When COVID-19 hit New York City, it quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the country...
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When COVID-19 hit New York City, it quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the country… and world.
The hospitals and healthcare systems were overwhelmed by the number of cases coming in by the day, and they needed help. So they called on doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals throughout the country to come to their aid.
And they did.
Nurses like Luke Adams seized the call immediately and drove straight over from Pennsylvania, sleeping in his car on a baby mattress in between shifts. He said he felt a sense of duty, just like the firefighters did during the 9/11 attacks.
“They were all normal guys, not heroes, just individuals put in a situation and who did the right thing. This time, nurses are the ones who are needed. I want to follow in the steps of those guys who I had seen when I was younger.”
But unlike most nurses who traveled to NYC to help, he already had a New York nursing license. So he was one of the first to arrive on the frontlines.
It typically takes a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of tests, a lot of training, and a lot of paperwork to get a new license. Oftentimes, it’s onerous and unnecessary.
Yet, for jobs like these, medical professionals are often required to be licensed in each state they wish to practice. It poses unnecessary obstacles for those trying to alleviate the burdens on overwhelmed healthcare systems.
It’s a process nurse Chandler Fulks describes in one word: psychotic.
“I was on the phone with my recruiter, and the website was hard to navigate. I filled out the application six times.”
Overly complicated and burdensome occupational licensing regulations also negatively impact the people and parts of society, such as healthcare systems, in need of help at critical times.
Eventually, New York and its hard-hit neighboring state New Jersey waived their occupational licensing regulations to permit nurses and doctors from other states, and even countries, to practice there during this crisis.
With the relaxed rules, New Mexico ICU Nurse Cara Alsafi was able to get to NJ quickly. She filled out a form and faxed it in on Monday. She got the approval on Tuesday, flew out on Thursday, and was working on Friday.
“In 12-24 hours, the state granted me a license. It usually takes 6-8 weeks to process a license for states not in the compact.”
The situations in NY and NJ show how loosening onerous occupational licensing regulations is beneficial to all and should be made permanent.
Do you have a story of how occupational licensing has impacted you?
