KS APRN

The History of the Kansas APRN Taskforce

The idea of a task force was born from discussions among nurse practitioners who were interested in updating the language in the Nurse Practice Act describing the scope of practice of advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). Previous attempts of legislative changes had not been successful. Ronda Eagleson, Merilyn Douglass, Faye Heller, Diana Corpstein, Sharon Bailey, Judy Schrock, Serena Stutzman, Michelle Knowles and Faye Heller met in February 2009, initiating the task force. Susan Bumsted, 2009 President of the Kansas State Nurses Association, (KSNA) and the KSNA Board of Directors, joined the task force with a vision of uniting all the professional organizations of advanced practice, the schools of nursing and work with the KSBN to update statutes describing the scope of practice of all advanced practice nurses. Sarah Tidwell, KSNA Legislative Chair, led the task force through the process of writing substitutive language for the ARNP statutes. Utilizing the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, a model sponsored by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the task force in partnership with KSBN crafted APRN the first scope of practice bill in 2010 that eventually was modified in 2011 to SB 134 that became law.  The original goals of the taskforce were to:

• Facilitate legislative changes that improve access to quality health care for Kansans.
• Remove legislative barriers so that advanced practice registered nurses can practice to the full extent of their education and training(IOM, 2010).
• Remove barriers that prevent development of innovative health care delivery systems which provide patient-centered health care and lower health care costs.
• In concert with the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN), the APRN Task Force pledges to work with the goal of safe and compassionate health care for all Kansans.

In 2015 – Taskforce transitions to an official organization: KAPN-Kansas Advanced Practice Nurses Association

KAPN- Kansas Advanced Practice Nurses association, taskforce members developed bylaws and became an official not-for-profit-professional advocacy association in October 2015. KAPN is dedicated to assuring that all Kansans have access to cost effective, high quality care provided by Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.  The Mission of KAPN is to:

1. Promote advanced practice nursing excellence in practice, education and research;
2. Collaborate with others in shaping the future of health care, including health professionals, agencies, organizations, individuals…;
3. Provide leadership and direction for advanced practice nurses in the areas of legislation and regulation to meet the organization’s mission;
4. Build a positive image of the advanced practice nurse role; and
5. Be a valuable, reliable information resource regarding advanced practice nursing.