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Monmouth,
Illinois
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Public Policy
Illinois Nurse Practice Act The Illinois Nurse Practice Act will sunset this year. The nursing community has been working together on language to rewrite the Act. Across the state there are reports of a nursing shortage. While the proposed revisions of the Act are not focused on increasing numbers of nurses, it is focused on assuring the public the right to well qualified nurses and nursing care by updating the approval process for nursing programs, requiring continuing education for RN's and LPN's for licensure renewal, reporting of unsafe conditions without reprisal and updating definitions to reflect today's health care environment. In addition, there are changes proposed to increase access to Advanced Practice Nurses across the state. One key issue that the Illinois Nurses Association fully supports is that medication administration is done only by nurses and those currently licensed to do so. Others may claim it is safe for someone who is not licensed to give medication and it will save the nurses time, but those are just cost saving initiatives. Only licensed professionals have been educated to know how medications interact with each other. Nurses also have assessment skills to recognize changes in a patient's condition and can take appropriate action. The purpose of licensure is public protection and safety. The public has a right to:
Representative Skip Saviano and Senator Carol Ronen have agreed to be the chief sponsers of this very important legislation. Please contact your Legislators and ask them to support the key tenets of the proposals in the Nurse Practice Act which assures the public access to safe, quality nursing care.
For more information and current
updates on HB 119, please go to
www.illinoisnurses.com. Strategic Process on the Road: Leaders Speak at Conventions Across the Country Association and Educational Foundation board leaders, as well as other national officers, regional directors, and state presidents are making presentations titled "Honoring Our Legacy, Embracing Our Future" at state conventions and annual meetings across the country. The presentations are part of the Leader-to-Leader program, in which national-level officers are teamed with state officers for mentoring leadership development. This year, additional national leaders from both boards have been added to the state convention program teams to make presentations about the strategic process focused on AAUW's future, as well as proposed bylaws amendments and restructuring proposals. Leaders are available for member questions during open sessions and one-on-one during the conventions and state meetings. New questions and answers have recently been posted in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Strategic Process area of the website. Members are urged to check the site for updates and to submit their own questions
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