New Wisconsin law will allow advanced nurses to set up their own practices

Some nurses with advanced degrees will soon be allowed to set up their own practices in Wisconsin. 

That’s after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed a bipartisan bill into law Friday.

The law creates a new type of state license for advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs. That includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives.

By allowing those nurses to work with more autonomy, backers of the initiative say the changes will help alleviate a medical provider shortage, especially in rural areas. 

“Nurses play a critical role in our healthcare workforce, and I’m proud of our work to expand opportunities for nurses to not only grow their career but create a system that allows for more advanced practitioners here in Wisconsin,” the governor said in a statement.

Evers has twice vetoed previous versions of the bill amid concerns raised by groups representing doctors.

The Wisconsin Medical Society was among the groups that opposed previous versions of the bill. That organization, which advocates on behalf of physicians, did not register against the latest version, and it instead came out as neutral.

“While physician-led team-based care is the gold standard for quality care and this bill moves away from that, the compromise helps with some of our concerns regarding experience, pain management, and Truth in Advertising protections,” the Wisconsin Medical Society said in a position statement.

The recently signed version contains compromises, including additional oversight for nurses working in pain management and adding enforcement actions against nurses who falsely represent themselves as doctors.

It also increases the training requirements for APRNs, which includes time that an advanced practice nurse needs under the supervision of a physician or dentist before that nurse can practice independently.

Twenty-eight other states already allow advanced nurses to practice independently, according to the Wisconsin Nurses Association. And Gina Dennik-Champion, a lobbyist with that group, said Wisconsin risks losing its medical professionals to those areas.

“We really need the people in this state that are the brightest and the best to stay here, and when the states touching us have full practice authority, it makes sense that people are going to work in areas where the barriers are less,” Dennik-Champion told a state Assembly committee this spring.

The bill’s lead sponsors included Rep. Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc, Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, an Appleton Republican who is also a nurse practitioner.