House Bills 971 and 983 will be heard on Wednesday, February 7 at 4 p.m. in the House Health and Human Services Committee on Health Professions. The bills reduce the transition to practice requirement for NPs to two years and allow NPs with autonomous practice licensure to oversee patient care teams.&nbsp;
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Make your voice heard – Contact legislators & help us fill the room!

Contact legislators & help us fill the room!

I’m writing today to ask for your support of House Bill 971 and House Bill 983, which reduce the transition to practice requirement for nurse practitioners (NPs) to two years and allow NPs with autonomous practice licensure to oversee patient care teams. This legislation aligns the Commonwealth with the majority of states, the Virginia Board of Nursing’s recommendation and the National Consensus Model for Advanced Practice Nursing Licensure. 

Virginia’s current 5-year transition to practice requirement was passed in 2018 and is the most restrictive in the nation. Since that time, there have been significant changes in health care including increasing physician shortages, a growing aging population and a greater number of patients with chronic diseases. NPs are well-equipped to provide this care and help fill these health care gaps.

During the COVID state of emergency and for one year following the 2021 General Assembly session, Virginia’s NPs with two or more years of experience were eligible to practice without a practice agreement, which had no negative repercussions. In fact, a 2021 Virginia Department of Health study showed no negative impacts on patient safety after HB 793 reduced transition to practice requirements to five years.

More than half the states, the District of Columbia and the Veterans Administration have laws and regulations embracing NPs and allowing for full practice authority. Of the states with transition to practice requirements, most require two years. Virginia is the only state with a 5-year requirement. 

Mandated practice agreements tie Virginia’s capacity to use NPs to the supply and availability of the physician workforce and impede an NP’s ability to provide care when and where it is most needed. 

I urge you to vote ‘yes’ to HB 971 and HB 983. Thank you for your time.

Make your voice heard

Contact legislators & help us fill the room!

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Dear Office Holder (names will be automatically added on each email),