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Whitmer relaxes medical practice laws allowing physician assistants, nurses to treat COVID-19 patients

The order "temporarily sets aside some existing rules to allow qualified physician assistants, nurses and other health care providers to treat COVID-19 patients."

LANSING, Mich. — An executive from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Sunday night, March 29 relaxes Michigan's medical practice laws to allow certain qualified healthcare workers more flexibility in treating patients. 

Healthcare workers are still asked to provide medical care that is within their scope of education, training and experience, but physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses are now allowed to treat patients without the supervision of a licensed physician.

The governor extended this order on April 26.

See the full executive order here

“Michigan’s dedicated health care professionals continue putting their lives on the line every day during this unprecedented crisis, and we must do everything we can to empower them to do their jobs,” Whitmer said. “This executive order temporarily sets aside some existing rules to allow qualified physician assistants, nurses and other health care providers to treat COVID-19 patients and help slow the spread of this virus in every corner of our state.”

The order also says that healthcare students are allowed to work within facilities to aid in the COVID-19 response, as long as it is appropriate to the student's education and experience. This extends to students working as "respiratory therapist extenders" to assist other healthcare professionals in operating ventilators. 

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