California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo announced the introduction of AB 2015, a bill which will address the nursing shortage crisis. Since the start of the pandemic, nursing levels have dropped significantly, a dangerous reality for patients, hospitals and current nursing and healthcare workers.

“One of the ways to address the statewide nursing shortage is to make sure certified nursing school instructors are able to teach as many nursing students as possible – wherever they are needed,” said Schiavo. “I am committed to bringing as many well trained nurses on line as quickly as possible. I look forward to working with my colleagues in moving AB 2015 forward this year.”

AB 2015 will provide both teaching nurses and their prospective employers greater confidence and freedom in the hiring process by decoupling the teaching credential approval process from the hiring process, allowing nurses to obtain portable credentials from the Board of Registered Nurses.

The Board of Registered Nursing is responsible for verifying that prospective faculty meet the minimum qualifications and possess the clinical competency for the subject material they will teach. This is similar to requiring credentialing for K-12 teachers. However, unlike K-12 teaching credentials, the process for verifying a nurse has the proper credentials for an instructor position is much less efficient.

###

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 40th Assembly District, representing the Northwest San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley. Upon her election, she was appointed as Assistant Majority Whip by the Speaker of the Assembly and now serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs. Prior to her election, Assemblywoman Schiavo was a Nurse Advocate and Small Business Owner who worked in the labor movement for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, Assemblywoman Schiavo helped deliver healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, to more than one million people and fought to put critical dollars in the pockets of workers. In the Northwest San Fernando Valley, she co-founded an organization that helped secure housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness, co-founded an organization that delivered more than 50,000 meals to people in need, and increased resources to help keep our communities safe. Assemblywoman Schiavo lives in Chatsworth with her daughter Sofia where they love to hike in the Santa Susana Mountains.