If this bill were to become law, it would amend current statutes regarding the scope of practice for medical assistants. Specifically, it would allow medical assistants to place and remove urinary catheters under the general supervision of a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse midwife, following appropriate training. This addition is marked as B. A medical assistant may place and remove urinary catheters after appropriate training and under the general supervision of a physician who is licensed pursuant to this chapter or chapter 17 of this title, a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or certified nurse midwife who is licensed pursuant to chapter 15 of this title or a physician assistant who is licensed pursuant to chapter 25 of this title. Additionally, the bill would redefine "general supervision" to clarify that it involves overall direction and control without the necessity of the supervising practitioner being present during the procedure. This new definition is indicated by G. For the purposes of this section, "general supervision" means that a procedure or service is provided under the overall direction and control of a physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife or physician assistant but that the presence of the physician. The bill also makes conforming changes to existing language, such as replacing the current subsection designations and removing outdated provisions, as indicated by B. and D..

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 32-1456
House Engrossed Version: 32-1456
Chaptered Version: 32-1456