Nurse Practitioners saw another victory in their quest for full practice authority on Wednesday in the Pennsylvania Senate, when they voted by a margin of 44 to 6 to advance legislation to allow certified NPs to practice independently of physicians.

Senate Bill 25, sponsored by Senator Camera Bartolotta, aims to amend the Professional Nursing Law, and will allow certified NPs to practice independent of a physician after they fulfill a three-year, 3,600-hour collaboration agreement with a physician. The law as it currently stands requires NPs to practice under a collaboration agreement at all times.

Similar legislation was approved by Pennsylvania’s Senate in April of 2017; however, the bill did not receive a vote in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives. The bill will now be moved to the House for a vote.

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