an Authorization to Test for nursing license applicants.

The state can’t afford lengthy delays in getting health care providers when they have increased demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic and employee burnout, said Heffley in a memo.

The study found that licensing delays were aggravated by the pandemic and retirements of two key board staffers in early 2020. The board said it has restored processing back to pre-pandemic timelines with the rehiring of one of the retirees.

But the commission study said its recommendations can lead to further improvements in licensing.

One recommendation is to provide funds to increase the nursing board complement to 43 employees from 32 employees. This would include two administrative officers and three education certification evaluators.

Another is to enable applicants to make changes in their applications and correct errors that have slowed processing. The board is replacing the current licensing system.

Nursing license applicants are currently required to submit an official state criminal history record check from every state in which they have lived, worked or been educated within the past ten years or five years depending upon the license category.

This has proven a stumbling block for some applicants, the report said. To fix that, the study recommends that an applicant supply the state criminal records check only from their state of residence as well as making an FBI background check mandatory.

The study suggests creating a State Board of Nursing Task Force to review processing issues and prepare Pennsylvania for new quality standards for nursing education published by the American College of Nursing.

The study suggests some changes with the nursing board membership, including potentially having some seats filled by nurses who are elected by nurses holding valid state nursing licenses as North Carolina does.

It recommends the board issue more frequent reports on the nursing workforce.

Pennsylvania enacted a law last year paving the way to enter a multi-state Nursing Licensure Compact.

"The nursing compact is important because it allows a nurse to practice in their home state and all participating states with one license issued by the home state, eliminating the burdensome, costly, and time-consuming process of obtaining single state licenses in each state of practice,” the report said.

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Additional Info from the Jt. State Government Commission

In this episode, the JSGC podcast crew interview Frank Lill, project manager of the report "License Processing Times of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing," released in April of 2022. We discuss how long it takes to get a nursing license in Pennsylvania, factors contributing to delays in processing time, and recommendations for how to improve these conditions. A one-page summary and access to the full report are available here.

LISTEN TO JSGC PODCAST