HB 330 Cook, Bennie
HB 330 -- ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES
SPONSOR: Cook
This bill modifies provisions relating to nurses. The bill changes the definition of an "Advanced Practice Registered Nurse" (APRN) to mean a person who is licensed to engage in the practice of advanced practice nursing as a Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Nurse Practitioner, or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
This bill defines the "practice of advanced practice nursing" as the performance for compensation of activities and services consistent with the required education, training, certification, demonstrated competencies, and experiences of an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.
The bill modifies the definition of "practice of professional nursing" to include the data collection on and evaluation of patients and providing assistance in the determination of a plan of health care with members of the health care team.
Currently, a person who wants to practice as an APRN must be licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse (RN) and receive a privilege to practice. This bill requires an APRN to apply for a separate license to practice as an APRN.
An applicant must:
(1) Be a current Registered Professional Nurse and can not have an encumbered license as an RN or an APRN;
(2) Have completed a graduate-level APRN program;
(3) Be certified by a national certifying body; and
(4) Have a population focus on his or her certification, corresponding with his or her educational advance practice registered nurse program.
If any person has an APRN privilege to practice at the time of the effective date of the bill, that person will be automatically licensed as an APRN.
An APRN must maintain his or her RN license in order to remain licensed as an APRN. The RN and APRN licenses will be renewed together.
This bill is similar to HB 1578 (2022) and HB 502 (2021).