SB 294 Nevada Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revises provisions relating to physician assistants. (BDR 54-965)

SB 294 eliminates the requirement for physician assistants (PAs) to work under direct physician supervision in most settings, replacing it with a collaborative agreement requirement for those with less than 4,000 hours of experience or changing medical specialties. It specifies practice settings where PAs can work, mandates informed consent for services, and aligns PA authority with advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in certain provisions. The bill also removes supervision requirements for rural clinics and revises scope-of-practice rules to match other healthcare providers. This directly affects PAs, rural healthcare facilities, and APRNs in Nevada.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

Assembly Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 6, 2025 Last action May 17, 2025

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What changed between versions

As Introduced → Reprint 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly reduces the supervision requirements for physician assistants in Nevada by allowing a single supervising physician to oversee up to six physician assistants instead of the previous limit of three. It also removes the requirement that physician assistants must be supervised by a physician at all times, while still maintaining a regulatory framework for oversight. The changes aim to increase the availability of healthcare services by reducing administrative barriers to practice.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of practice for physician assistants by removing the mandatory supervision requirement and increasing the number of physician assistants a supervising physician can oversee, while maintaining regulatory oversight through the Board of Medical Examiners and State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the maximum number of physician assistants a supervising physician can oversee from three to six, as required by new regulations.

Removed the requirement that physician assistants must be supervised by a physician at all times, allowing for more independent practice.

Added provisions requiring the Board of Medical Examiners and State Board of Osteopathic Medicine to adopt regulations authorizing simultaneous supervision of up to six physician assistants.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date for most provisions to January 1, 2026, with earlier implementation allowed for necessary regulatory preparation.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed, as amended. Title approved, as amended. (Yeas: 15, Nays: 6.) To printer.

upper

Apr 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. Placed on Second Reading File. Read second time. Amended. (Amend. No. 310.) Reprinting dispensed with.

upper

Mar 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

From printer. To committee.

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors