CHARLOTTE, NC — A healthcare push for power has begun at the state capitol. House Bill 514 would give advanced practice registered nurses the ability to care for patients in the capacity they are trained to do,  without the supervision of a doctor. 27 other states have a similar law already in place. The idea behind is to get more APRNs to rural areas in North Carolina that don’t have a lot of doctors. “It allows us to provide access to patients so that they are able to get the care that they need in a timely manner,” said Bonnie Meadows. Meadows is President-elect of the North Carolina Nurses Association.  She said the bill cuts out the red tape and allows APRNs to handle everything they’re licensed to do faster. “It’s not the oversight that people think. People think that is there because these physicians have learned to trust the work of the APRN,” Meadows said of the current doctor oversight of APRNs. The bill would also give APRNs full prescribing power. Meadows said APRNs also spend thousands of dollars per year paying physicians for their supervision. Randy Aldridge with the North Carolina Medical Society calls the current system a fundamental patient safety requirement. “Physicians have substantially more training, infinitely more training than nurses,” said Aldridge. Aldridge believes this bill would blur the line between nurses and doctors. “We want the best trained and most experienced healthcare team working with the people of North Carolina. And we believe, and we stand by the fact that that needs to include supervision by a physician. Meadows said the state has allowed APRNs the same unsupervised power in the past. After Hurricane Helene and during the pandemic. ...read more read less