HB1030

I am gravely concerned about the wording of this bill. There is not a definition of what subsequent nursing assessments are. Is "subsequent" the same day or same organization? For example if LPNs are used in an office to admit a patient for a procedure, then with this bill they may no longer be able to be used in this manner because "subsequent" is not outlined. Changing focused assessments also removes the ability of LPNs to be used in ways that they can work to their full education level, by restricting initial contact to an RN only - with a nursing shortage this may increase wait times, or reduce the level of education of those providing care to patients at admission. A second concern is the term "evolution" for participating in care plans, with these changes an LPN would not be able to develop any type of basic care plan because "comprehensive" is not defined, therefore any type of care planning by an LPN may be deemed inappropriate. Many national organizations have basic standards of care, and care planning is based on those templates, if LPNs are following these templates it is unclear why a registered nurse would have to develop the initial plan of care. I am strongly opposed to this bill as a registered nurse of 41 years, who has worked closely with many LPNs who bring excellent knowledge skills and patient care. I feel this bill is a slap to their face.