  |
|
APN-NJ (Advanced Practice Nurses of New Jersey)
is a Grassroots advocacy coalition of APNs, nurses and citizens in concert with our state nursing organization who are committed to improving healthcare in the state by removing scope of practice barriers. APNs are a solution to the healthcare access crisis.
Upcoming events
NEWS
Latest NJ News
Dec 15, 2022 Senate Bill 1522 passed out of the Health Committee, voted unanimously. This bill eliminates certain practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs), including restrictions that limit the ability of APNs to prescribe medications and administer anesthesia, and establishes new requirements for APNs to prescribe medications.
More steps to go so stay tuned!!!
And ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL:
Announcements
Effective Treatments for Opioid Addiction:
Recovery Is Possible!
IMPORTANT!Misinformation is being distributed by NJ Physician Groups to NJ Legislators re: APN practice and FPA.Please READPharmacies Refusing to Honor APNs Scriptswithout a collaborating physician's name on the prescription: If you run into this problem while the EO#112 waiver is still in place,
please download and send, hand deliver or have your patient bring to the pharmacy the following letter You may also use and share this link NJDCU to stay up to date.
|
A federal grant awarded to Hackensack Meridian Health to support their Nurse Practitioner Residency Program helps to prepare new nurse practitioners for primary care practice in community-based settings in order to improve access to primary care practitioners in New Jersey, especially in underserved and rural areas. Ten Nurse Practitioners a year are chosen to participate in a 12-month, full-time residency program designed to bolster their clinical knowledge and skills to work more effectively with patients and the community at large. The application process for the HMH Graduate Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is currently accepting applications.If you would like to be one of the lucky ones...See brochure for more information. If you graduated on or after January 1, 2021 you are eligible to apply. Applicants should have a desire to work in primary care, FQHCs or other safety settings within underserved communities and meet other criteria as described on the career link The position is titled: Nurse Practitioner Fellow Residency. APPLY HERE |
|
|
UPDATES:
************************************************************************************************
Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Practice Nurses of NJ
need your support to assure access to care in NJ.
Appreciating Advanced Practice Nurses
Feeling under pressure is a likely experience for you and many of your colleagues. It is quite normal to be feeling this way in the current situation. Stress and the feelings associated with it are by no means a reflection that you cannot do your job or that you are weak. Managing your mental health and psychosocial well-being during this time is as important as managing your physical health.
Click HERE to learn more about coping during the pandemic.
Webinar Series For Nurses
to Address Trauma Related to COVID19
Healing Ourselves While Healing Others
Donna Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN Coordinator
A Guided Webinar Series of Tools and Resources for Support, Safety and Sanctuary
- 8 Free Webinars are available to current students, alumni, faculty and the nursing community.
- Sessions are recorded and posted for viewing.
MANAGING PANDEMIC STRESS
FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
It is normal and understandable that people are experiencing fear in the time of COVID19. It has been months since we first started Social Distancing and it is beginning to get to people emotionally. Emotions such as anger, boredom, irritability, grumpiness, disappoint- ment, weepiness and even fear are common emotions during times of stress. Very often we don’t know what we are feeling, just that we are out of sorts and we can get caught up in the feeling or try to shut it down. Feelings are a part of being a human being. We all have them. Acting out or pushing away these emotions usually creates tension within ourselves and then we frequently blame others, yell, get depressed, feel anxious or may be even suicidal. These times have brought up the awareness that we don’t have control.
Click HERE to learn more about how to help yourself and your family to cope in these stressful times.
Veterans Suicide Awareness During
Mental Health Awareness Month
Senator Michael Doherty (R-23) is working to raise awareness of the risks to and help for our Veterans during this stressful time.
"The psychological and economic consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to be devastating for many, further exacerbating risk factors for mental health related morbidity and mortality for our veteran community," said Doherty (R-23).
"This unprecedented crisis is a stressor for vulnerable veterans with mental health issues. COVID has the potential to worsen their overall health and put them at higher risk for suicide and other adverse outcomes, as well as for veterans who have no previous history of mental illness. Tragically, women veterans are 250% more likely to commit suicide than civilian women.
