Greetings and Happy New Year! January 1st, 2022 will mark the first day of my presidency for United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia (UAPRN). I have big shoes to fill left by Dr. Michelle Nelson, but I am ready for the challenge with your help. I am grateful for the foundation she has worked so hard to lay and we will build upon her success. As part of that continued work, I want to ask you all to make a New Year resolution with me: to be advocates for our practice rights!
Being an advocate for practice rights is one of the least time-consuming resolutions you can make. Be sure to go to http://openstates.org to find your senator and representative. Send them a quick email or make a phone call to introduce yourself. Let them know you are their constituent. You can send a second email during the session, and a third at the end of the session. Why is this so important? Because January is the beginning of Georgia's legislative session. The first "half" of the session is focused on writing legislation, getting sponsors, and educating various committees on bills we support. There is a halfway point called Crossover Day which is usually in late February. We pay attention to Crossover Day because most legislation is written, sponsored, and sent to its respective committees prior to Crossover. If a bill does not pass from the House to the Senate or vice versa prior to Crossover, then it will either die or be tabled for the next year. This year, 2022, is the end of a 2-year cycle so any bill that does not pass will die. After Crossover, if a bill passed appropriately, then we turn our attention to the committee it goes to so we can educate and gain support.
There are several moves to push full-practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) through the legislature. But there is just as much resistance. At UAPRN, we support full-practice authority for all APRNs because we know this will create increased access to healthcare for Georgians. We have a strategy for change even if full practice authority is not passed in a single bill. We have several smaller bills with our allies in the legislature. From limited schedule II prescribing to APRN licensing we will be focusing on multiple bills this session. Please log in to your profile at http://uaprnofga.org and make sure to check your inbox for updates including bill numbers. Every year we keep our eyes open for members who are constituents of specific legislators who can help make our voices heard.
Between the pandemic and the loss of several supporting legislators, we have had a couple of challenging years when it comes to advocacy. However, we were able to pass the Preceptor Tax Incentive Program as well as remove restrictions on ordering advanced imaging! The removal of "in emergencies only or with physician signature" from the state law that determines our ability to order advanced imaging such as CT scans and MRIs was the first practice-changing law geared towards decreasing APRN restrictions passed in Georgia in a decade.
Do not let this discourage you. This was a huge win! We had powerful groups lobbying heavily against us - even asking the governor to veto our bill instead of signing it into law after it had passed! The fact that it passed is a sign that times are changing. The voices of the small are getting louder. Legislators will listen to their constituents over a lobbyist.
This year, let's resolve to become advocates for full practice authority for advanced practice nurses in Georgia. This will allow better access to healthcare for all Georgians! It takes less than an hour for the entire year and it's one resolution we can all keep. I look forward to this year of service and appreciate your support.
Ashley Blackmon, MS, CHFN, CCRN, APRN, FNP-CUAPRN
PRESIDENT [email protected]