Nursing Assistant Laws Waived by Governor Inslee
Health care worker licensing proclamation
The governor has issued a health care worker licensing proclamation removing certain barriers for licensure. You can find it here. This is effective until midnight on April 25, 2020, unless extended by legislative approval. Below is a summary of what the waivers pertaining to nursing assistants do.
Barriers to continued and uninterrupted health care practice, including continuing education and other training requirements and license renewal deadlines
Licensed health profession rules requiring continuing education (CE), AIDS education, and training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management are waived. This includes the eight hours of CE required to maintain the medication assistant endorsement and the requirement to demonstrate clinical skills to an instructor in a practice setting in nursing assistant training programs.
Barriers to the practice of health care provider volunteers
The requirement to verify that an NA has completed basic caregiver training and core delegation training before delegation, and the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission community-based and in-home care setting delegation decision tree are waived.
Long-term care worker rules proclamation
The governor has issued a proclamation suspending certification requirements in community-based settings (adult family homes, assisted living facilities and home care agencies). You can find it here. This is effective until midnight April 9, 2020, unless extended by legislative approval. This means that NARs can work in a community-based facility past 200 days before obtaining their NAC or HCA credential.
NAR four-month rule proclamation
The governor has issued a proclamation suspending certification requirements in nursing homes. You can find it here. This is effective until midnight April 29, 2020, unless extended by legislative approval. This means that NARs can work in a nursing home past 120 days before obtaining their NAC credential.
The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving. You can monitor the following sources for updates:
- Department of Health COVID-19 webpage: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
- Governor Inslee’s COVID-19 webpage: https://www.governor.wa.gov/issues/issues/covid-19-resources
- Washington state COVID-19 webpage: https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov
- Federal COVID-19 webpage: https://www.coronavirus.gov
- Pearson Vue testing suspension information: https://home.pearsonvue.com/Standalone-pages/Coronavirus-update/United-States.aspx