Nurses Urgently Needed to Assist Hospitals as COVID-19 Cases Surge in Hawaii

The Healthcare Association of Hawai’i reports that the state is in urgent need of nurses, including recent nursing graduates who have not yet passed licensing work, to assist hospitals amid a surge in hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All recent graduates, even if they have not yet taken the NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN licensing exams, are needed to work in a variety of nursing roles, and not necessarily with COVID-19 patients, according to the HAH.

The HAH reports that the state has waived license requirements during the emergency proclamation period to allow new nursing grads to work to their full scope of practice immediately upon graduation. This provision enables the nursing workforce to respond to and support the nursing needs as the number of COVID-19 cases has increased.

All available nurses, including spring and summer 2020 graduates from a licensed practical nurse (LPN) program, associate degree, of bachelor’s degree program in nursing, and graduate entry program in nursing students (GEPN) who completed their prelicensure year of education in August 2020, are encouraged to respond to this call for employment by completing the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HRNVLM7

This survey, sponsored by Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) and Hawai‘i Healthcare Emergency Management, a subsidiary of HAH, will be shared with employers in Hawai‘i who will reach out to respondents for employment opportunities.