Ontario gives OK for nursing college to expedite international nurse registration

Ontario’s minister of health has told the province’s nursing college to go ahead with regulatory changes that could get thousands more internationally trained nurses into practice faster. Last month, Sylvia Jones directed the College of Nurses of Ontario to develop plans to register internationally educated professionals more quickly as staffing shortages have led to temporary emergency department closures across the province. In response, the college proposed allowing internationally trained nurses to be temporarily registered while they go through the process of full registration, which would require them to be monitored by a registered practical nurse, registered nurse, or nurse practitioner. Among the college’s other proposals was making it easier for about 5,300 non-practicing nurses living in Ontario to return to the workforce by changing stipulations that a nurse must have practiced within the last three years to be reinstated. The college is now working collaboratively with the ministry to draft regulatory amendments, and after their approval from the government, will immediately begin registering both internationally educated nurses and other applicants who will benefit from the changes. Read more from Global News.

New study finds professional licensing isn’t a barrier to interstate migration

A new study authored by Thomas J. Cooke, professor emeritus in the University of Connecticut’s Department of Geography, found no evidence that professional licensing acts as a barrier to interstate migration – contradicting policymakers’ and critics’ longstanding arguments to the contrary. Instead, Cooke determined that people weigh other factors like family and amenities more heavily when considering a move to another state. “You start thinking this through, the idea that licensing curbs the desire to move, and it becomes illogical,” Cooke said, noting that many states have reciprocal licensing agreements to facilitate easier state-to-state licensing, and that licensed professionals in fields like law, dentistry, and real estate have low migration rates because they have strong ties to their community, such as professional networks and local practices, that deter them from moving. The study also found that interstate migration is much more uncommon than is typically thought, with only 1.4% of the U.S. population moving between state lines in 2021 (down from 3.1% in 1991). Cooke speculates that the declining rate is due to the rise of communications technologies over the past few decades that have enabled remote work. Read more in Phys.org.

Proposed bill calls for licensing advanced practice respiratory therapists in Ohio

Two Republican state lawmakers have introduced legislation that will license advanced practice respiratory therapists (APRTs) in Ohio. The new bill seeks to improve access to cardio-pulmonary care in Ohio, as there is currently a large gap between the number of patients in need of cardio-pulmonary care and physicians who can provide such care. APRTs are new, non-physician providers that offer assistance to pulmonary, critical care, and sleep physicians in both adult and pediatric settings. Under the legislation, they would only practice under the supervision of a physician who specializes in these areas and would not be able to prescribe medication. Read more in the Mansfield News Journal.

Medical cannabis growers in Winnipeg now need another license

The City of Winnipeg recently introduced a new licensing program for medical cannabis growers. As of Sept. 6, anyone authorized by Health Canada to produce cannabis for medical use on behalf of specific individuals is now required to also obtain a Designated Growers License from the city. The change comes after the Winnipeg City Council approved several bylaws that restrict growing in residential neighborhoods earlier this year, which were spurred by worries that criminal groups were exploiting a loophole in Canada’s Cannabis Act to run grow-ops out of residential homes. However, cannabis advocates warn that the new licensing rules will impact access to medical cannabis for sick Canadians. Despite Canada’s federal legalization of cannabis, which states that Canadians are legally allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants per residence, Manitoba joined Quebec and Nunavut in banning home growing of recreational cannabis. The Supreme Court of Canada is set to weigh in on the constitutionality of the province’s ban following a challenge filed by a medical cannabis user. Read more in the Winnipeg Sun.

Irish regulators fine Instagram 405M euros for data breach

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has fined Instagram 405 million euros after an investigation found the social media platform mishandled teenagers’ personal information in violation of strict European Union data privacy rules. The Irish watchdog’s investigation centered on how Instagram displayed the personal details of users ages 13 to 17 on their profiles, including email addresses and phone numbers. Instagram said the inquiry focused on “old settings” that were updated more than a year ago, and it has since released new privacy features for teens, including automatically setting their accounts to private when they join. The huge penalty is the second-biggest issued under the EU’s stringent privacy rules, after Luxembourg’s regulators fined Amazon 746 million euros last year. Instagram parent company Meta said that while it had “engaged fully” with regulators throughout the investigation, it disagrees with how the fine was calculated and intends to appeal it. Read more from CTV News.

More news:

• Hawaii’s Department of Health has ordered the closure of a Pearl City care home that has been operating without a license. Helen Ferrer, manager of the care home, and her daughter were ordered to desist operations, transfer all their residents to a licensed care home within a week, and pay administrative penalties totaling $271,600.
• A psychiatrist who had his license suspended in Michigan for substance abuse issues has applied for a license in Guam to work at the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. Members of the Guam Board of Medical Examiners have so far declined to approve his licensure, but they haven’t outright rejected him as of their most recent board meeting.
• Minnesota’s Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design (AELSLAGID) issued an official censure of Charles Marohn, founder of the urban policy non-profit Strong Towns, and slapped him with a $1,500 fine for referring to himself as a “professional engineer” in speeches and articles while his license was expired.
• A federal jury convicted Silicon Valley tech CEO Mark Schena of paying bribes to doctors and defrauding the government after his company, Arrayit Corporation, billed Medicare $77 million for fraudulent coronavirus and allergy tests.

Also noteworthy:

• 6 states that could legalize cannabis through 2022 ballot measures (Cannabis Business Times)
• Finnish finance ministry drafts digital ID legislation for parliamentary review (Global Government Forum)
• Health-care labour shortage a long time coming, requires shift to team-based care (CTV News)
• America is facing an unprecedented labor shortage. Here are 3 things we can do to fix it. (The Bharat Express News)

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