Governor Abbott Takes Action to Expand Nursing Workforce

(Press Release) Governor Greg Abbott has waived several regulations to help meet Texas’ growing need for nurses as the state responds to the COVID-19 virus. The Governor’s actions will expand Texas’ active nursing workforce by doing the following:

• Allowing temporary permit extensions to practice for graduate nurses and graduate vocational nurses who have yet to take the licensing exam.
• Allowing students in their final year of nursing school to meet their clinical objectives by exceeding the 50% limit on simulated experiences.
• Allowing nurses with inactive licenses or retired nurses to reactivate their licenses.

“In the coming weeks and months, Texas will continue to see a growing need for medical professionals to help us respond to these unique and challenging times,” said Governor Abbott. “With these actions, Texas is taking an important step to meet that need. Nurses are essential to our ability to test for this virus, provide care for COVID-19 patients, and to continue providing other essential health care services. Suspending these regulations will allow us to bring additional skilled nurses into the workforce to assist with our efforts and enhance our COVID-19 response.”