NURS COMMITTEES

•   NURS Legislative Committee      ( see also; "Legislative News" link )
  
          Committee Chair:  Sharon Reynolds,  sreyn-jwil@comcast.net
  
  The Legislative Committee works with the NURS board and members to influence legislation and health care policy in order to promote, protect and expand the role of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses in Massachusetts, while ensuring access to behavioral health care for the patients we serve.
  
  The NURS Legislative Committee

• Monitors bills and health care policy activities
• Advises the NURS Board on legislative and regulatory priorities
• Advocates NURS positions through legislative testimony; calls to action; website updates; participating in  coalitions, government task groups and stakeholder meetings and meetings with managed care organizations
• Consults with NURS’s legislative advisors; makes recommendations to the Board regarding our professional lobbying needs
• Educates and updates NURS members regarding current legislative priorities
• Collaborates with the NURS Practice Committee as needed
• Defines a process for political activity regarding legislative issues and health care policy

The committee meets every 4 to 8 weeks during the more active periods of the legislative sessions, either by conference calls or face to face meetings, offering members an opportunity to learn more about and participate actively in the political process.

Examples of Legislative Committee Member Activities

• Attend committee meetings
• Participate in establishing legislative priorities for NURS
• Follow a bill of interest through the legislative process
• Attend public hearings
• Draft and/or present testimony
• Meet with legislators
• Attend stakeholder meetings related to health care policy issues
• Participate in coalitions and government task groups
• Attend political fundraisers

Contact: Sharon Reynolds, Legislative Committee Chair  sreyn-jwil@comcast.net

•   NURS PRACTICE COMMITTEE  

  Committee Chair:  Ginny Tay

The Practice Committee addresses current and proposed matters related to advanced psychiatric nursing practice. These matters are brought to the Committee by NURS members and the Board.

Mission of the Practice Committee

• Address status of independence in advanced nursing practice
• Maintain knowledge of current clinical, political, legislative, legal and financial influences to advanced practice
• Collaborate with the Legislative Committee in legislative and political initiatives related to advanced practice
• Assist NURS members is establishing guidelines for practice and in following Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing regulations for advanced practice
• Facilitate possibilities for clinical supervision or consultation

Activities of the Committee January 2009-present

• Literature review and summary tabulation of current status of advanced practice nationally with focus on relative status of independence (independence, collaboration, supervision)
• Discussion of findings of Ad Hoc Task Force conducted by Board of Registration in Nursing (2006)
• Peer review of different models for advanced practice among advanced practice psychiatric nurses in Massachusetts
• Review of statutes and regulations governing practice and prescriptive authority in Massachusetts (M.G.L. Chapter 112: Section 80E Nurse practitioners or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialist power to order therapeutics and tests; issuance of written prescriptions; and, 244 CMR 4.00 Massachusetts Regulations Governing the Practice of Nursing in the Expanded Role)  
• Proposal presented to NURS membership October 2009 which recommended: o change term supervision to collaboration in statutory and regulatory documents
• Eliminate physician’s name on prescriptions
  • Delete that guidelines for practice need to be developed in collaboration with a health care professional
  • Delete the review process identified in the guidelines
  • Delete the review of Schedule II drugs within 96 hours

Based on discussion and membership consensus at the meeting, the Committee’s recommendation was changed from collaboration to independence in practice

• Initiated discussion of proposed independence in advanced practice including prescriptive authority with Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners. As a result of this initiative, the Massachusetts Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) Coalition has been reconstituted. This group will work together to consider issues in independent advance nursing practice for all specialty groups

The Practice Committee meets monthly.

New members welcome.

•   NURS MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE  

  Committee Chair:  Deborah Van Etten

NURS membership has grown from 40 to 170 members within the last three years! Our goal is to ensure retention by collecting dues annually from current members and to recruit new members by organizing quarterly events. The committee counts on its members to spread the word about the existence and goals of NURS, and to invite new colleagues to attend our events.

Mission of the Membership Committee

• The Membership Committee is responsible for emailing active members about job and speaking opportunities, client referrals, practice concerns and management issues. If all current members pay their dues in 2011, we can upgrade our website to create a networking community, an electronic directory for referrals, and consistent lobbyist input for our future practice goals.