NPAA August 2022 Newsletter

Standing Together To Make A Difference

THE BEST RESOURCE FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS LIKE YOU.

August 2022 Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

September 23 - 24th Annual NANPA Clinical Symposium
October 14 - NPAA 16th Annual Conference

NP RESOURCES

Visit our regional NP groups.

NPAA Store Open for Business!

Visit the NPAA Store! The store is featuring NPAA items like:

t-shirts,
portfolios,
tumblers,
bags,
phone wallets and
lapel pins.

Membership Corner:

Get involved in NPAA! There is strength in numbers and we need everyone working together to represent NPAA.

The 16th Annual Conference is going to be a great place to expand your opportunities and network with your colleagues. Be sure to register today and take advantage of the joint NPAA membership with conference registration package.

MESSAGE FROM NPAA PRESIDENT, Joyce Loyd-Davis

Dear Members and Supporters,

It has been a busy summer for NPAA. We have opened nominations for officers. The nomination committee is now working to prepare the slate for voting. Please look for your ballot soon and be sure to cast your vote for the incoming leadership of NPAA. As always, we appreciate your involvement with the organization and we continue to encourage participation on all levels.

We visited the Mobile conference site for a second walk through and we are pleased with the way the annual conference is shaping up. If you have not registered please register soon, you will not want to miss this conference!! We have great speakers, workshops and a legislative panel that will provide important updates. We are very happy about the amount of participation from vendors and sponsors for this year’s conference. It is exciting that approximately 50 vendors are participating this year as this is an all-time high, so please visit these vendors at the conference in October. Our conference team is doing an outstanding job planning this event.

Lastly, because our appreciation for our members and supporters is so great, we are working on a couple of special events to engage members and supporters. Please stay tuned over the next couple of months.

Remember, NPAA is advocating and promoting the good work of Advanced Practitioners across the State of Alabama. We need your help in this continued effort!

Sincerely,

Joyce Loyd-Davis

NPAA, President

NPAA 16th Annual Conference

Oct. 14-15, 2022 Mobile, Alabama

The 16th Annual NPAA Conference is an excellent time to receive updates on treatment plans, information on new meds, learn how to suture or learn new advanced suturing techniques, reading EKGs, networking with fellow NPs and so much more.

The Opioid Guideline Update will be offered on Saturday, October 15th. In addition, an EKG and Suture Workshop will be held on Saturday, October 15. There will be a $50 charge for the Suture Workshop for materials.

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS ENDS AUGUST 30!

Visit out Vendor page! We have almost 50 vendors signed up to interact with you! They are bringing up to date information on new drugs and procedures!

See our Vendor List

View the Agenda

Hotel Reservations

Message from Lisa S. Pair, NPAA VP of Policy

I look forward to meeting and seeing you at the upcoming Conference in Mobile. I am busy working on a couple of items:

Looking to see if we can address the sports physical policy issues and begin setting up an easy way to implement a grass roots effort to keep in touch and let us all know about when and who to call or email about policy issues with a quick text or email. So, make sure you and your fellow NP colleagues are members of NPAA. This is how we will be able to reach you. As a member, when we ask for your number, we are unsure if you are sharing your work or cell number. Please make sure we have your cell number if you want to be a part of the NPAA grass roots efforts for health policy change in Alabama. My email is lpairdnp@gmail.com.

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." - Helen Keller

Coming Soon: New Advisory Councils on Advanced Practice Nursing

From: Peggy Sellers Benson, RN, MSHA, MSN, NE–BC Executive Officer

The ABN voted to approve two new Advisory Councils on advanced practice nursing. These councils will provide input to the Board on emerging issues facing the four roles of AP nurses.

In the interest of focusing the work of the Councils on issues of common concern, the Board determined that the best path forward is to establish separate groups for the two roles of advanced practice nurses that engage in collaborative practice—Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and the two roles that do not— Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs). We believe that this division will especially benefit the collaborative practice nurses, who face a complex regulatory structure largely guided by decisions of the Joint Committee for Advanced Practice Nursing.

Meanwhile, the CRNAs and CNSs are faced with their own challenges, especially barriers to practice appropriate to their education and training. Isolating collaborative practice issues from the scope of the CRNA/CNS Advisory Council will allow that group to concentrate on scope of practice and other policy proposals that affect only these two roles of nurse.

The Board staff has developed a survey process to identify participants for the two Advisory Councils, so keep an eye on your email, as that is our most direct and reliable way of reaching our licensees.

Attention: Alabama RNs

This is a reminder that Renewal begins at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2022 for RNs with single state licenses (SSLs).

- You Must Have Adequate CE: The ABN Administrative Code requires Alabama nurses to complete 24 hours of continuing education (CE) credit per license period (in the case of APNs, six of these hours must carry Pharmacology credit). If you have not satisfied this requirement, you will not be able to complete the renewal application and/or APN approval. You may review your personal CE Record in the My Profile section of the ABN website, where you also may access dozens of hours of free, Board-provided CE courses.

- Regulatory Questions: As always, during Renewal, all nurses are required to answer a series of regulatory questions relating to legal or disciplinary issues. Answering “yes” to any question will not necessarily keep you from renewing, but every “yes” requires internal staff review and can cause delays. Renewing as early as possible is the best way to get these issues behind you and avoid delays that could result in a lapse of your license.

- Fees are Non-Refundable.

Please note: The rules relating to Renewal have been changed. Effective this year, the annual renewal period begins at 8:00 a.m. on September 1st and ends at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 31st. Please be sure to renew prior to 4:30 p.m., as the Board offices will close at that time and Renewal will end. If you fail to renew by 4:30 on December 31, your license will lapse and you will no longer be legally authorized to practice as an RN.

Remember if you need CEs or Pharm hours, register for the NPAA 16th Annual Conference!

CLARIFICATION ON ALLEGED DEA POLICY

The Alabama Board of Pharmacy has received the following update from DEA:

“In the past few months, DEA has received an increasing number of questions concerning pharmacists’ ability to add or modify information—like a patient’s address—on paper prescriptions. To address these questions, DEA has been reviewing the relevant regulations and working to draft new regulations to address this issue. As an interim measure, pharmacists are permitted to adhere to state regulations or policy regarding those changes that a pharmacist may make to a schedule II prescription after oral consultation with the prescriber.”

This is the only guidance we have been given at this time. Click the following link to view ALBOP's policy statement.

https://albop.com/.../AUGUST-2010-Schedule-II...

AANP 2023 Award Nominations

Help the American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) celebrate and honor nurse practitioners (NPs) and advocates by nominating a deserving colleague for the 2023 AANP State Award for Excellence. Comprised of two separate awards in each state and territory — the NP State Award for Excellence and the Advocate State Award for Excellence — these prestigious awards recognize exemplars who work tirelessly on behalf of patients and NPs. Please note that although only AANP members may submit a nomination, the nominees are not required to be AANP members. Nominations must be submitted electronically on the official 2023 AANP State Award for Excellence nomination form no later than Sept. 9.

Stand with us to make a difference in Alabama. Join NPAA today!