Jun. 14, 2022
HARRISBURG – Legislation to help address a problem contributing to Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage has been signed into law, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Brett Miller (R-East Hempfield).
House Bill 889, now signed into law as
Act 22 of 2022, will allow the State Board of Nursing to approve graduates of international professional nursing education programs to sit for the RN licensure examination, provided such programs are determined to be equivalent to that which is required in Pennsylvania.
Prior to this bill’s passage, the Professional Nursing Law allowed graduates of nursing programs in countries outside of the United States to sit for the RN licensure examination, but only if they have first been licensed, registered or duly recognized in their home country. Pennsylvania’s previous law required qualified students to either return to the country where they obtained their degree in order to get their license or go to another state in the U.S. to get licensed, and only after either of these options, then apply to Pennsylvania to sit for the licensure examination. This new law now removes this unnecessary impediment to individuals seeking licensure.
“A constituent brought this issue to my attention, and it was clear that this extra obstacle bogged down the system and made it much harder for these qualified medical professionals to obtain the necessary license to work in Pennsylvania,” Miller said. “Now more than ever, we should work to alleviate needless burdens on those that are seeking to serve on the front lines of medicine.”
The bill earned unanimous passage in both the state House and Senate before being signed into law by the governor. The new law will take effect in mid-August.
Representative Brett Miller
41st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives