The potential changes come amid a growing movement to destigmatize mental health among providers. Here are four things to know about this trend:
1. Nursing licensing boards in 30 states ask questions about mental illness on their applications and 22 boards ask about past mental health diagnoses and require predictions of future impairment.
2. Nursing boards in Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma removed invasive mental health questions.
3. Virginia passed legislation that made it easier for physicians and physician assistants to seek mental health support without impacting their license. Other states, including Georgia and Montana, are considering similar legislation.
4. Seventeen health systems are joining the movement by removing invasive questions surrounding mental health from physician credentialing applications.
