2023-2024 NCNA Legislative, Regulatory, and Political Platform

The North Carolina Nurses Association endorses legislation and regulations which:

Promote the safety, health and access to care for all people in North Carolina.
Increase the number of school nurses in North Carolina to a minimum of 1 school nurse per school.

Support efforts to maintain the autonomy of the NC Board of Nursing in the regulation of nursing practice.
Support the authority of the North Carolina Board of Nursing to define and regulate the scope of all nursing practice.
Set standards for nursing education programs that proactively plans for the needs of the future of the nursing workforce.
Establish the creation and operation of a statewide entity to secure and analyze workforce data and forecast trends as related to the nursing profession.

Increase access to health care by enabling all registered nurses to practice fully within their scope of practice as established by education and national certification, consistent with the 2010 IOM report, The Future of Nursing.
Reimburse registered nurses for delivering health care services within their scope of practice when those services are eligible for reimbursement to any other provider.
Foster implementation of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) consensus model and full evaluation of the final LACE model (licensure, accreditation, certification, education standards).

Support innovations to improve service delivery, safety and the work environment, maintaining sufficient nurses appropriate for the client population based on professional standards, active involvement of nurses in scheduling work and providing autonomy in use of work time and the creation of a non-punitive environment in which problems and errors can be reported.
Enforce a policy of zero tolerance for abuse of employees including seeking to increase and enforce penalties for physical and verbal assault on all registered nurses to promote a culture of workplace safety.

Support the funding of nursing scholarships within North Carolina.
Support progress towards the 2010, IOM report, The Future of Nursing recommendations for increasing the number of BSN prepared nurses in our state through an incremental approach for diploma and associate degree nurses to pursue additional expertise and knowledge.
Design systems and provide resources for individuals to achieve the educational preparation that is essential for excellence in teaching, research, practice, and administration.

Proactively monitor and communicate nursing workforce trends to policymakers.
Promote and encourage strategies to address nursing shortages, including but not limited to support for increased school capacity, practice and academic compensation and retention of existing nurses.

Increase the opportunity for registered nurses to serve in a leadership capacity on advisory groups, study committees, governing boards, and other policy-making bodies.