I will soon be reintroducing legislation that will recognize the title of “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” (APRN) in Pennsylvania – a designation recognized in most other states. This bill would not expand or alter in any way these nurses’ existing scope of practice; ability to practice independently; or prescribing authority. The language of the bill will make this explicitly clear. 
  
Specifically, the bill would update the state’s Professional Nursing Law to ensure the following nurses with advanced degrees and requisite experience are classified as APRNs: 

• Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNP); 
• Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS); and, 
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)  

Updating our laws to include this designation will help improve patient access to APRNs and support these professionals who may need to work across different states. Only Pennsylvania and New York fail to recognize CRNPs in some fashion as APRNs. Five states, including Pennsylvania, fail to formally recognize a CNS as an APRN. State nursing laws in 40 states currently recognize CRNAs as APRNs, but not in Pennsylvania. 
  
APRNs are a fundamental part of the healthcare system, and they are classified as advanced practice providers because at a minimum they have earned a master’s degree or post-master’s degree in a specific healthcare role. APRNs practice autonomously and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality, holistic, patient-centered, evidence-based care. APRNs play a vital role in ensuring rural and underserved residents have access to first-rate and cost-effective healthcare services.  

• CRNAs are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, operating safely in every setting where anesthesia is administered, including hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; pain management centers, and more. 
• CRNPs may diagnose medical conditions, prescribe and dispense prescription drugs, develop and implement treatment plans, order and perform diagnostic tests, and deliver other health-care services, pursuant to a written collaborative agreement with a licensed physician. 
• CNS provide diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of patients within specialty populations; lead interdisciplinary teams to engineer basic and advanced patient care through the translation of high-quality research into clinical practice; serve as expert consultants to members of the patient care team within their specialty of practice; and lead systems innovation to ensure high-quality, cost-effective, research-based, patient-centered care.  

All of these essential healthcare professionals, with their advanced degrees, play a pivotal role in caring for Pennsylvanians; they deserve a title that reflects their education and training.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1515 (Apr 28, 2025): P.L.317, No.69