Another 2017 Bill the Health Care Group is watching is Senate Bill No. 61. The Bill makes numerous amendments to South Dakota’s statutory scheme governing nurse practitioners and midwives.
Of the more important changes, SB 61 would broaden the scope of advanced practice nursing and medical functions of nurse practitioner and nurse midwives. Under SB 61, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives would be able to prescribe, procure, administer, and furnish pharmacological agents, including over the counter, legend, and Schedule II controlled drugs or substances for indefinite periods of time as opposed to the 30-day limit currently imposed. Additionally, nurse practitioners would be allowed to conduct physical examinations for the determination of participation in employment duties and not just athletics. Nurse midwives’ functions would add managing sexually transmitted infections in males.
SB 61 would also institute new grounds for the denial, suspension, or revocation of a nurse practitioner’s or nurse midwife’s license. A denial, suspension, or revocation of license would be possible if a nurse practitioner or midwife exercised influence within the nurse-patient relationship for the purpose of engaging a patient in sexual activity or engaging in a gross sexual harassment or sexual contact.
The last change of note is that new requirements would be added under SDCL § 36-9A-4 in regards to the licensing of a person to practice as a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife. In order to obtain a license, the amendment would require that such person complete a minimum of one thousand forty practice hours as a licensed nurse practitioner or nurse midwife. A person may also be licensed as a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife if they have a collaborative agreement with a physician, nurse practitioner, or nurse midwife in order to meet the one thousand forty hour practice requirement.
On January 26, the Bill passed the Senate 35 to 0.