"If you are a veteran experiencing emotional distress, please call the Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 and press 1," added Doherty. "If you are the family member or friend of a veteran, reach out to them during this time of social distancing. We can help heighten awareness and prevent the unthinkable for our veterans and their families."
TO FIND A PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE GO TO
PsychAPN.org/Find or call (877)727-6283
|
RENEWING YOUR LICENSE?
Please be advised that the expiration date for the 2020 nurse license renewal has been extended to 6/30/2020.
Late fees will be collected starting on 7/1/2020.
New Continuing Education Requirements
-
Every biennial period, an advanced practice nurse shall complete the continuing education required for the renewal of a registered professional nurse license pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3 and the continuing education requirements of the national certifying agency whose examination the advanced practice nurse successfully passed pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:37- 7.4 or 7.5.
-
Pursuant to P.L. 2011, c. 145 (N.J.S.A. 45:11-47.1), two credits of the continuing education completed pursuant to (a) above shall be in programs or topics related to end-of-life care.
COVID 19 Urgent Call For APNs!
The Commissioner of Health Judith Persichilli, MA, BSN, RN has reached out to NJSNA. The NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) is looking for nurses who are able to assist the NJDOH with the COVID-19 Pandemic. We currently have very little information on exactly what will be needed. Opportunities may be volunteer or paid. Areas of need may include: hospital support, county testing sites and other areas.
If you are able to assist in any way, please sign up at HERE
Pease periodically check the New Jersey Board of Nursing Website for Nursing Alerts.HERE
New Jersey COVID19 Crisis Governor's Executive Orders Regarding APNs
Joanne Leone, Executive Director of the NJBON has released this statement in clarification of the terms of Governor Murphy's latest Executive Order.
Pursuant to EO 112, Governor Murphy has authorized the Division of Consumer Affairs to suspend and waive statutory provisions that limit the scope of practice of advanced practice nurses. For the duration of the State of Emergency or Public Health Emergency, advanced practice nurses, acting within the scope of their education, training, experience, and competence, are not required to:
- enter into a joint protocol with a collaborating physician;
- include the name, address, and telephone number of a collaborating physician on prescriptions or orders;
- review patient charts and records with a collaborating physician; and
- obtain written approval from a collaborating physician in order to dispense narcotic drugs for maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment or to determine the medical necessity for services for treatment of substance abuse disorder.
************************************************************************************************
| ||||||
The Future of Nursing Report: Where Are We Now?
By Jennifer Thew RN | March 15, 2019
How much progress has been made in nursing toward the IOM's Future of Nursing recommendations? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Dashboard of indicators reveals where advancement has been accomplished.
The year 2010 was monumental in healthcare. Not only was the Affordable Care Act signed into law, but the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) issued its landmark report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.
The report called for significant changes in nurses' roles, responsibilities, and education to meet the increased demand for care and to make improvements to the healthcare system, and made recommendations in the following categories:
- Improving access to care
- Fostering interprofessional collaboration
- Promoting nursing leadership
- Transforming nursing education
- Increasing diversity in nursing
- Collecting workforce data
State practice environment
The IOM recommended that APRNs be able to work to the full-extent of their education and training. Since the Campaign for Action began, nine states have removed statutory barriers that prevented nurse practitioners from providing care to their full capacity. That means today, 22 states allow NPs to practice to the fullest extent of their training and education. Additional states have made substantial or incremental improvements toward meeting this goal.
Plus, in 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted APRNs (with the exception of certified registered nurse anesthetists) full practice authority.
Important Scam Alert!
Alert
The Division of Consumer Affairs (Division) is warning all licensed professionals about individuals impersonating New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) investigators, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, DEA investigators, New Jersey Drug Control Unit investigators, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators, and other law enforcement personnel, as part of an extortion scheme.
The impersonators are contacting licensees by telephone, stating that they are the subject of an investigation. The callers are demanding money to clear up the matter, or threatening to revoke the individual’s license. Please be advised that the Division of Consumer Affairs will not contact licensees by telephone to discuss investigations or demand money.
