BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WBRC ) - A cyberattack is keeping the Alabama Board of Nursing’s entire online licensing system offline . Right now, more than 80,000 nurses statewide are working to renew their licenses, along with new graduates trying to get licensed for the first time.
No timeline for restoration
Honor Ingels, chief policy and communications officer for the Alabama Board of Nursing, said protecting licensees’ data is the board’s top priority.
“Our number one priority is to protect the data of our licensees. And that is the reason that keeping this system offline currently is necessary to do so until we have secured the system,” Ingels said.
Staff have been working to secure data, wipe compromised devices and process all new applications by hand, according to the board.
In a Sept. 10 statement, ABN Executive Officer Dr. Natalie Baker said the investigation into the cybersecurity event remains active and ongoing, with the board continuing to work with cybersecurity professionals and state resources. Baker said the board is not yet able to draw conclusions the nature or scope of the event.
Applications processed on paper
To avoid a backlog, all nursing license applications are being done on paper and processed by hand.
Dr. Rebecca Huie, interim executive director of the Alabama State Nurses Association, said the disruption reaches beyond one group of applicants.
“Colleges and universities across the state of Alabama are graduating nurses, nurse practitioners... midwives... CRNAs, all of the different professions of nurses are graduating. And so any of them are going to be impacted,” Huie said.
Ingels said the board has processed every application it has received, but there is still no timeline for when the online system will be restored.
“We cannot promise when the online services will be restored. We can promise that we will process these paper applications as expeditiously as possible,” Ingels said.
With no way to look up a nurse’s license status instantly, hospitals need another way to confirm they are hiring and retaining a nurse who is licensed to care for patients.
“It’s delaying hiring across the state for many hospitals and, you know, clinics, healthcare facilities,” Huie said.
The Alabama Board of Nursing said employers can verify a nurse through the national Nursys database, or by checking the list on the board’s website, which is updated daily with anyone who has applied since Sept. 1. The board said Nursys information is current through Aug. 31.
The board said it may not be able to issue an Alabama nursing license number until services are fully restored. In the meantime, nurses can be identified and their licensure validated using the unique identifier assigned by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
“I understand that this process is frustrating, especially for the new graduates who are excited to go get their first job as a nurse, and we will get them licensed as fast as we can,” Ingels said.
Applications open for new graduates
Paper applications are already open for advanced practice nurses, including nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives. As of Thursday, new RN and LPN graduates can also apply on paper, along with nurses already licensed in another state who want to work in Alabama.
The board said incomplete applications, or those missing requested information, will not be processed.
Where to turn in paper applications
The Alabama Board of Nursing will be collecting applications at locations across the state Monday and Tuesday of week. On Monday, the board will be at Calhoun Community College’s Decatur campus, Jefferson State’s Shelby-Hoover campus and Coastal Alabama Community College’s Bay Minette campus. On Tuesday, the board will be at Gadsden State Community College, Shelton State Community College’s Martin campus and Wallace Community College in Dothan.
Applications can also be mailed or dropped off directly at the Alabama Board of Nursing’s office in Montgomery.
The board said it continues to receive reports of people trying to defraud Alabama nurses using spoofed phone numbers and forged documents made to look like official ABN communication.
Officials say no ABN employee will ever ask a nurse to keep an investigation secret or demand immediate payment of a fee or fine. The board is also urging applicants not to give out personal information over the phone or by email.
Anyone contacted by someone claiming to be an ABN investigator should note the caller’s information and the board directly at 334-293-5200.
The full story
This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.
