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Hello everyone, I received a E-mail today from EC stating that we should all write our government officials. It also talked about 3new board members replaced 3old ones recently by the Gov. It also talked about hearing this case as soon as possible. My computer will not allow me to post the E-mail. If some else have it please post the second one with all the address on it.:heartbeat

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

Georgia Nursing Students and Graduates Call to Action

As we promised in our message to you on November 20, this letter is an update on what has happened regarding licensu

In addition, the time is now right to ask you to write a letter to the Board of Nursing (Board) and key legislative leaders. Information on what this letter should say and to whom it should be sent is outlined at the end of this correspondence.

Updates

Since Governor Perdue issued his statement on November 14 in support of bona fide nursing education programs such as Excelsior's, the Board has signaled a willingness to reconsider a means to resolve the current situation.

The Governor has made three new appointments to the Board, all of which are effective immediately. The appointments replace three of the current Board members.

We also understand that certain legislative leaders are interested in helping in this process. On Thanksgiving Day, the College placed a one-half page message in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in an effort to raise greater public awareness of the problem.

What You Can Do

As you know, Governor Perdue has promised to work with the General Assembly to obtain a legislative remedy that will keep the licensing option open for our graduates. This may take several months to achieve and we will need your help after an actual bill has been introduced in the General Assembly. We will provide specific information for a letter to your individual legislators in a future correspondence.

In the meantime, given the apparent renewed interest from the Board to consid

This letter would urge that students enrolled before July 1 (the effective date of the current amended law that the Board has relied upon), and recent graduates who have not been able to receive a license in Georgia, be eligible

The letter should be in your own words and tell the Board and legislators your story: why you want to become an RN and how important it is to you, why you chose Excelsior College to earn your degree, and how your current and past clinical experiences are helping you to achieve your goal.

This letter is an opportunity to show how you are affected by the Board's decision. It is important that your letter be professional in nature and not include any negative or derogatory statements. You want to make a good impression of yourself and Excelsior's program.

As you write this letter, it will be important to include certain points such as the following

There is no evidence to support the Board's decision to place barriers in the path of Excelsior students and graduates seeking RN licensure in Georgia.

Excelsior's nursing program has been nationally accredited since 1975 and is one of only 13 Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education in the nation.

You enrolled in the Excelsior nursing program relying on the Board's 30-year history of licensing Excelsior's graduates.

There was no notice prior to July 1, by the Board or any other government agency, that HB 1041 would be interpreted in a manner that would deny you licensure.

Ask that the Board take action at its January meeting to allow you to be eligible for licensure in Georgia under the terms of Georgia law in effect at the time you enrolled in the Excelsior nursing program.

We suggest that you write and mail a letter, rather than sending an email, so that the volume of correspondence from students and graduates will be more evident to those receiving these letters.

Please address your letter to the President of the Georgia Board of Nursing and send copies to the government officials whose addresses are shown on the following page. Please also send copies to Excelsior College and to the Georgia Nurses Association. These letters should be written and mailed as soon as you possibly can so that they are received prior to the Board's meeting in January.

Thank you,

M. Bridget Nettleton, PhD, RN

sig_bridget_nettleton.gif

Dean, School of Nursing

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

Address your letter to:

Linda Herren, RN

President, Georgia Board of Nursing

237 Coliseum Drive

Macon, GA 31217-3858

Send Copies to:

Hon. Casey Cagle

Lt. Governor

240 State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

Hon. Glenn Richardson

Speaker of the House of Representatives

332 State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

Hon. Sharon Cooper

Georgia House of Representatives

436 State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

Hon. Don Thomas

Georgia Senate

121 G-State Capitol

Atlanta, GA 30334

Hon. Karen C. Handel

Georgia Secretary of State

214 State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

M. Bridget Nettleton, PhD, RN

Dean, School of Nursing

Excelsior College

7 Columbia Circle

Albany, NY 12203-5159

Debbie Hackman, CAE

Chief Executive Officer

Georgia Nurses Association

3032 Briarcliff Rd.

Atlanta, GA 30329-2655

Sandy Bond, RN, MSN, MBA

Executive Director

Georgia Board of Nursing

237 Coliseum Drive

Macon, GA 31217-3858

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

sorry about the bad formating in the first part guys.....the laptop doesn't like to cut and paste:bugeyes:. I just want to say thank you to all of you guys for supporting us in our fight for licensure :yeah:

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