4 Key Wats The NLC Benefits Hospitals, Clinics, & Other Facilities
Much has been written about the benefits offered by the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) to the nation’s travel nurses, and with good reason. With more places to practice comes a greater list of job opportunities, giving thousands of nurses the chance to advance their careers while doing what they do best — provide great patient care.
But expanding the areas in which travel nurses can practice is good news for the nation’s healthcare facilities, too. To that end, here are a few ways that the NLC benefits hospitals and other facilities providing patient care.
4 Ways The NLC Benefits Healthcare Facilities
1. Access to more nurses. Especially for facilities operating in rural and remote areas, access to a greater number of travel nurses means more chances to fill essential roles at critical times. (Especially when those facilities partner with a nationwide travel nursing company with a proven track record.)
2. Expanded telehealth coverage. One of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a sharp uptick in the use of telehealth services pretty much across the board. Because the NLC allows nurses to practice in any member state not just by traveling there but also through the delivery of virtual visits and other electronically delivered care, it also lets facilities offer patients greater access to those services.
3. Expedited information and background checks. To join the NLC, a state must commit to a number of across-the-board requirements regarding licensure and disciplinary measures. A public portal called Nursys is also required, helping streamline the collection of important data closely related to what you need to know when recruiting new nurses, such as credentialing and licensing.
4. Clearly defined safety standards. The NLC also defines clear standards for conducting state and federal background checks upon the licensing of all new nurses, as well as in cases of license by endorsement. It also offers information on licensee investigation and any disciplinary measures pending with other member states, information that’s “vital in keeping the public safe,” according to a pro-NLC plea published by California’s Capitol Weekly. (California is one of the states currently debating entry into the NLC.)
NEW States Set To Enjoy NLC Benefits In 2021?
Organized way back in the year 2000 by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, what’s now officially known as the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (or eNLC) is gaining incredible traction over the past couple of decades. And because of the workforce upheaval created by the novel coronavirus, the push to join the compact is growing in many states.
In Illinois, State Rep. Michael Zalewski has introduced a bill aiming for entry into the compact. Aiming for the same goal, new legislation in Michigan has also been praised as a means to “help increase the supply of nurses practicing in Michigan while maintaining a high quality of care.”
“Shortages of nurses, as well as physicians and other healthcare professionals, has been a critical issue felt across the country, including Michigan, since before the COVID-19 pandemic began,” said the Michigan Health & Hospital Association’s in a statement.
“Hospitals and clinics attempting to hire nurses are sometimes thwarted by the number of professionals available … The pandemic has only made the situation worse, as the market for trained and accredited nurses has intensified.”
Will the NLC benefits embraced by three dozen states soon extend to the rest of the country? While full membership may not be a realistic goal, more states will undoubtedly climb aboard as the Zaleski shortage of qualified nurses—and their preference to work virtually—becomes a more critical issue to the nation’s healthcare facilities.
Seeking Nurses For Your Facility?
Whether or not your facility is located in an NLC state, we can still help connect you with the travel nurses you need to meet your patient care goals, today and well into the future. You can submit a staffing request here, or contact us today for more details.