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February 19, 2021 ToolsPrint-Friendly Article
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Urge Your State Legislators To Oppose The Elimination of Training for Nurse Practitioners
The Maine Legislature’s Joint Committee On Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services held a public hearing this week on a bill that would remove from law any post-graduate supervision and training requirements for newly licensed advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) and would leave the development of scope and standards of practice entirely under the purview of the Maine State Board of Nursing and national organizations with no accountability to Maine. If the bill becomes law there will be no requirement for newly graduated advanced practice registered nurses to have any post graduate training upon graduating from an accredited nurse practice educational program, while keeping in place residency requirements for physicians. You may recall last year the Legislature passed, and Governor Mills signed that legislation into law allowing a pathway for physician assistants to eventually have independent practice authority in Maine. However, the bill did include a provision requiring physician assistants with less than 4,000 hours of practice must experience to work under a collaborative agreement. If the bill becomes law, physicians will still be required to complete residency, PAs will still need 4,000 hours of training and collaboration, but nurse practitioners will be allowed by state law to practice independently from day one after graduation. Do not be fooled by the argument that the NP is practicing "nursing" and not "medicine." Under Maine law it is a distinction without a difference. The scope of practice for advanced practice nursing in statute is the functional equivalent to that of a physician in the field despite the training and educational differences. The Committee has scheduled discussion, debate, and a potential vote on LD 295, removing any post graduate training for APRNs for this upcoming Thursday morning. It is critically important for patient safety that as many MMA members as possible reach out to legislators on the committee to express your opposition to the bill. Our testimony in opposition to the bill can be found here, as well as testimony against the bill from the Maine Osteopathic Association and Spectrum Healthcare Partners. You can watch/listen to the full hearing on the bill from the start by clicking here. Dr. Hymanson’s verbal testimony can be found here. MMA Director of Communications & Government Affairs, Dan Morin’s verbal testimony - written testimony Maine Osteopathic Association verbal testimony – written testimony Committee Members and communities they represent are listed below. Click on their names for contact Information: Westbrook and part of Portland – Chair Scarborough/Gorham Numerous towns in Aroostook County Topsham – Chair Brunswick Limington / Standish (Part) / Buxton (Part) / Limerick (Part) Lewiston Lewiston Atkinson/ Brownville/ Dover-Foxcroft/ Lake View/ Medford/ Milo/ Orneville Township Representative Kristi Mathieson Kittery Auburn Leeds/ Turner/ Livermore (Part) Amity/ Bancroft/ Benedicta Township/ Cary/ Glenwood/ Haynesville/ Hodgdon/ Houlton/ Macwahoc/ Orient/ Reed/ Weston/ Molunkus Township/ Silver Ridge Township/ South Aroostook Please contact MMA Director of Communications and Government Affairs, Dan Morin at dmorin@mainemed.com or by phone at 207-480-4199 for more information or background on the bill or questions about contacting committee legislators in opposition of the bill.
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