(TNS) — As of Monday, the wait time for out-of-state healthcare workers to receive a license to work in Pennsylvania has been dramatically reduced as a result of a new state regulation rolled out by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Pennsylvania entered into three multi-state licensure agreements that allow doctors, nurses and physical therapists to quickly and easily get licensed to practice in dozens of states.

At a press conference in the WellSpan Education Center in York, Shapiro touted the agreements as significant steps in addressing chronic healthcare staffing shortages in the Commonwealth, particularly in rural communities, which have one primary care physician for every 522 residents. Urban counties have approximately one primary care physician for every 222 residents.

“Today, as just one way to be able to combat this, we’re making it easier for qualified medical professionals from dozens of states to now provide care right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro, flanked by about a dozen nurses from WellSpan Health. “They’re doing that by cutting red tape, speeding up licensure times…and making it easier for qualified medical professionals to get to work in our hospitals and clinics and in our doctors’ offices right away.”

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Nurse Licensure Compact, and the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact gives more than 300,000 nurses, nearly 65,000 doctors, and more than 17,000 physical therapists additional flexibility to practice in dozens of states. The agreements also allow licensed providers from other states to work in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro noted that under the compacts, the wait time for a nurse license went from 25 days to five days. Physician licenses went from requiring a 43-day wait to about five. Physical therapist licenses went from 31 days to about three.

The pharmacist license went from 26 days to five.

“Now, a trained nurse or doctor or physical therapist can not only get their license faster, it means they can also get on the job treating patients far more quickly,” Shapiro said.

The framework for the interstate licensing compacts are set by House Bill 2200, which lays out such guidelines and requirements as fingerprinting and criminal background checks on all applicants.

“This bill was the final piece of the puzzle needed to allow Pennsylvania to become full participant in the medical and physical therapy and nursing compacts,” said Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria County, chairman of the state House Professional Licensure Committee. “None of this would be possible without the bipartisan efforts in the House and the Senate.”

Burns, the bill’s sponsor, noted the roles of the Department of State, the FBI and Justice Department in helping to establish the guidelines.

A Maryland resident, Hollis King, a nursing student at Jersey College School of Nursing at WellSpan Health, said the licensing agreement is a game-changer for her.

“I view the compact licensure as a strategy in advancing my nursing career as it not only expands career opportunities, it supports a work-life balance and it also enhances the adaptability of a fast-changing healthcare environment,” said King, who joined the governor at the press conference.

Hospitals and health systems continue to wrestle with staffing shortages, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A Medscape survey found that 40% of nurses said COVID-19 reduced their level of career satisfaction; 25% said they would not choose to be an RN if they could do it over again, and 15% said they would leave the profession in three years.

“By reducing administrative burdens, wait times and streamlining licensure processes, we can now respond faster to patient needs and ensure continuity of care across state lines,” said Patty Donley, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at WellSpan Health. “For health systems like ours at WellSpan, this means there will be more support and more time to focus on what matters most: our patients.”