May 13, 2014, Minnesota’s Senate Bill 511 was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. The new law will increase consumer access to health care and reduce unnecessary health care costs by granting full practice authority to all advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Minnesota. It will go into effect on January 1, 2015. However, new nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists will have to complete 2,080 hours of practice under a collaborative agreement with a physician or experienced APRN before achieving full practice authority, and certified registered nurse anesthetists would still need a collaborative agreement for intervention pain management procedures.

Congratulations to the many individuals, groups, and organizations that supported this important legislation, especially the members of the Minnesota Action Coalition and AARP Minnesota. With the passage of this law, Minnesota becomes the second state this year to pass legislation removing outdated barriers that prevent APRNs from providing care to consumers to the full extent of their education and training.

Click here to learn more about how the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action is working to remove restrictive barriers to ensure that consumers can get the care they need from APRNs.