Update: FPA & TNNPA Dinner

Happy Saturday and welcome to each of our new Facebook followers. This association is designed for APRNs who share common goals for practice.

As many of you know, we have and are taking a stand for Full Practice Authority. It has been highly debated and is at the forefront of many states. At this particular time, 20 states are practicing independently. This is our goal.

In practicing independent, this does not mean every Nurse Practitioner will open a private clinic, nor does it mean you cannot work for physicians or other nurse practitioners. The bill is designed to eliminate collaboration from physicians and allow nurse practitioners to practice to their full potential.
This will allow us an opportunity to examine, diagnose and treat patients without physicians having to oversee 20% of the charts and being paid to review these charts. What does this mean? This means when you are responsible for a panel of patients, you will be 100% responsible for the care and treatment.

The states which are practicing independently has a clause in place stating that new graduates would maintain a specific number of hours, prior to practicing independently. Tennessee , also mimicked this clause, requesting 2,080 practice hours.

The sponsors did not have enough support for the bill this session but will introduce it for the 2016 session. What does this mean for us? We are asking for your participation in an all out push to visit your Representative and Senate offices. During your visit, give personal testimonies and those testimonies or letters from patients and family.

We have time to educate our candidates about the education and responsibilities of nurse practitioners. During this past session,it was apparent many of our officials did not know nurse practitioners. They must know us in order for them to vote for us.

The TN Nurse Practitioner Association will meet on April 23, 2015 @ 6 p.m. Please make an effort to attend this meeting. All are welcomed to attend.