AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES.

This Act is a Companion Bill to House Bill No. 21. It aligns the Delaware Board of Nursing statute with the APRN Compact to advance APRN practice through elimination of barriers and improving access to care for Delawareans. The Act removes the requirement for a collaborative agreement for licensure purposes although employers and health care organizations may still require one. The Act amends the definitions of “APRN” and “full practice authority” so that they are consistent with national standards. The Act also removes the definition of “independent practice” since ,nationally, “independent practice” means having “full practice authority”. This Act grants full practice authority in conjunction with licensure and removes the current requirements for obtaining independent practice. The Act changes the composition of the APRN Committee to include 9 APRNs and clarifies the Committee’s purpose which is to make recommendations to the Delaware Board of Nursing regarding: APRN practices, the Compact and licensure.