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An Act To Clarify the Licensure of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §2102, sub-§4,  as amended by PL 1985, c. 724, §4, is further amended to read:
 
4. License.   A "license" is an authorization to practice nursing as a professional nurse or, practical nurse or advanced practice registered nurse.
Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §2102, sub-§5-A,  as enacted by PL 1995, c. 379, §5 and affected by §11, is amended to read:
 
5-A. Advanced practice registered nurse.   "Advanced practice registered nurse" means an individual who is currently licensed under this chapter and approved by the board to practice advanced practice registered nursing as defined in subsection 2-A. "A.P.R.N." is the abbreviation for the title of "advanced practice registered nurse." An advanced practice registered nurse may use the abbreviation "A.P.R.N." or the title or abbreviation designated by the national certifying body.
 
"Advanced practice registered nurse" includes a certified nurse practitioner, a certified nurse midwife, a certified clinical nurse specialist and a certified nurse anesthetist who are licensed under this chapter and are approved by the board to practice advanced practice registered nursing.
 
SUMMARY
This bill changes the language providing for authority to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse to provide a one-step licensing process rather than the two-step process currently in place.