The Montana Pulse - August 2019

August, September, October 2019 Montana Nurses Association Pulse Page 5
Executive Director Report continued from page 1
no legislative agenda and action, workplace support,
practice protection, or professional development, just
to name a few. Please take time to read this article as
it has been retyped from thin onion paper with typos
corrected with multiple bold types over the top of
incorrect letters (no such thing as white out or erase
ink in the 60’s).
MNA appreciates you, Mary Munger, very much.
Montana Nurses’ Association
Wheat Building, Suite 326
Helena, Montana 59601
Membership – A Professional Commitment
It is one thing to have been educated and licensed
as an R.N., another to be employed as an R.N., but
the mark of a real professional is a love for and
interest in, what is happening to that profession, and
a commitment to help it. Without taking this third step,
Great news, The 66 th
Montana Legislative Session
was a success:
Senate Bill 94: Global
Signature Authority:
MNA worked gathering
consensus and Senator
Terry Gauthier brought the
bill forward. There was no
opposition in the legislature
and it passed unanimously.
This bill helps to reduce
barriers by granting NPs the
authority to sign paperwork
when the APRN has the ability within their scope
to sign such paperwork. There are several laws
that were just written in the past years that omitted
APRNs from signing. Rather than try and find each
and every law to get “APRN” added, MNA helped
APRN Corner
Keven Comer
MN, APRN, FNP-BC
without identification as a member of the professional
nursing organization, many nurses are merely draining
the good from the profession without adding their
share to keep it strong and dynamic.
What exists today as professional nursing, good or
bad, is here because other professionals wanted to
make it better, yes, for themselves, but also for future
generations. What happens to nursing in the future is
dependent on action taken by nurses today through
their professional organization.
The privilege of licensure as an R.N. is probably
nursing’s most precious heritage. It is recognition
by society that nurses have a special service to give.
Licensure was obtained because nurses united in
organization were able to convince the state legislature
of the need. MNA is once again in legislation to
strengthen the Nursing Practice Act by making
licensure mandatory for practical nursing just as it now
is for professional nursing.
The content of nursing education, while
everchanging, is a result from the work of many
write and submit the bill that would allow APRNs
to sign if their scope allowed. These include some
hunting permits forms, school forms, etc.
House Bill 98: This act amended provisions
relating to physical and mental health evaluations
of peace officers. Prior to the amendment, the law
allowed only physicians to complete the exam. The
amended section 7-32-303 now allows APRNs
to provide these exams for peace officers. It was
signed into law by Governor Bullock on April 17 th .
I would recommend if you see a state form
saying “physician-only signature,” that you copy the
law and attach (staple it) it to the form and send it
into the agency. If you get any questions, pushback
or denials from the agency please reach out to me
immediately so I can seek to remedy. If you are
unclear about when you can sign, please reach out
as well. Keven.comer@gmail.com
For more information on the Bills visit www.leg.mt.gov
nursing leaders who pooled their experiences and
ideas within organization and set standards for schools
of nursing to follow. These standards are under study
within nursing organization.
The functions performed by nurses in various
settings have been identified and mastered by
professionals again through organization. These
functions and responsibilities are subject to constant
study because of the increased demands for nursing
service and new discoveries of medical science.
Today’s R.N. needs to be able to take on many new
and complex responsibilities. Good examples are
the intensive care units and coronary care units
in hospitals where the R.N. sits at the control of
machines and is the barricade between the life and
death of patients within. Her call to the physician and
her action until he arrives, will decide the fate of the
patient. Freeing nurses from tradition bound duties so
that he or she can perform as this highly specialized
specialist is one of the greatest challenges facing
the profession. The professional organization tries to
help nurses become aware of, and accept, changing
concepts of practice through institutes, workshops,
professional journals, etc., but desire to change
depends on the motivation of the individual nurse.
Through research financed by nurses, it is known
that nurses are motivated when they are paid
adequately for their services and when they share in
making decisions about employment matters and
which affect nursing practice – another professional
goal.
After twenty years of effort great progress is being
made this past year in not only raising nursing salaries,
but in recognition by many, including employers, of the
right of nurses to have more to say about their working
conditions. The key to success this past year has been
the unity among nurses – their willingness to work
together collectively to seek needed changes. Nurses
are demanding and getting more equitable salaries
and their ideas for improving nursing practice are
also being heard. MNA is again in the state legislature
seeking a law to protect R.N.’s and L.P.N.’s as they try
to work collectively to improve employment practices.
There are some poor practitioners in nursing as in
most professions. When nurses salaries really reflect
the value of the service, reach a professional level,
patients can only afford to pay for the highest quality
of care – the best nurse possible is another goal of the
professional organization.
The mechanics of most organizations are not very
interesting, but they are the lifeline – the umbilical cord
– between the nurse and the profession. Dramatic
changes are taking place within the professional
organization on itself to better meet the change of
nurses and the profession.
These major continuing concerns of the profession
make up the substance of district, state and national
organizational meetings. The help of all R.N.’s is
needed to study the issues and make decisions which
will safeguard the future of the nursing profession.
Membership in MNA is a sure way of helping!
(Munger, n.d.)
References
Jacobson, H. (2009, July 17). A Walk through Helena,
c. 1969. Helena Independent Record. Retrieved
from https://helenair.com/news/opinion/a-walk-
through-helena-c/article_1b2a91f2-a817-580a-91b0-
b8a05ae289f6.html
Munger, M. (n.d.). Membership: A professional
commitment. Letter.
MNA was once again in the state legislature (2019),
advocating to strengthen the practice of our registered
nurses. A bill MNA was able to advocate for our
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses was SB 94
and states: “When a provision of law or administrative
rule requires a signature, certification, stamp,
verification, affidavit, or endorsement by a physician,
the requirement may be fulfilled by an advanced
practice registered nurse practicing within the scope
of the advance practice registered nurse's certification;
provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be
construed to expand the scope of practice of nurse
practitioners.” This signature authority bill is for all
the APRNs, not just those that are members. The bill
is critical for access to care issues and became law
upon the signature from the Governor.
This is just a prime example of the good work MNA
does and the need for all RNs to recognize the impact
MNA has on the profession and commit to helping that
continue by becoming a member of their professional
nurse association.