BY EDWARD BRIGGS DNP MS APRN-BC The author Rita Mae Brown (not Albert Einstein) once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!”. This quote is exquisitely appropriate when we talk about the looming healthcare provider shortage that Florida, and our nation, faces. For decades health policy leaders have repeatedly invested […]

NOW AVAILABLE The American Nurses Association has released its annual toolkit with suggestions and resources for celebrating Nurses Week 2024. The exclusive toolkit is packed with resources and activities to help you celebrate meaningfully. Did we mention that it’s FREE? Download the toolkit and take a look for yourself. LIST OF CONTENTS:

Scholarship and Grant Applications are Open! The Florida Nurses Foundation is currently accepting applications for 2024 Scholarship and Grant cycle. Interested nurses and nursing students can apply online at www.floridanurse.org/ScholarshipsGrants. The application window is open from January 1 to June 1. About our Scholarships: The Foundation has over 30 scholarships available for nursing students residing in Florida and currently enrolled in a […]

Florida Legislature Enacts Historic Bill Empowering Nurse Midwives and Advancing Women’s Healthcare After a challenging and long-awaited process, the Florida legislature recently passed a bill on January 21, 2024   creating a path for full practice authority of certified nurse midwives holding the “Autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” license. CNM’s applying for an Autonomous APRN license in Florida must have completed at least […]

National Legislative Update Key Legislation at the National level that will directly impact Advanced Practice Nursing is the ICAN Act. HR 8812 (Senate Companion S. 5212 Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act or the I CAN Act Introduced in House (09/13/2022) This bill allows other health care providers besides physicians (e.g., nurses) to provide certain services under Medicare and […]

Urge your Federal Legislators to Co-Sponsor this Bill! With 89% of nurses reporting staffing shortages at their facilities, policymakers and the healthcare community must join forces to rebuild our nation’s nursing workforce. Unfortunately, a 2022 survey found that nursing schools turned away almost 92,000 qualified applications in 2021, largely due to a nurse faculty shortage that has grown to over 2,100 full-time faculty vacancies. The […]

The following pieces of legislation have been filed in the Florida Capital that have direct, or indirect, impact on healthcare delivery in our state. You can check the current status of any bill by going to: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bills/2024 S 1798 – Home Health Care Services Summary Authorizing contract staff to provide specified visits for a home health agency under certain circumstances; […]

An interesting Op-Ed from the Capitolist

LEGISLATIVE ALERT Senate Bill 410 and House Bill 63 Protection from Surgical Smoke are on Committee Agendas Next Tuesday, January 16FNA is supporting the passage of these bills as a part of our 2024 Legislative Agenda.Here’s how you can get involved to help these bills move forward…Participate in the Committee Meetings in TallahasseeIf you are able to travel to Tallahassee on Tuesday, […]

The proposed $900 million “Live Healthy” healthcare package approved by the Florida Senate Health Policy Committee fails to address the crucial role that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Florida play in expanding healthcare access. These highly qualified providers, educated at the master’s or doctoral level, offer primary, acute, chronic, and specialty care to patients of all ages. Nurse practitioners, […]