Advanced Practice Nurses: On the Move in PA

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

nurses advocate for access to quality healthcare

told they "were a force to be reckoned with" the alliance of advance practice nurses held a press conference yesterday advocating for access to quality healthcare.

the annual press conference was held this past tuesday, at the capitol in harrisburg .

the alliance of nurses was addressed by key legislators who are sponsoring current nursing issue related bills. sheila gealey, crnp (from butler ) opened the conference noting the day's agenda was to educate and inform legislators of the purpose of nurse practitioners.

senator pat vance (r-31: cumberland , york ) addressed the alliance noting how far the state has come in six years with nursing related issues. senator vance currently is sponsoring two bills before the senate: sb 647 and sb 648. both bills give authority for certified registered nurse practitioners to make assessments.

senator mary jo white (r-21: butler , clarion, erie , forest , venango, warren) who is sponsoring sb 452, noted legislators rely on advocacy from nurses to keep them informed. "we need to know what is critical to practice and healthcare and how to make it more accessible and affordable."

representative steve barrar (r-160: chester , delaware ) closed the rally citing the key role nurses play in healthcare. he said nurses are "a force to be reckoned with," noting the more than 200,000 nurses practicing statewide. he is sponsoring hb 1063, which he feels sends a message to nurses that their hard work and dedication is valued.

other speakers included: mary ellen tormey cns (from sewickley) and mike kinslow, crna (from philadelphia area).

http://www.pacnp.org/lobbyday/lobbyday2005.pdf

pa state nurses association places a call-to-action for improved health care

the association asks the commonwealth to utilize the thousands of advanced practice nurses to help solve the issues of delivering quality care in an over-burdened health care system.

harrisburg, february 2, 2005 -- the pa state nurses association, in collaboration with the alliance of advanced practice nurses, today released an extensive briefing paper, entitled "solving one piece of the health care delivery crisis puzzle: an action agenda for the commonwealth of pennsylvania," examining the full scope of advanced practice nurses and their capability to significantly expand the capacity of pennsylvania's health care system.

this briefing paper provides thorough background information about nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse midwives -- all registered nurses with advanced education - and supportive evidence of how and why the proposed solutions will deliver measurable results that will support the health care system and the advancement of care.

"the pa state nurse association feels strongly that advanced practice nurses are under-utilized and because of this lack of use, patients suffer," said michele p. campbell, msn, rnc, executive administrator for the pa state nurses association. "many of the problems plaguing the health care industry derive from inappropriate allocation of resources, and this briefing paper highlights how advanced practice nurses are more than capable of delivering real solutions to the present allocation crisis - all while providing additional benefits including bringing quality care to underserved areas and reducing medical costs." ..

full news brief: http://www.panurses.org/c_news_february_2005.htm

click here to download the entire briefing paper.

look how far weve come in 6 years! flashback to physician news digest articles

from 2000:

nursing scope of practice regulations

more than 20 years after the state passed a law allowing certified registered nurse practitioners (crnps) to prescribe and dispense medications without a physician's signature, the state boards of nursing and medicine have ratified the regulations that will put the law into effect.

from 1999:

advancing the battle for nursing autonomy

balancing nursing autonomy with quality of care