The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation now offers three electronic renewal options for nurses: E-batch, Internet and telephone.

Nearly 150,000 nurses will be renewing their licenses between March 1 and May 31, State Sen. J. Bradley Burzynski (R) said.

With the addition of E-batch, nurses now can process paperwork through their employers.

E-batch is a government to business program for renewing professionally held licenses, according to the IDPR Web Site. Employers collect renewal forms from employees and process paperwork through the Web site.

“It is an easy system, and it takes the work out of filling out paperwork,” said Nora Oakey, Kishwaukee Community Hospital nursing supervisor. “Every two years, a nursing renewal is needed.”

E-batch ensures registered nurses have active licenses to avoid staffing shortages and reduces disciplinary action IDPR takes against professionals who practice with expired licenses, she said.

E-batch aims to reduce the time health care facilities spend verifying renewal licenses and offers a service to nurses by allowing them to renew licenses at work, Burzynski said.

Nurses who don’t have access to E-batch through their employers can fill out a renewal on the IDPR Web site.

This year, Oakey used the Internet option to process her nursing license renewal. Kishwaukee Community Hospital allows nurses to use the E-batch option by deducting a percent from each paycheck.

“Nurses with a credit card and a computer can renew in their own living rooms,” IDPR Director Fernando E. Grillo said.

Nurses also can renew their licenses with a credit card over the phone by calling 800-823-6100. There is a $3 convenience fee for processing paperwork on the Web site and by phone to cover vendor costs.