New state law aims to attract more advanced practice nurses to Ohio

New legislation that is set to take effect this year is expected to make Ohio more attractive for advance practice nurses looking to relocate (Source: “New Ohio law to help advanced practice nurses move into the Buckeye State,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 4, 2010).

Senate Bill 89 permits out-of-state nurses who already have received training and are authorized to write prescriptions for some drugs to do the same in Ohio without completing and additional training here. The bill was sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Sue Morano, a registered nurse from Lorain, and was unanimously approved by the Senate and was signed by Gov. Strickland last week.

In November, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio released a white paper, The Future of the Nursing Workforce in Ohio (pdf, 24 pages), that outlines the nursing shortage anticipated in Ohio by 2020. With a projected shortage of 29 percent, or 32,000 nurses, Ohio is one of three states — along with California and Texas – that has the largest gaps and needs for nurses and nursing students, according to a study by Cleveland-based Center for Health Affairs.