Hang on to that Paper License
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Despite an increasing number of state boards of nursing providing online license verification, hospitals remain entrenched in the age-old policy of viewing an original copy of each nurse’s paper license, although some also check electronically.
“Since the online system was implemented, we have been using it,” said Marchita Marino, senior vice president of human resources for Wuesthoff Health System, in Rockledge, Florida, one of Top 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems in the nation. “If someone hands you a paper license, you wouldn’t know if he or she had any disciplinary issue. By going online, the system will tell you.”
Wuesthoff human resources prints a copy of the Web page and places it in the nurse’s personnel file. It does not require nurses to bring in the paper license and has experienced no difficulties during Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) inspections.
However, Mary Ellen Shannon, RN, MBA, vice president for nursing at Wuesthoff Medical Center—Melbourne, continues to ask nurses to bring in a signed copy of their license, so the nursing department can compare the signature on a chart with the license.
“By having a signed copy on file, we know it indeed belongs to that nurse, and it’s her signature,” Shannon said.
Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also takes a two-prong approach: online and paper. Patricia Dittman, RN, director of nursing research and quality at Holy Cross, said that JCAHO requires the hospital keep a copy of the original license and to check with state licensing boards.
Many hospitals hold that belief. JCAHO hospital standards, posted on its Web site, indicate the organization expects someone from the hospital to see the original renewal form or certificate to assure that it wasn’t doctored. However, it also advised, “We have accepted verification of licensure through the Web site or by a letter to the Board as an acceptable alternative to a photocopy.”
JCAHO spokesman Mark Forstneger said organizations have a choice and that JCAHO will accept either online verification or a copy of the original paper license.
Many hospitals appear to play it safe, combining the best of electronic licensure checks with reviewing and filing old-fashioned paper licenses.
Rhonda Kaminski, a human resources associate at St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, requests nurses bring in their licenses. She then calls up information about the nurse’s license at the Wisconsin Board of Nursing Web site to check if they have had any disciplinary action taken.
“For our new nurses with temporary licenses, we track when they are expiring,” said Kaminsky, who will continue checking the state Web site until licensure comes through.
Similarly, Manuela Vicente, corporate director of recruitment for Baptist Health South Florida, a seven-hospital system in Miami, uses the board of nursing Web site in combination with paper. She finds it much more convenient than calling the board of nursing, because you can check several nurses’ licenses at once. Baptist Health prints out a copy of the Web information, which includes expiration date and if there are any disciplinary actions on file.
“The Web site is always up to date, even with new grads, but we also have them bring in paper license,” Vicente said.
At Children’s Memorial Hospital, in Chicago, Illinois, departments or units verify the renewed licenses for their staff members using the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Web site.
“We still have the nurse bring in a hard copy,” said Kathleen Seerup, RN, team leader in Children’s Memorial’s PICU. “If it’s close to the deadline and they do not have a copy yet, we will go online and verify.”
Paula Kyte, Health First nurse recruiter in Melbourne, Florida, uses the Florida Board of Nursing’s license verification site as a screening tool to check whether new applicants have an active and clear license. But the hospital system still requires new hires to bring in the original license, so a copy can be placed in his or her personnel file.
“It’s part of the documentation,” Kyte said. “I utilize the Web site for faster access to information when I need it.”
Edwina Couilette, a recruiter at St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville, Florida, also completes an initial online scan, but then the hospital makes a copy of the nurse’s license and places it in a notebook kept on the unit where the nurse works.
Whether for screening or back up, hospitals use board of nursing Web sites, but they are not abandoning manually checking and copying of paper licenses. So nurses can expect, at least for the near future, to continue showing their licenses when changing jobs or after renewing their licenses.
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