New freedoms 'a milestone' for nurse practitioners

New rules coming into effect in September will make it easier for nurse practitioners in Newfoundland and Labrador to diagnose health issues and prescribe medicinewithout a doctor's approval.

The changessigned into effect on Tuesday come from Bill 57, which was passed unanimously in the House of Assembly this spring, and will come into effect Sept. 1.

Health and Community Services Minister John Haggie says while the province was a pioneer in the use of nurse practitioners, the new rules modernize legislation to give those nurses more freedom.

"We lead the country in the implementation of nurse practitioners and it's something I think the province can be rightly proud of," Haggie said.

"This revamps the original legislation and really makes nurse practitioners, particularly, pretty well autonomous under the college."

The new regulations will also eliminate a standards committee for nurse practitioners, which Haggie said gave veto authority to pharmacists or physicians, in terms of scopes of practice.

Today marks a milestone, in that we don't need the red tape.- Lynn Power

Lynn Power, executive director of the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, said the changes will better allow nurse practitioners to provide advanced serviceswithout additional oversight from a doctor.

"This today marks a milestone, in that we don't need the red tape," she said.

"We don't have to have the name of a collaborating physician on file, here at the regulatory body for a nurse practitioner to practise."

Power said the new regulations should create more opportunities for nurse practitioners and help improve access to health care in rural and remote areas.

Nurse practitionerswill also be able to establish a private practice without a collaborating physician, under the new rules.

Removing 'barriers'

Elaine Warren, president of the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, stressed the importance of making nurse practitioners'work easier.

"Nurse practitioners work in every part of Newfoundland and Labrador. They're integrated in almost every service, everything from the community to acute-care systems," Warren said.

"This regulation change is really important to us because it removes some barriers around the scope of practice that existed in legacy legislation from many years ago."

In addition to the changes surrounding nurse practitioners, the group that regulates them will also be changing its name.

The association will be known as the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador when the new regulations come into effect Sept. 1, a change it said will better reflect its role as the regulator.

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