Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Nursing
 
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5/3/18  9:27 pm
Commenter: Bridgette Keene NP student

HB 793
 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comments on this this extremely important issue of regulating full practice authority for NPs. Many NPs have already been nurses for quite some time. The average NP has already been a nurse for 10 years prior to their NP. It would seem counter intuitive as we strive toward better and expanded access to care to heavily regulate the process of attestation. This gap is especially evident in rural areas. This should be a cumulative 5 years counted toward the attestation with the possibility of having the oversight of multiple physicians during that time. This regulation process should be simple without unreasonable fees attached as NPs already have two licenses to maintain in addition to their DEA license. This process should not be financially burdensome on the NP as they already pay fees for theses aforementioned items. I feel very well prepared to manage complex patients in my current curriculum and have a healthy discretion of when to refer my patients to other specialists as other providers also do. There should not be a limit on the number of NPs whom can attest at the 5 year mark. If they have the experience they should be able to attest. Any NP who has completed a graduate level program should be able to practice to the the full extent of their education without unduly restrictions. As we are always nurses at heart we remain the number one advocate for our patients and supporting their access to care. Make the process of attestation a simplistic one for this reason. 

CommentID: 65289