NURSING LEGISLATION AND ADVOCACY

FNA Legislative Platform

The FNA supports policy change requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers statewide to implement a policy to evacuate surgical smoke.

The FNA supports enhancing the safety of Florida's citizens and the quality and integrity of nursing education by ensuring that nursing schools have approval standards and oversight by the Florida Board of Nursing.

The FNA supports efforts to protect and enhance the ability of Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to practice to the full extent of their education and experience.

• The FNA supports the efforts of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses to implement the consensus model vision for the regulation of advanced nursing practice in Florida.
• The FNA supports legislation which will allow all nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training in all practice environments, including telehealth.
• The FNA supports legislation that removes unnecessary nurse practitioner collaborative practice agreements and removes physician-nurse practitioner supervisory language from the Nurse Practice Act.
• The FNA supports legislation that would provide universal signature authority for all advanced practice nurses.

The FNA supports safe practice environments for all nurses and our patients.

• The FNA supports legislation that provides meaningful information to users of health care about staffing and nursing resources in health care facilities (including mental health resources for nurses). 
  

The FNA supports recurring funding of the Florida Center for Nursing, which is dedicated to studying supply and demand and making projections to promote a safe nursing workforce for the citizens of Florida.

• The Legislature directs the Florida Center for Nursing to annually review and report on nursing program approval, capacity, enrollment, graduation and accountability processes. The data the Center provides delineates challenges and opportunities for the nursing workforce and also provides essential data to healthcare leaders and strategists to plan for the future healthcare workforce. The Center is essential to monitor and make projections regarding the nursing workforce.

The FNA supports efforts to protect the rights, jobs, wages, pensions, health care coverage, and other benefits of our state-employed health care professionals. 

The FNA supports a coordinated plan for pandemic management in the state of Florida, including adequate PPE, provision of vaccines, a safe work environment for healthcare providers, adequate staffing levels and nurse involvement in planning and coordination of services.  

The FNA supports educating Legislators regarding the ramifications of environmental and climate effects on our state and the health of our residents.