Today, the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners – along with Del. Roxann Robinson, the patron of HB 793 – generated a huge legislative win that will move nurse practitioners in Virginia closer to obtaining Full Practice Authority.

During the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee’s reading of HB 793, Del. Robinson introduced a new “substitute” bill that removed many of the overbearing restrictions in the original bill that opponents had wanted to impose on NPs. The substitute was unanimously approved by the committee in a 15-0 vote.

The new substitute bill goes a long way to reduce the restrictions that would have been imposed by the original House subcommittee substitute of HB 793, but it does retain the five-year transition to practice requirement. With this being a top concern for members, VCNP’s Executive Committee, all Regional Presidents, and regional Government Relations chairs, held an emergency conference call Wednesday night to discuss the new substitute bill and to vote on if they wanted Del. Robinson to move forward with it. Nine members of the Executive Committee and 12 Regional Presidents all voted unanimously to move forward with the substitute.

Mark Coles of the Tidewater region noted before the vote: “Virginia is a state where legislative progress is only made incrementally. We might be an outlier with a five-year transition to practice, but there are more than 20 other states around the country that would love to be in the place where we are right now. Full practice authority is within reach.”

It is important for all members to understand that, with the new substitute bill, more than 50 percent of NPs in Virginia have already met the five-year transition to practice requirement. Once the substitute bill is approved by the entire Senate, it will return to the House floor for another vote. Should it pass again and be signed by the Governor, rules will be promulgated by January 1, 2019 and NPs will be eligible to move forward with authority to practice without requirement of a collaborative agreement.

VCNP President Chris Daley noted to everyone on last night’s call that we are pledged to transparency throughout this process. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your Regional President or Government Relations chair. It is the goal of the VCNP Board to ensure that everyone is comfortable with this process.

HB 793 will be voted on by the full Senate in the upcoming days. Please stay tuned for additional details on our progress.

The American Academy of Nursing has announced their official position on Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practiced Registered Nurses (APRNs). The Academy declares, “Lack of full practice authority for APRNs is a barrier to the provision of efficient, cost-effective, high-quality, and comprehensive health care services for some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations”. The statement cites the improvements in care that states with Full Practice Authority have experienced and makes suggestions at the state and federal level for lowering barriers to practice. Read the full statement below.

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VCNP is thrilled to announce HB793 – a bill designed to lower barriers to practice in Virginia and expand access to care. The bill permits Nurse Practitioners to practice without a collaborative agreement after a Transition to Practice period of 1,040 hours, which may be supervised by either a NP or physician. The bill will be presented to the Virginia House of Delegates by its sponsor, Del. Roxann Robinson (R-Chesterfield). You may read the bill in its entirety by clicking here. Below is the official press release announcing the proposed legislation:
 

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Governor McAuliffe issued a Proclamation recognizing November 12–18, 2017 as NP Week in Virginia. The full text is included below; you may also view it at https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/proclamations/proclamation/2017-nurse-practitioner-week/

2017 Nurse Practitioner Week

11/12/2017

WHEREAS, nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who have advanced clinical education and training building upon their initial registered nurse preparation; and

WHEREAS, NPs serve as trusted frontline providers of healthcare for patients in our state; and

WHEREAS, there are 234,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States, and more than 9,700 NPs in Virginia providing primary, acute, and specialty care to patients of all ages and walks of life; and

WHEREAS, NPs diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications and other treatments to patients through a caring, patient-centered, holistic model of care; and

WHEREAS, citizens have great trust in the high-quality care NPs provide, resulting in more than one billion patient visits annually to NPs across the country; and

WHEREAS, five decades of research demonstrates the high quality of care provided by NPs; and

WHEREAS, utilization of NPs promotes a more accessible, efficient, cost-effective, and higher quality health care system; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is proud to recognize and honor the service of NPs to our Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terence R. McAuliffe, do hereby recognize November 12-18, 2017, as NURSE PRACTITIONER WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Senator Mark Warner for his support of Virginia nurse practitioners and his commitment to helping us celebrate National Nurse Practitioners Week.
 

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Special thanks to Senator Tim Kaine for publicly supporting all nurse practitioners in Virginia and our efforts by signing this proclamation in support of National Nurse Practitioners Week.
 

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NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Brian Chandler

Commonwealth PR

804.221.9177

bchandler@commonwealth-pr.com

Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners Awards $3,000 in Scholarships

RICHMOND, VA – Dec. 10, 2015 – The Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners (VCNP) awarded two scholarships to local nurse practitioners at the Virginia Nurses Association gala held on Nov. 21.

Dawn Bourne, a family nurse practitioner enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Virginia, received a $2,000 scholarship and Judy Jenks Branscom, a family nurse practitioner pursuing a Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership and Administration at Radford University, received a $1,000 scholarship.

“The 2015 scholarship recipients embody the principles that VCNP champions,” said Maribeth Capuno, RN, MSN, ANP-BC. “Dawn’s research into causes of distress to providers, including a lack of access to care and financial burdens, serves to highlight opportunities for NPs to improve public health, while Judy’s plan for a clinic staffed primarily by NPs to provide primary care, mental health care and pain management, aligns with our vision for nurse practitioners across the Commonwealth.”

Dawn Bourne:

In addition to her dedication to clinical practice, Bourne has a passion for clinical ethics and was invited to join the UVA Ethics Consult Service after spending an entire semester learning the core competencies of a clinical ethics consultant. In that role, she will serve as a leader and educator of healthcare providers of all disciplines as well as patients and their families. As part of her studies at UVA, Bourne’s Capstone examines moral distress in primary care providers and how it impacts the quality of health care patients receive.

Judy Jenks Branscom:

Branscom has spent more than 13 years as a nurse practitioner providing primary care in the New River Valley, during which she became concerned about the diminishing sources of primary care and mental health services. To help meet the needs of patients in Pulaski, she has developed a plan to open a primary care clinic that would offer primary care, mental health, and pain management services. In addition to her work as an NP, Branscom also serves as adjunct faculty of Nursing at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, which sparked the idea that her primary care clinic will serve as a preceptor site for all levels of nursing and mental health students.

– more –

VCNP’s scholarship, which was awarded for the first time in 2010, honors nurse practitioners and their passion for quality health care.  The scholarship is funded through donations from VCNP members and provided in part by the Virginia Nurses Foundation. Scholarship applicants must be members of VCNP who are enrolled in a doctoral program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Applicants also must have completed 50 percent of the required hours of graduate study and exhibit academic excellence and a commitment to advanced practice nursing with strong clinical and leadership abilities