Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nurse plan will get 2nd public hearing

The state Board of Nursing is preparing for the second time in two months to listen to public comments concerning a controversial proposal to expand the duties of certified nursing aides.

It's expected to get an earful from those who say the aides aren't qualified to do the work of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.

CNAs bathe, feed, transport, dress and do toilet care of hospital patients. The board on April 19 will consider whether to allow CNAs to perform additional services under the direction of RNs or LPNs.

Local nurses and physicians worried about the changes have formed the Coalition for Quality Patient Care.

"The regulations are very vague. They will be letting the institution determine what the duties are," said Cynthia Bunch, a registered nurse and coalition coordinator. "If we are going to do this restructuring, it has to be done with a health care task force to allow input from health care professionals."

Lonna Burress, state Board of Nursing executive director, said she thinks a task force is a great idea and would recommend its formation to the board.

Under the proposal, the chief nurse at each hospital would be responsible for approving additional duties for CNAs, Burress said. That nurse also would be held accountable to make sure the CNA is knowledgeable and has the skill to perform the service safely and effectively.

Kevin Gulliver, president of the Nevada Nurses Association, said that responsibility should not be left in the hands of a person who answers directly to hospital management.

"We want the board to abolish the language they are proposing," he said. "The language is bad. We don't believe the scope of practice of CNAs should be broadened."

Desert Springs in Las Vegas and St. Mary's in Reno recently outlined additional duties for CNAs. The board was concerned about some of the new jobs and asked to meet with the hospitals' representatives to narrow the lists. The meetings never took place and the programs have since been put on hold.

CNAs are approved under the Nurse Practice Act and board-approved training program to do in part such duties as taking and recording vital signs, measuring and recording intake and output of fluids and food, care of a catheter and emptying the catheter drainage bag. Some CNAs also draw blood when needed, Burress said.

The public hearing is set for 1 p.m. in the Sawyer State Office Building at 555 E. Washington Ave., Room 4401.

"It was our understanding that there were people who wanted to speak in support (of these changes) and some who didn't support them," Burress said of why a second meeting was scheduled. "The issue is what are the nurses so upset about?"

Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren, a Las Vegas neurosurgeon, said his office is aware of the concerns nurses have voiced over CNAs. He plans to attend the meeting in person or by teleconference from Carson City.

"There is a dumbing down of medical care just like with education," Hammargren said. "They (hospitals) are taking the nurses out of nursing. This is potentially fraught with so much harm. This has to be significantly studied.

"This is why Clinton's health care program didn't work, because people in closed rooms made the decision. A task force should be part of this."

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