Assignment Instructions
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?
Sample Answer
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy.
One of the legislation that has occurred in the United States within the last 5 years is the APRN Modernization Act. Nurses support the bill by providing the BON with the financial support necessary for advancing, supporting, and protecting the profession. The APRN Modernization Act, SB-145, creates new license requirements for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) administered by the Wisconsin State Nursing Board (Gunn, 2024). The APRNs that will be covered in the Act are nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetics, and certified nurse midwives. The Wisconsin Nursing Board opposed the requirement of four years of supervision before the APRNS could be able to practice independently. It opposed the need for additional supervision for the APRNS working in pain management and the use of the titles of psychiatrist, physician, surgeon, and other special titles by APRNs and other non-doctors (Gunn, 2024).
Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?
The APRN Modernization Act was introduced and passed into law by nurses playing their roles of advocacy. This act provides nurses with a huge range of opportunities for nurses to fully practice their nursing skills and medical knowledge, address shortcomings in the healthcare setting, introduce new Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), and advance healthcare technology. The Act ensures that nurses provide high-quality and timely care to all patients equally thus achieving health equity (ANA, 2024). It introduces a simplified licensure system for APRNS and lowers the shortage of healthcare professionals. This yields positive effects such as provision of quality care and quick recovery of the patients thus reducing the costs of care and making the right use of medical resources. It is necessary for nurse leaders, nurse representatives, and other healthcare providers to be updated with the latest developments in care and ensure that people have equal access to care services (ANA, 2024).
References
ANA. (2024). APRN Modernization Act. Wisconsin Nurses Association. https://www.wisconsinnurses.org/aprn-modernization-act-3/
Gunn, E. (2024). A bill to give some nurses greater autonomy appears destined for a veto. What happened? Wisconsin Examiner. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/02/02/a-bill-to-give-some-nurses-greater-autonomy-appears-destined-for-a-veto-what-happened/