Final
Role of the State Board of Nursing
HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE
Votes:
Action Taken:
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09:25 AM -- Role of the State Board of Nursing
Sharon Pappas, Chair of the State Board of Nursing, and Chief Operating Officer at Porter Adventist Hospital, stated that the role of the board is to protect the public through enforcement. She distributed four handouts (Attachments E - H). Attachment E provides a breakdown of faculty requirements by the type of nursing program offered. Attachment F shows the number of Colorado students taking the national licensing exam in Colorado for the first time between 2003 and 2005. Attachment G describes the differences between certified nurse aides (CNA), licensed practical nurses (LPN), and registered nurses (RN). Attachment H provides a 50-state survey of the number of clinical and theory hours required for the various levels of nursing. Ms. Pappas stated that the board has 11 members whose qualifications are set forth in statute, and described who the members represent. She discussed the responsibilities of the board including: 1) establishing standards for the practice of nursing; 2) licensure; 3) discipline; and 4) education. She referenced the handouts including the comparison of the minimum number of clinical and theory hours required by state.
Ms. Pappas provided some statistics. There are approximately 54,000 licensed RN's in Colorado. There has been about a 28 percent increase in RN's taking the state boards in the past few years due to the increase in the number of nursing programs in the state, and 87 percent of RN's taking the test pass on the first try. She added that the typical nurse is 47 years old and practices in a hospital, 95 percent are female, 92 percent are white, and 43 percent have a baccalaureate degree. She referenced a book written by the Institute of Medicine which pertains to the health of the public and the nurses. Ms. Pappas continued talking about nursing programs in Colorado stating that there are 19 associate programs, 10 baccalaureate programs, 6 master's programs, and 2 PhD programs in the state. The State Board of Nursing monitors the pass rates at each of these schools. Since 2003, there have been 12 new nursing programs in Colorado, which as Ms. Pappas discussed before, has resulted in a 28 percent increase in the first year of students taking the licensing exam, and an 8 percent increase in the second year. This expansion of nursing programs may explain the increase in the number of practicing nurses.
Senator Keller asked about a California effort that dealt with staff ratios in hospitals. Ms. Pappas stated that California was one of the early states that enacted this effort. She added that many times staff ratios create a "floor" rather than representing what may actually be needed. She stated that retaining flexibility at the hospital level to set staff ratios based on need is better than setting a specific staff ration. This allows staffing to occur based on patient need. Representative Todd asked about overtime in the time of nurse shortages and how hospitals address this. Ms. Pappas stated that this is usually looked at within each institution. Senator Keller asked whether the board has any enforcement authority when there are problems. Ms. Pappas stated that the State Board of Nursing does not have any enforcement over situations where staff may be complaining, but that the board can refer a problem to other state agencies that may have authority over the situation.