The Acting Massachusetts DPH Commissioner issued an order on August 26, 2021 authorizing the issuance of temporary licenses for certain providers and renewing the expedited process for issuing those temporary licenses.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Massachusetts allowed traveling nurses and other licensed providers to avoid the usual boards of registration licensure process and to simply prove that they were licensed in another state and had no outstanding disciplinary charges against them. If they could, they'd be allowed to practice in Massachusetts. While various temporary COVID-19 orders expired or were terminated, DPH recently re-affirmed that those holding temporary licenses could retain them through the end of the year. However, that DPH order did not continue the flexible licensing process for new traveling nurses. Up until yesterday's DPH order, it appeared that new traveling nurses would have to go through the Board of Nurse Registration (BORN) temporary licensing process, which can take weeks. Following reports of these concerns to state officials, it appears the state has acted to maintain flexibility for certain traveling health care providers. 

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