Virginia nurses turn back attempt to lower supervisor credentials rn Nurses in Virginia have learned they can make a difference. They changed the minds of health department officials who had proposed downgrading qualifications for operating room and recovery room supervisors.

In revising state regulations for hospitals, the Bureau of Medical and Nursing Facilities Services of the Virginia Department of Health had decided the supervisor did not have to be a registered nurse. The proposed new rule stated: “The operating suite shall be under the supervision of a licensed nurse qualified by training and experience.” The current rules re- quire an RN.

When public hearings were held in Sep- tember, more than 20 nurses turned out to testify in protest-many more than the hearing officer had expected. Others sent in written statements.

“The group was so large, he had to move the hearing to another room,” Ruth E Vaiden, RN, observed. As chairman of the AORN national Legislative Committee, she helped organize for the hearing. Testifying were Barbara Bol- ton, RN, executive director of the Virginia Nurses’ Association, operating room nurses, neurosurgeons, and an anesthesiologist.

The testimony was convincing. Within a month, Vaiden heard that the bureau had re- considered. The officials decided to continue the requirement that the supervisor be a regis- tered nurse, and they believed the state health board would follow their advice in making final decisions on the regulations.

a Legislation

“What impressed me was that just 20 nurses could have influence,” Vaiden commented. “Their attendance at the hearing was as in- fluential as the testimony. And the process wasn’t complicated or time consuming.” She estimated nurses spent about two hours of their time, some attending the hearing and others submitting short statements.

rn The Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration (OSHA) has denied a petition by a labor union and consumer group asking for an emergency lowering of exposure levels for ethylene oxide (EO). Agency Administrator Thorne G Auchter said jurisdiction over the issue belonged with the Environmental Protec- tion Agency. To gather data on the controversy over worker exposure to the gas, OSHA also said it would publish a notice in the federal Register in November or December seeking such information.

AORN had written to OSHA in October warn- ing that an emergency order might “jeopardize the quality of patient care.” Many hospitals might not be able to meet the proposed expo- sure level of 1 ppm (part per million) time- weighted average and 5 ppm short-term expo- sure, the Association pointed out. This might compromise sterilization of instruments and equipment. The current level is 50 ppm.

Filing the petition was Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen Health Research Group and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

The road to recognition for nurse prac- titioners may get rockier as the supply of physicians expands. Debate centers on what functions they may perform independently. Prescribing is a particularly sticky area. In New

144 AORN Journal, January 1982, Val 35, No 1

Ten practical tips for getting involved Are you curious about legislation but don’t know how to get involved? Here are ten practical tips from Deborah Smith, RN, associate administrator for government relations for the Illinois Nurses’ Association. They are based on tips from the Legislative Support Center, Springfield. Smith spoke at AORN’s first national legislative seminar in October in Chicago.

organization. Nurses need to be unified to be effective.

2. Know who your national and state legislators are. To find out, call your county clerk, the League of Women Voters, state officers, or even your local newspaper. Know where your legislators’ district offices are. Get to know them personally. Visit them when they are at home in their district offices.

3. Be informed about health care issues.

4. Belong to a nursing political action committee. At the state level, this is the political arm of your state nurses’ association. At the national level, this is the Nurses Coalition for Action in Politics (N-CAP), 1030 15th St NW, Suite 408, Washington, DC 20005. These groups endorse candidates and make campaign contributions.

5. Work on campaigns for candidates you believe will be good for nursing. Be sure to let them know you are a registered nurse.

6. Give a coffee for candidates you support. Invite about 25 friends and colleagues to your home to meet the candidate and have light refreshments.

campaigns.

campaigns. They make willing and enthusiastic workers.

1 . Belong to your professional

7. Get other nurses involved in

8. Get nursing students involved in

9. Donate funds to candidates you support.

10. Run for public office yourself!

Nurses gathered practical advice on getting involved at AORN‘s first national legislative seminar in October in Chicago.

York State, physicians are taking a hard line, saying that nurse practitioners must practice under their direct supervision.

“Nurse practitioners are now working in a legal limbo that leaves them both frustrated and fearful that providing services routinely indicated on the job may make them vulnera- ble to prosecution, malpractice suits, or loss of license,” says The New York Times. The state legislature was holding hearings in the fall.

The problem is most acute in New York City and upstate rural communities where there aren’t enough private physicians. New York City Council President Carol Bellamy esti- mated that about one-third of the city’s popula- tion live in areas the federal government says are medically underserved. “Basic health needsof millions of our citizens go unmet,” she added. She cited a study showing that an av- erage bill was more than twice as much when services were performed by a physician in- stead of a nurse practitioner.

Physicians are showing opposition to the expanded nursing role at the national level as well. At its summer convention, the American Medical Association voted to work to eliminate federal funding for training “midlevel prac- titioners,” American Medical News reported.

Patricia Patterson Associate editor

146 AORN Journal, January 1982, Vol35, No 1