Medical Reserve Corps

New Jersey is calling on retired health care professionals with vaccination skills to volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).

Register As a New Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer Here

The MRC is a network of community-based, locally organized units comprised of volunteers who help ensure their communities are healthy, prepared, and resilient. MRC volunteers are pre-identified, pre-registered, trained, and exercised. In addition to promoting healthy living throughout the year, MRC volunteers are especially vital during emergencies and disasters when paid public health and emergency response assets are overwhelmed.

In New Jersey there are 24 MRC Units housed within local health departments. Each county in New Jersey has at least one Medical Reserve Corps Unit. MRC health professional volunteers include nurses, pharmacists, EMTs, doctors, counselors, social workers, and veterinarians. MRC community health volunteers provide services such as language translation/interpretation, education and outreach, hospitality, food services, reception, logistics, security, and assistance to individuals with disabilities, access and functional needs.

TEMPORARY LICENSES

Retired Health Care Professionals

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Consumer Affairs issued temporary emergency licenses to individuals who retired within the last five years. Since that date, the State has made great strides in the fight against COVID-19.

To support this continued progress, the program will remain in place until further notice. Learn more through the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

Out-Of-State Health Care Professionals

In response to COVID-19, the State of New Jersey waived certain regulatory provisions regarding licensure of health care practitioners through reciprocity. These waivers allowed 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.

This program ended on August 1, 2022 and all temporary licenses expired on August 31, 2022 except for respiratory care therapists.

The temporary emergency license program for respiratory care therapists will remain in place through March 31, 2023.

For more information, visit the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

Foreign-Licensed Physicians

As part of the State's effort to combat COVID-19, physicians who were licensed in another country, but living in the United States, could apply for a temporary emergency license to practice medicine in New Jersey---the first program of its kind in the country.

New applications are no longer being accepted, and pending applications are currently on hold as temporary emergency licensure programs undergo review. For more information, visit the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs program page.

Recent Graduates Of Health Care Programs

The Division of Consumer Affairs has created a program to grant temporary emergency licenses to recent graduates of certain health care programs who have not yet been able to take and pass their licensing exams.

All temporary emergency graduate licensure (TEGL) programs will continue until further notice. Individuals currently holding TEGLs remain authorized to practice and new applications for TEGLS will continue to be accepted.

To learn more, visit the Division of Consumer Affairs' program page.

Source: 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;