In May 2010 the NC Board of Nursing established an APRN Advisory Committee charged with studying the licensure, accreditation, certification and education of advanced practice registered nurses in North Carolina. The establishment of this committee came as a result of the adoption of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification & Education by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
Since the adoption of the national model in 2008, the NCSBN has pushed for adoption in all fifty states. North Carolina is next on this list. The advisory committee in North Carolina was comprised of 16 members including 14 nurses and two public representatives.
The committee met four times and presented its recommendations to the NC Board of Nursing at the September 2011 meeting. These recommendations include:
- Sole regulation of all advanced practice registered nurses by the NC Board of Nursing, eliminating the shared regulatory role of the NC Medical Board over Nurse Practitioners (NP).
- Elimination of physician supervision requirements for Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM).
- Grant prescriptive authority to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS).
The NCMS is watching this issue very closely and will continue to offer updates in the Bulletin as they become available. NCMS policy supports the requirement of physician supervision of mid-level practitioners who perform medical acts, tasks, and functions (Physician Relationship With Mid-Level Practitioners).
Related legislation is expected to become a priority for the NCMS legislative team during the upcoming session of the NC General Assembly. Read the entire report from the APRN Advisory Committee here.
