Contact: Gina Dennik-Champion
608-228-3300
MADISON, WI – One thousand Registered Nurses and nursing students are registered to
attend WNA’s Annual Nurses Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at the Monona Terrace & Convention Center. “Participants will be coming from across the state to learn about the legislative priorities that impact nurses and patients in Wisconsin. The participants will also be meeting with their legislators to present three legislative topics; Workplace Violence against Nurses, Nurse Faculty Shortage and the Advanced Practice
Registered Nurse Modernization Act,” states WNA President, Linda Gobis, RN, JD.
Nurse Alex Wubbel of Utah, will be presenting her topic, “Moral Courage”. She will be sharing her story about her personal workplace violence experience as it relates to nurse advocacy and the Nursing Code of Ethics.
WNA is supporting a legislative proposal that address workplace violence/battery against a nurse by charging the perpetrator with a Level H Felony. Current Wisconsin law allows for a Level H Felony to be applied only to nurses or other staff members working in the Emergency Department.
The Administrators of Nursing Education in Wisconsin (ANEW) and WNA are very appreciative of Governor Evers support of increasing the nurse educator workforce by allocating $10 million. ANEW and WNA’s proposal to the Governor advocated for the money to be used to directly support Registered Nurses enrolled in a Master’s, DNP or PhD Wisconsin school of nursing. Graduates must commit to working as a nurse educator for three years.
The soon to be introduced Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Modernization Act legislative proposal provides for separate licensure for those Registered Nurses who has an advanced practice registered nursing degree as a Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Practitioner. The legislation describes the criteria that must be met in order to be licensed as an APRN.
