CLEAR

UK: consultation on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard

The Professional Standards Authority in the UK has opened a consultation on a new Standard on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to be added to its Standards for Accredited Registers (registers of people in health and/or social care roles that are not subject to statutory regulation). The proposed standard reads

"The organisation demonstrates its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and ensures that its processes are fair and free from unfair discrimination.
a) The register’s regulatory functions are underpinned by fairness and equity of access to registrants and service users.
b) The register understands the diversity of its registrants, service users and complainants and has an awareness of issues that may impact those with protected characteristics.
c) The register works to promote and enhance EDI by seeking to understand and act on issues affecting the roles registered and service users."

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ASWB analyzes exam pass rates

The Association of Social Work Boards has released their 2022 Exam Pass Rate Analysis. The data indicates that exam volume has more than doubled in the last decade and the proportion of test-takers from historically underrepresented groups has increased by 14%. The data indicates lower pass rates among men, older test-takers, those whose first language is not English, and Black test-takers. ASWB recognized "the need to identify potential steps that ASWB can take to address these differences while adhering to the public protection mandate that guides its mission."

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Professional Standards Authority: "Safer Care for All" report

The Professional Standards Authority in the UK has just published "Safer Care for All: Solutions from professional regulation and beyond," a report that proposes solutions to challenges facing health and social care around tackling inequalities; regulating for new risks; the workforce crisis; and accountability, fear, and public safety. One main recommendation is the establishment of an independent Health and Social Care Safety Commissioner in each UK country "with broad responsibility for identifying, monitoring, reporting, and advising on ways of addressing patient and service user risks."

Read more, including the executive summary, table of recommendations, and the full report.

Racism in Nursing report

The American Nurses Association's National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing has released their foundational report, exploring how racism shows up in the nursing profession. The report series

• "centers the experiences of nurses of color in U.S. history and how structural and systemic racism have hindered access to educational and professional opportunities as well as institutional power,"
• "examines power, privilege, and prejudice in nursing today,"
• focuses on "creating equitable and inclusive learning environments [that] will lead to increased access and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff,"
• explores way to "eliminate racism in existing policy" and the need to create "new policies that address past harms and advance the nursing profession,"
• "explores the ethical obligations to develop a culture where all staff and patients are treated fairly," and
• explores how "minority nurse researchers are key to address health disparities and inequities."

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American Nurses Association Racial Reckoning Statement

The Membership Assembly of the American Nurses Association has unanimously approved the Racial Reckoning Statement, which "sets the course for the association to embark on a continual process of not only reckoning with harmful practices and policies but also apologizing to, seeking reconciliation with and forgiveness from nurses of color, and healing of individual nurses and our profession." The effort is informed by the ANA's participation in the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing.

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Tennessee: petition to change full-time work requirement for lawyer licensure

The Network of enlightened Women (NeW) has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Tennessee to change the requirement that out-of-state lawyers who wish to practice in Tennessee must have worked full-time as a lawyer in another state for five of the last seven years or sit for the Tennessee bar exam. The petition claims that the requirement makes it harder for lawyers working part-time, especially working mothers, to practice in Tennessee.

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South Carolina: medical rights of conscience law

A bill awaiting the governor's signature in South Carolina would allow licensed healthcare professionals to deny services based on their own "religious, moral or ethical beliefs or principles." The bill, known as the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, is a medical rights of conscience law and would protect doctors, nurses, and medical students from being fired or disciplined for opting out of performing certain services. The law would not apply to emergency medical treatment or allow refusal on the basis of race.

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NCARB releases third Baseline on Belonging report

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the National Organization of Minority Architects have previously released reports in the Baseline to Belonging study related to the architecture licensing exam. A third report "explores survey data regarding experiences completing a post-secondary degree in architecture, including factors related to cost, program culture, and curriculum—and how these factors create unintended impediments on the path to licensure." Some key findings: "The report reveals that Black or African American women are more likely to face impediments at every stage of their collegiate experience, ultimately driving more than half to consider a different career path. It also underscores disparities in affordability and culture between graduates of National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)-accredited programs and graduates of non-accredited architecture programs. . . When it comes to other barriers like architecture school culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), African American women were significantly more likely to report negative impacts and, consequently, more likely than their white male counterparts to say they considered leaving the field."

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Connecticut: bill passed regarding applicants with prior convictions

A bill that passed both the House and Senate in Connecticut now awaits the governor's signature. The bill would require licensing agencies to consider certain factors when reviewing a licensure application of an individual with prior felony convictions: that nature of the conviction and how it relates to duties of the job, the person's rehabilitation, and the length of time since the conviction.

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Louisiana considers licensure bills regarding applicants with prior convictions

A bill under consideration in the Louisiana House would allow interested licensure candidates who have a prior criminal conviction to request a pre-determination from the licensing board as to whether their conviction disqualifies them from obtaining a license before they invest in school or training. The licensing board would have 45 days to make the determination, which would then be binding unless the applicant at time of application has new, pending, or previously undisclosed convictions.

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