On December 14, 2016 the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs issued a final ruling authorizing full practice authority of Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNP), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), or Certified Nurse-Midwifes (CNM) in the VA system.  This final ruling does not include Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), but is inviting commentary on “on whether there are access issues or other unconsidered circumstances that might warrant their inclusion in a future rulemaking.”  This is a huge victory – one that serves the interests of the patients who receive care through the V.A.  As stated in the ruling:

This rulemaking increases veterans’ access to VA health care by expanding the pool of qualified health care professionals who are authorized to provide primary health care and other related health care services to the full extent of their education, training, and certification, without the clinical supervision of physicians, and it permits VA to use its health care resources more effectively and in a manner that is consistent with the role of APRNs in the non-VA health care sector, while maintaining the patient-centered, safe, high-quality health care that veterans receive from VA. (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/14/2016-29950/advanced-practice-registered-nurses)

Various physician groups, including the American Medical Association, have registered strong opposition to this ruling, which in part is responsible for the exclusion of CRNAs (see Forbes report here).  Part of the objection from some physicians is the claim that full practice authority for APRNs (i.e. APRNs can practice without physician supervision within the scope of APRN practice) is that physician-nurse collaboration is undermined. Those of us who follow the politics of this relationship recognize the absurdity of this claim, but nonetheless, this very current situation reminds us that we still have a long road ahead in establishing nursing’s sovereignty over our own practice.  For more about the long-standing physician opposition to initiatives such as this, see the excellent 2012 report on the ‘Truth About Nursing”

If you are inclined to comment on the exclusion of CRNAs from this ruling, you must do so by January 13, 2017. Here are details about how to comment:

Written comments may be submitted: Through http://www.Regulations.gov; by mail or hand-delivery to Director, Regulations Management (02REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420; by fax to (202) 273-9026. Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to “RIN 2900-AP44-Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.” Copies of comments received will be available for public inspection in the Office of Regulation Policy and Management, Room 1068, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays). Call (202) 461-4902 for an appointment. (This is not a toll-free number.) In addition, during the comment period, comments may be viewed online through the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at http://www.Regulations.gov.