What Can We Do? Learn More About Our Nurse Practice Act HERE
NJ Signs Multistate Nursing Licensing Compact
NJSpotlight: The Garden State will partner with 33 other states to address its nursing shortage, which is the third most severe in the U.S.
National Survey On The Economic Burden and Practice Restrictions Associated with Collaborative Practice Agreements
Brendan Martin, PhD, and Maryann Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN
The U.S. healthcare system is facing workforce shortages in rural and primary care settings. Despite growing demand for providers and comparable quality metrics, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) still face significant barriers to independent practice due to reduced scope of practice regulations. In this study, APRNs working in rural areas and APRN- managed private clinics were one and a half to six times more likely to be assessed Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) fees, often exceeding $6,000 and up to $50,000 annually. Similarly, APRNs subject to minimum distance requirements, fees to establish a CPA, and supervisor turnover reported a 30% to 59% uptick in restricted care. Such unnecessary regulation risks diverting health services away from and increasing costs in traditionally underserved areas, contributing to inequities in care. It is incumbent on state legislatures to address these disparities and make their constituents’ access to high-quality care a top priority.
2019 Nurse License Renewal
License renewal letters for the 2019 Nurse License Renewal will be mailed on or about March 21, 2019. The license renewal portal will be available on or about April 1, 2019.
The late renewal period runs from 6/1/2019 – 6/30/2019. Licensees renewing during that time will be charged a late fee of $50.00.
Nurses whose licenses expire on May 31, 2019, and who renew their licenses as "inactive" or select "inactive" in error, hold valid licenses and are eligible to work through May 31, 2019. Facilities may request that such nurses produce their licenses showing their eligibility to work during the period June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2019.Facilities may also contact the Board of Nursing directly at 973-504-6430 for further information.
FREE Statewide Buprenorphine Waiver Trainings
Coordination of statewide DATA 2000 Waiver training for physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) and Physician Assistants to expand the use of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for individuals with an Opioid Use Disorder in both primary and behavioral healthcare. Stipends are available upon prescriber attaining their DATA 2000 Waiver.
Buprenorphine Waiver Trainings
Northern Region
Buprenophine Waiver Trainings
Central / Southern Region
For more information>
https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dmhas/information/events/index.html
Opioid Continuing Education Requirement
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:11-26.3 (L.2017, c.28, S.21), as a condition of biennial license renewal, all registered professional nurses and all licensed practical nurses must complete one (1) credit of continuing education concerning prescription opioid drugs, including alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.
Out-of-Network Billing
On June 1, 2018, Governor Murphy signed P.L. 2018, c. 32. This law, among other things, restricts out-of-network billing in certain situations; requires providers to notify patients of certain insurance-related information and post a list of standard charges for the provider’s services; mandates that carriers provide certain information to patients; and permits arbitration to resolve disputes between providers, carriers, and patients.
APN Fact Sheet
|
Opioid Abuse Prevention
New Jersey is confronting a staggering public health crisis brought about by prescription opioid abuse. On February 15, 2017, P.L. 2017, c. 28, was signed into law, imposing certain restrictions on how opioids and other Schedule II controlled dangerous substances may be prescribed. In response to the new law, the Attorney General and New Jersey's prescribing boards adopted new rules designed to reduce the risk of addiction and the accumulation of opioids in the household medicine cabinets across the State, which are very often diverted for illegal use. Information about those rules, as well as guidance for prescribers and patients on safer pain medication prescribing practices is available here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS For Advance Practice Nurses Licensed by the Board of Nursing. State law makes it unlawful for a prescriber to issue an initial prescription for acute pain for more than a five-day supply. In addition, the dosage authorized by initial prescriptions for acute pain is to be limited to the lowest effective dose of an immediate–release opioid drug. To better understand how to comply with this limitation and other rule changes, the Board offers the following guidance.
Fin
Rules and regulations of the Division of Consumer Affairs, the boards and committees in, and other units of, the Division are codified in Title 13 of the New Jersey Administrative Code, published by LexisNexis. Notices of proposal and notices of adoption are printed in the New Jersey Register, also published by LexisNexis.
The official text of the rules and regulations and their regulatory history and notices of rule proposals and adoptions can be found through the free LexisNexis Public Access Portal.
|
|
|
