WHY?
The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Interstate Compact bills (House Bill 21 and House Bill 141) were released from committee and are expected to be considered by the entire House of Representatives on Thursday, May 20th.
The first bill, HB 21, is the actual Interstate Compact. HB 141 is a companion bill that changes existing Delaware law to comport with the compact.
Several years ago, the Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) worked in conjunction with the APRNs and others to craft the existing law that both these bills would change.
MSD regards APRNs and other professionals as vital to a complete and well-functioning health care system and is proud to work hand in hand for the best patient outcomes.
To be clear, MSD believes in licensure portability, but only when it does not conflict with existing requirements - whether that be scope of practice or training requirements.
MSD opposes these bills because it would cut the training requirements for independent APRN practice virtually in half. Patient safety is the foremost concern of our profession and we believe these bills go too far in limiting the amount of training Delaware currently requires.
The Delaware Society of Anesthesiologists submitted a letter to members of the House in opposition to HB 141 and HB 21. Read the letter for a more in-depth discussion.
Our ASK:
Call YOUR State Representative ASAP asking them to vote against both HB 21 and HB 141.
If you do not know who your Representative is or do not have your Representative's contact information, you can find it here: www.legis.delaware.gov (under "Who is My Legislator?")
