CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 05/13/09 -- The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®) (www.ncsbn.org) applauds the efforts of President Obama and Congress to reform health care in the U.S. and offers its full support as the source for nursing regulatory information.

NCSBN members are the 60 boards of nursing in the states and territories who regulate nursing practice through the process of licensure. Its mission is to provide leadership to advance regulatory excellence for public protection.

"We acknowledge the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress for its leadership on this important policy issue. NCSBN and its member boards of nursing are ready to provide our expertise and information related to health care reform and other associated health care issues," comments Laura Rhodes, MSN, RN, president, NCSBN and executive officer, West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses.

State and territorial boards of nursing protect the public directly by ensuring that nurses are safe and competent to practice through the process of licensure, enforcement, approval of nursing education programs and actively addressing consumer concerns. Some also regulate other key health care roles, such as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and medication aides. NCSBN urges the administration and Congress to consider the following policy priorities:

--  Support the state role in health care licensure to protect consumers by
    ensuring safe and competent providers, and include nurse regulators at the
    discussion and implementation table to facilitate the smooth transition of
    reform.

--  Maximize the use of all licensed health care providers by supporting
    overlapping scopes of practice.  As scopes of practice evolve, changes
    should be supported, provided care can be delivered in a safe, effective
    and efficient manner. For example, advanced practice registered nurses
    (APRNs) can safely and effectively deliver primary care, anesthesia and
    midwifery services.

--  Support state implementation of the new APRN licensure model that was
    developed on a national level, through consensus, with the involvement of
    all major nursing stakeholders.  This new licensure model will increase the
    mobility of APRNs across state lines and increase access to care.

--  Adopt throughout federal law utilization of the term "qualified,
    licensed provider" to support the emerging roles in health care practice
    and delivery, rather than only using the term "physician."

--  Encourage Congress to review the existing federal oversight of CNAs.
    Several states also regulate CNAs and a coordinated, state-based approach
    to regulating this health care role could more effectively protect the
    public across all settings, instead of solely in long-term care or home
    health care, according to federal law.
    

NCSBN is a resource for all health care reform efforts. NCSBN is currently building a national licensure database to which the majority of state boards of nursing now belong. This database will be able to identify an unduplicated count of the actual number of actively licensed nurses in the U.S. This database will also be made available to relevant state and federal agencies for licensure verification in times of disaster, at no cost in the future.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a not-for-profit organization whose members include the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories -- American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. The College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia is an associate member.

Mission: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), composed of Member Boards, provides leadership to advance regulatory excellence for public protection.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900
Chicago, IL 60601-4277