Florida Senate Amends Bill to Advance Independent Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

In the Florida Senate SB 1676 has been amended to include language that would allow a limited number of APRNs to practice without physician supervision as a pilot program. This amendment would allow APRNs to practice independently in areas in Florida with significant primary care workforce shortages. This pilot program would be overseen by a committee made up primarily of physicians.(See https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1676/Amendment/899862/HTML)

Other provisions in the bill raise concern for nursing and healthcare delivery in Florida. Portions of SB 1676 would allow Registered Nurses to delegate essential nursing tasks such as medication administration, enteral feeding and nursing procedures to be performed by Certified Nurses Aides. Those in support of these provisions contest that it would alleviate critical nursing shortages in key healthcare sectors.

Those in opposition of the legislation state that allowing nurses aides to perform nursing functions such as medication administration would result in significant medical errors and patient harm.

SB 1676 has been referred to the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee but has not been scheduled.