Valued Voice

At the urging of WHA and their partners in nursing leadership and education, the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (BON) has revised the state’s administrative rules for nursing school faculty to allow nurses with a bachelor’s degree (BSNs) to serve as clinical faculty for nursing students. On July 16, 2026, Gov. Tony Evers approved the Board of Nursing's emergency rule guiding the implementation of this expanded process. An emergency rule process is an expedited pathway for changes to administrative rules that are deemed to be urgent.

This emergency rule has now been published. This allows nursing schools and their partners to begin utilizing qualified BSNs as clinical faculty while the BON finalizes a permanent rule. The permanent rule must be in place when the emergency rule expires on December 20, 2026.

In April of 2025, WHA Senior Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk alerted the Wisconsin Board of Nursing of recently adopted national nursing school accreditation standards that allow for this expanded role. The BON’s emergency rule provides an important Wisconsin advantage to expand nursing school class sizes and allows for interested and qualified candidates to enter this career pathway.  

The impetus for enacting this emergency rule originated with a policy change WHA urged the Governor’s Task Force on the Health Care Workforce to include in their recommendations in a June 25, 2024 letter.  

In a letter following adoption of this emergency rule, WHA thanked Gov. Tony Evers and BON Chair Jennifer Malak, noting, “Wisconsin’s high-quality health care system is reliant on our exceptional nursing workforce. Wisconsin hospitals and health systems, and their partners in state government and education, have a great tradition of collaborating to keep Wisconsin moving forward. Thank you for your partnership in opening the door to a nursing career for more students in Wisconsin.”

Contact WHA’s Ann Zenk with questions about the revised Board of Nursing rules, or any other workforce issue.