Letter to Senator Whitmire

Bill: SB 915 /Legislative Session: 87(R) Council Document: 87R 3775 BEE-F
Last Action: 03/11/2021 S Referred to Business & Commerce
Relating to the licensing and authority of advanced practice registered nurses.
Author: Hancock
Occupational Regulation–Health Occupations (I0540)
MEDICINE & PRESCRIPTION DRUGS (S7338)
NURSES & NURSE AIDES (S2704)
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (S0081)
NURSING, TEXAS BOARD OF (V0776)
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT BOARD, TEXAS (V0909)

Senator Whitmire,

I made a short blog post on my small business site: https://alerosa-enterprises.com/i-am-still-not-a-damn-doctor/ that speaks to my concerns.
Briefly, as your constituent and as a Physician Assistant that would be directly affected by this legislation, I hope that you will be an advocate for logic and fairness. This legislation puts NPs on equal footing with MDs and DOs despite the fact that they have not been educated or trained in the medical model and have fewer clinical hours than PAs. They have written themselves out from under the supervisory relationship with physicians and into independent practice, like in other states, with no logical reason why. NPs do not deserve carte blanche independent practice, nor do PAs deserve to be placed in shackles that bind both us and our SPs (Supervising Physicians).

I urge you to reject SB 915.

Thank you.