Board of Nursing proposes cutting nurse practitioner supervision period to one year

The State Board of Nursing presented practice standards to the Joint Standing Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services recommending that newly graduated certified nurse practitioners complete a minimum one‑year transition‑to‑practice period under a supervising nurse practitioner serving as a mentor.

The board said the one‑year timeframe reflects review of multiple studies and professional stakeholder input and does not eliminate supervision entirely. "The Board determined the 1 year was appropriate, based on review of multiple studies that do not show a correlation between the quality of patient care and lack of transition to practice period for nurse practitioner graduates," the board's representative said.

Under the proposed rule language, the board would require documentation of the supervisory mentor relationship, online registration of the mentor as part of initial authority to practice, and written evidence of completion of the required mentorship for final registration. The board also described an exception: where a supervising nurse practitioner mentor is not available, a collaborating physician who has a required collaborative agreement with the applicant may be accepted at the board's discretion if the applicant provides proof of the agreement.

Committee members sought clarifications. Representative Sally Clucci asked whether the change would allow a new CNP to open an independent practice; the board replied that the one‑year mentorship applies to clinical practice regardless of setting but the practice setting and documentation requirements remain applicable. Representative Arford asked why the board reduced the period in contrast to physician associates, who have longer collaborative requirements; the board pointed to its review process and stakeholder consensus in support of a one‑year period.

The board also proposed that the rule language define practice categories, set minimum criteria for mentors (unchanged from existing law), and create online application and documentation procedures, including provisions for Canadian graduates to demonstrate national certification equivalency.

Next steps: the board's draft rule and appendices (meeting summaries, proposed rule changes) are before the committee for language review and any subsequent rulemaking procedure the committee designates (routine technical versus major substantive).