Politically Active

This is the letter I sent to my Representative regarding SB 263:


Ryan:

I don’t get wrapped up too much in political wrangling but when this issue came up and I realized I actually know my representative I had to contact you. I am a Registered Nurse. I work at McKay Dee Hospital in the Emergency and Acute Psychiatric departments. I have a Bachelors Degree in Nursing, minor in Philosophy (WSU) and am better than half way through a Doctorate in Nursing Practice at the University of Utah. I tell you this so you know that I am coming to the issue of nursing education with quite a bit of experience on the subject. If you aren’t familiar with this bill, SB263 seeks to modify the Utah Nurse Practice Act specifically Part 6: 58-31b-601. At present this allows DOPL and the Board of Nursing to dictate the requirements of nursing education programs by division rule making.

I don’t know the exact motivation that Mr. Davis and Mr. Newbold have in mind when bringing this forward but it seeks to amend provisions within the practice act as to who can accredit and approve nursing education programs. I have no general objection to amending the Nurse Practice Act with regard to specifying accreditation and approval and I can even understand why there are some schools that are nervous about being restricted by rules rather than specific legislation. However, none of the schools currently operating as accredited in Utah are affected by the current rules. They appear to be promoting this legislation to preempt rules they are concerned might be offered in the future. There is no urgency in addressing the issue of accreditation and therefore we have all the more reason to ensure that the legislation be carefully and properly crafted.

That said I do have a concern with the way in which the current version is offered. As drafted it effectively cuts out DOPL and creates a gap in oversight of nursing programs. Currently Utah operates under the same model of accreditation approval as every other state. By changing the accreditation process in this way Utah will be be utilizing a completely different model of monitoring than any other state. The Utah Nurses Association and the State Board of Nursing are unclear as to how this proposed change might affect the schools currently operating in the state. Nursing is a highly technical, highly skilled, pivotal position within our healthcare system. We cannot afford to have nurses entering the workforce who have recieved inadequate schooling and training. This does a disservice to not only the student but places a burden on our healthcare facilities as they try to re-train new nurses and a burden of risk on our community members who are recieving medical care at the hands of nurses.

With all of this in mind SB 263 falls short of an appropriate piece of legislation – one that is well understood, well thought out and maintains or improves the integrity of the program it is designed to govern. SB 263 is none of these things. I encourage you to vote No on SB 263.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Norton BSN, RN

If you feel like jumping on the Bandwagon you can find talking points from the UNA here and you can find out who your representative is here.