Call to action: We need to hear your voices!

Call to action: We need to hear your voices! The Colorado Board of Nursing (BON, Board) is considering adopting new rules that would change the state’s regulations around Colorado’s 750-hour mentorship requirement for nurse practitioner (NP) prescriptive authority.

We want to offer feedback for consideration, specific to how these proposed changes may impact consumer access and continuity of care. Also offering additional rule revision recommendations in an effort to continue to make progress towards a shared understanding between regulators and providers, for mentorship to obtain prescriptive authority and how consumer safety is not currently at risk.

As background, to graduate from a credentialed academic program, advanced practice nurses must have competency in clinical judgment necessary to inform and improve practitioner practice. That clinical judgment is based on the foundational knowledge of advanced physiology/pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology. We also want to emphasize that the academic and clinical preparation of all APRNs prepares the graduate to assume responsibility and accountability for health promotion and/or maintenance as well as the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patient problems, which includes the use and prescription of pharmacologic and non- pharmacologic interventions (Consensus Model for APRN Regulation 2008).

 

 

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) continues to have significant concerns about the effect of these proposed rules as written. We have joined several Colorado nursing stakeholders, including health systems, employers and NP licensees in providing feedback respectfully urging the Board not to advance the changes without further necessary revisions.

 

In particular, AANP and others are concerned the proposed rule language:

• May create added burden on NPs and employers that discourages hiring new graduate NPs.
• Does not provide adequate clarity for NPs and Mentors about the requirements.
• Would introduce a new, unnecessary increased liability component for Mentors.
• Fails to eliminate outdated references to elements that have been recently retired by the state legislature.

The Colorado Board of Nursing is continuing to accept written comments on these proposed rules during the latest open comment period up until the April Board meeting. The Colorado Board is also hosting a virtual stakeholder meeting for oral remarks and discussion on Monday, Jan. 8.

 

What You Can Do:
Read the Board’s proposed changes to the mentorship regulations.
Sign up to join the Monday, Jan. 8 virtual stakeholder meeting webinar.
Read published comments and find instructions to submit your own remarks.