Theodore Stroukoff Discusses the Licensing Challenges of Travel Nursing

April 11, 2012 - PRLog -- As a professional travel nurse, Theodore Stroukoff has experienced many challenges in his work. None are as essential to Theodore Stroukoff’s career, however, as knowing and following the licensing laws of the state he’s working in. To that end, Theodore Stroukoff makes a point of becoming familiar with the licensing laws that apply to the state he’s working in.

According to Theodore Stroukoff, the Nurse Practice Act (NPA) governs the laws set in each individual state for licenses issued in that state. These laws, according to Theodore Stroukoff, are designed to protect the safety and health of citizens nationwide. In each state, the board of nursing oversees the execution of the NPA, Theodore Stroukoff explains, determining regulations and disciplinary action to apply to licensed professionals.

As Theodore Stroukoff knows firsthand, however, a travel nurse moves from state to state, making adhering to each state’s regulations complicated. Thankfully, Theodore Stroukoff reports that the Nurse Licensure Compact makes it easier in some areas. Enacted in 1997 by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the Nurse Licensure Compact is a plan that allows states to recognize the licenses issued by other states.

Currently, travel nurses like Theodore Stroukoff are allowed to easily move between 24 states participating in the compact. The number continues to increase, Theodore Stroukoff emphasizes, with six states currently having pending legislation to join the nursing compact. Theodore Stroukoff explains that the compact was created to make nurses more mobile—a need that is becoming more relevant as an aging population creates a bigger demand for nurses. The Nurse Licensure Compact is beneficial not only to Theodore Stroukoff and other travel nurses, but also to patients who may have better access to care.

Theodore Stroukoff recently discussed the process to obtaining a Nurse Licensure Compact. To begin, says Theodore Stroukoff, a nurse must live in one of the compact states. This is determined by the state on the nurse’s tax return, according to Theodore Stroukoff. Once a nurse is licensed in a compact state, that license will apply to any of the other 24 states, states Theodore Stroukoff. Of course, if work calls that nurse to a state that isn’t a part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, the nurse will have to obtain a license to practice in that state before beginning work.

Being a part of the compact doesn’t excuse a nurse from a lack of knowledge about the laws of that particular state, Theodore Stroukoff cautions. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing can link a nurse to the state board of nursing in the area where he or she will be practicing, Theodore Stroukoff advises. By studying the regulations of a specific area of practice, a nurse can be prepared to practice nursing safely in any state, concludes Theodore Stroukoff.

A professional travel nurse, Theodore Stroukoff has worked in hospitals, residence facilities, and even correctional facilities. He reports that working as a travel nurse has helped him grow as a medical professional while allowing him to see the world and meet exciting new people.

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Theodore Stroukoff was born in New Jersey and graduated from Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville in 1972. Lawrenceville is a town with a population in the low thousands, and growing up in a small town helped Theodore Stroukoff develop interpersonal skills that would later prove invaluable as a nursing professional.

Although Theodore Stroukoff’s early childhood was spent in New Jersey on the East Coast, he later relocated to New Mexico with his wife. In New Mexico, Theodore Stroukoff obtained a nursing degree from Santa Fe Community College, becoming an RN. Nursing is one of 72 professional degrees offered by Santa Fe Community College, a public two-year college located in Santa Fe.