February 22nd - sign up for NP Advocacy Day and Night at the Legislature

Our efforts to pass the Modernize Nursing Practice Act are officially underway for 2017: I am thrilled to announce that this afternoon at the North Carolina General Assembly, legislators in both the House and Senate re-introduced legislation to grant Full Practice Authority to all advanced practice registered nurses! Primary sponsors of HB 88 are Rep. Josh Dobson, Rep. Donny Lambeth, Rep. Sarah Stevens, and Rep. Gale Adcock. Primary sponsors of SB 73 are Sen. Ralph Hise, Sen. Louis Pate, and Sen. Joyce Krawiec.

If it becomes law, HB 88/SB 73 would remove practice barriers, including all remaining requirements for physician supervision, for APRNs. It also would ensure that all APRNs will be solely regulated by the Board of Nursing. Additionally, the Modernize Nursing Practice Act would grant title protection to CNSs in North Carolina. Unlike bills that are being considered for other professions, HB 88/SB 73 does notchange the scope of practice of any nurses.

NCNA knows that many of you have already been working to support similar legislation over the last two years. We are incredibly appreciative of your efforts educating lawmakers and the public about how APRNs can contribute to increased access to quality care in our state. The only differences between this new bill and the one introduced in 2015 are the inclusion of all four APRN specialties and a handful of minor tweaks to clarify language.

The timing of this bill could not be better for nurses, because we have already scheduled our annualNurses Night at the Legislature for next Wednesday, February 22, in Raleigh. If you have not yet registered, please do so, because this will be an incredible opportunity to talk about the benefits of this bill with the lawmakers who will ultimately decide its fate. Additionally, we are ALWAYS looking for volunteers to participate in our weekly presence at the General Assembly. Click here for more information on that ongoing effort.

Thank you for all you do to lead Nursing Forward!

Sincerely,

Tina Gordon, MPA, CAE, FACHE
NCNA Chief Executive Officer

NP Advocacy Day at Legislature
February 22, 2017
1:00-4:00 pm at NCGA
Go here for more information.

Nurses Night at the Legislature
February 22, 2017
5:30-7:30 pm; Raleigh, NC
Go here for more information.