By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Benigno R. Fitial signed into law Senate Bill 15-58 which allows the Department of Public Health to waive the two-year prior nursing experience requirement for newly hired foreign nurses provided they are graduates of Northern Marianas College’s nursing program.
Authored by Sen. Jude Hofschneider, R-Tinian, the bill is now Public Law 15-45.
Under the new law, NMC’s foreign nursing program graduates will now have an opportunity to be employed at the Commonwealth Health Cener which continues to experience a shortage of nurses.
“Without this Act,” the new law stated, “the Department of Public Health would still need to hire nurses from off-island, a more expensive proposition due to recruitment, repatriation and other associated costs.”
In the new law, however, the waiver is to be in force only up to Jan. 1, 2010.
Additionally, the foreign nurses are required to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.