Get a sneak peek at another session from the upcoming Annual Educational Conference. Charla Burill with North Carolina Board of Dietitians and Nutrition and Pepin Tuma with Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics address the impact of constitutional free speech challenges to licensure of speaking professions. A lot of lawsuits recently in the US are drawing on the legal argument that states violate the free speech rights of unlicensed individuals by requiring that they meet minimum qualifications and obtain a license in order to practice this so called “speaking profession.” Charla and Pepin talk about why dietetic boards are being sued using this argument, discuss the definition and importance of the professional speech doctrine, and share updates on some recent cases and whether cases actually address licensure laws of a profession. They also discuss whether other professions should be concerned about what's going on - focusing on the concepts of conduct versus speech, professional-client relationship, and strict scrutiny standards for licensure laws.  Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860753) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode56_Free_Speech_Challenges_ 080922_transcript.pdf)

Get a sneak peek at some sessions from the upcoming Annual Educational Conference. Abby Migliore with Alabama Board of Nursing focuses on mental health and wellness in healthcare workers. She discusses the difference between mental health and mental wellness and shares statistics and survey responses about what healthcare workers are actually reporting about their own mental health. She talks about how increased stress, burnout, pandemic fatigue, and compassion fatigue pose a threat to the individual and to the healthcare system as a whole. Then, our conference plenary speaker, Ted Ma, talks about what it means to "Be the One: How Great Leaders Bring out the Best in Others." He discusses the importance of creating a culture of mentorship (including some statistical evidence). He shares some differences between being a leader, mentor, coach, or sponsor and touches on some topics that will be the deeper focus of the plenary presentation.   Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860752) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts /CLEAR_podcast_episode55_Employee_Support_ 071222_transcript.pdf)

A new research report released by the Institute for Justice analyzes 30 years worth of sunrise reviews and draw lessons for licensing policy. Co-authors Lisa Knepper and Kathy Sanchez define sunrise reviews as studies examining whether proposed occupational licenses and other regulations are really a good idea and genuinely in the public's interest, not just the occupation's interest. They discuss some of the common features of sunrise laws and programs across states and share what the research shows about how licensing proposals stand up to the scrutiny of sunrise. Elizabeth Carter, who conducted sunrise reviews for the Virginia Board of Health Professions, shares their rigorous process for sunrise reviews, including their seven criteria and the consistency of their process, which leads to an empirically-based rationale for a recommendation. Listen to the podcast episode and then register for the June 29 webinar (https://www.clearhq.org/event-4753631) when the panelists will dive deeper into what the research and experience can tell us about establishing a strong sunrise review program.   Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860750) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts /CLEAR_podcast_episode54_Sunrise_Reviews_ 061422_transcript.pdf)

Lise Betteridge, Andrew Charnock, and Nancy Spector discuss social media policies and regulating licensees' use of social media. The theme that arose from the conversation is "the changing times," as the speakers consider why it's important to develop a social media policy or guidelines, protecting privacy and confidentiality, and guiding licensees to make the link between standards of practice and their professional judgment around social media use. They discuss the legal framework and enforceability of the policies and responding to complaints. They stress the need for professionals, who are in a position of influence, to use their professional judgment in every interaction, whether professional or personal and whether they're using their professional title or not. "It's a sign of the times and the need to adjust to contemporary practice and social norms that are happening across society." Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860746) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts /CLEAR_podcast_episode53_Licensee_Social_Media_ 051022_transcript.pdf)

Adam Diersing, policy analyst for the Center of Innovation with the Council of State Governments, shares information about CSG's 2021 survey of universal license recognition laws. He describes what ULR laws mean and how they differ from other license portability models such as endorsement, reciprocity agreements, or interstate compacts. He details some of the variations in ULR laws among states that have implemented them. He shares what survey respondents indicated about their experiences in implementation, challenges, and benefits. He offers some lessons learned about substantial equivalency requirements, stakeholder engagement, and digital licensing that could be helpful to states that are considering a ULR law. Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860743) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode52_Universal_Licensing_Recognition _041222_transcript.pdf)

Al Carter, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, discusses the report from NABP's work group to consider extending waivers that were issued during the pandemic. He shares how the work group evaluated policy changes into three categories: what should be looked at for permanent consideration in all circumstances, what should be considered during special or unusual public health circumstances, and what should only be considered during declared emergencies. Hear how the pharmacy association evaluated policy changes, and join the discussion on CLEAR Communities (https://community.clearhq.org/) to share how your organization is evaluating pandemic policy changes moving forward. Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860738) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode51_Evaluating_Pandemic_Changes _030822_transcript.pdf)

CLEAR is celebrating Episode 50 of our podcast!  Listen as CLEAR presidents past and present take a look back at trends in professional regulation during 2021.  Hear international perspectives on the following themes: Disciplining practitioners for COVID mis/disinformation, Mobility, DEI and discrimination in regulation, Reducing barriers to licensure, Licensure issues for veterans and military members, and Telepractice. And view the CLEAR Regulatory News blog summary of 2021 regulatory trends (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860729). Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860733) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode50_2021_Regulatory_Trends _020822_transcript.pdf)

The health regulatory colleges in British Columbia signed a declaration to cultural safety and humility with First Nations Health Authority partners, committing to strengthening relationships with Indigenous peoples and ensuring that culturally safe practices are embedded in the operations and proceedings of the colleges. Hear from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC about their journey of organizational transformation and addressing Indigenous-specific racism in healthcare. Heidi Oetter, Susan Prins, and Derek Puddester talk about education, diversified governance representation, a new standard of practice on cultural safety and humility, and a rebranding of the organization to reflect current values of Truth and Reconciliation. "We really recognize at this point that this is our problem to fix, not theirs. . . . Simply put: We must and we will respond to every single recommendation [from the 'In Plain Sight' report]."  Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860728) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode49_Cultural_Safety_Humility _011122_transcript.pdf)

Caroline Miller, Cathi Mietkiewicz, and Marc Spector speak from their perspectives from both the vendor side and the regulator side about the relationship between regulatory organizations and the vendor community. They talk about how technology is really embedded in all of the work that regulators do, so leveraging the expertise of the regulators and the vendors is important in order to be effective and efficient with solutions. They talk about challenges in how regulators and vendors approach the relationship and how they can move beyond that to have an honest conversation about what is achievable. Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860726) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode48_Beyond_the_Contract _120721_transcript.pdf)

Sandy Greenberg and Marlon Brown talk about where regulatory organizations are with the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.  After providing some working definitions of DEI terminology, Sandy shares results from a recent survey of CLEAR stakeholders - asking where they rate DEI as a priority, what prompted their interest in DEI, how they are responding to the issue, what obstacles they're experiencing in implementing DEI-related initiatives, and what metrics they will use to measure success.  Then, as a preview to topics at CLEAR's Winter Symposium, Marlon Brown shares some of the ongoing DEI initiatives, both internally and externally, at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.  Transcript: html (https://www.clearhq.org/page-1860725) or PDF (http://clearweb.drivehq.com/podcast_transcripts/CLEAR_podcast_episode47_DEI_Where_are_we _110921_transcript.pdf)