Thank you for your interest in serving the State of New Jersey and helping your neighbors through this health crisis.

Governor Phil Murphy has signed Executive Order No. 112, authorizing the Division of Consumer Affairs to temporarily reactivate the licenses of recently retired health care professionals and grant temporary licenses to doctors licensed in foreign countries.

If you are willing and able to support our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, please fill out the Healthcare Professional Call to Serve online form.

In addition, out-of-state health care professionals who wish to volunteer in New Jersey may be eligible for a temporary license.

The Governor's Executive Order also temporarily permits certain health care professionals to perform acts outside of their ordinary scope of practice and grants broad civil immunity to health care professionals and facilities providing services in support of New Jersey's COVID-19 response efforts who are acting in good faith.

Retired Health Care Professionals, Advance Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants

The executive order supplements the State's existing health care workforce by:

• Authorizing the Division of Consumer Affairs to temporarily reactivate the licensees of healthcare professionals previously licensed in the State within the last five years. This will enable doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who have recently retired or have allowed their licenses to lapse to temporarily reactivate their license.
• Temporarily waiving certain scope of practice restrictions on Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) related to physician collaboration, including a rule requiring that an APN enter into a joint protocol with a collaborating physician and a rule requiring APNs to obtain authorization from a collaborating physician in order to dispense narcotic drugs.
• Temporarily waiving certain scope of practice restrictions on Physician Assistants (PAs) related to physician supervision, including a rule requiring PAs to obtain physician authorization prior to prescribing a controlled dangerous substance.

Out-Of-State Health Care Professionals

If you are an out-of-state health care professional who wishes to volunteer in New Jersey, you may be eligible for a temporary license.

In response to the on-going COVID-19 state of emergency, the State of New Jersey has waived certain regulatory provisions regarding licensure of health care practitioners through reciprocity. These waivers will allow health care providers licensed in other states to obtain New Jersey temporary licensure and provide services to New Jersey patients either through telemedicine, or in-person.

Learn more about the program and apply online through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

Foreign-Licensed Physicians

Among other criteria, eligible candidates must:

• Have engaged in the clinical practice of medicine for at least five years;
• Have not been out of practice for more than five years;
• Have no disciplinary or criminal histories that preclude them from the program; and
• Provide copies of relevant documents to support their application, including their medical license, and information about their education and professional experience.

Physicians licensed under this program will be required to limit their practice of medicine in New Jersey to providing in-person medical care at facilities licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) or at another location designated as an emergency health care center by the Commissioner of Health.

The temporary emergency licenses granted under the program will not extend beyond the current public health emergency.

Qualified foreign-licensed doctors can apply online for temporary emergency licensure through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

For more information about the program, the Division has created a Frequently Asked Questions document.

Posted/Updated: 4/24/20

Source: Executive Order No. 112; https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200417a.shtml; http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20200417/3e/cc/f1/be/dc41b6f41c318111f2294f9f/FAQ-Foreign-Licensed-Doctor-Program.pdf