HJBR Jan/Feb 2026

46 JAN / FEB 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE NURSING COLUMN NURSING • Appointment of two, non-nursing consumer members to the LSBN with full membership privileges. 2017 LSBN staff worked with board members and community RNs and APRNs on the following projects: • Enhanced RN Compact Task Force; • Approved the Declaratory Statement on Patient Safety: Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Working Extended Hours; • Full approval of the Associate of Science in Nursing program at South Louisiana Community College; • Approved the request from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center to add Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (DNP) to the approved graduate education degree program; • Approved that it is within the scope of practice for a registered nurse to delegate gastrostomy tube feedings to unlicensed personnel in intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and retracted the nurse’s practice opinion dated March 28, 1990; and • Approved the plan to go to biennial RN/APRN license renewal on the October to December 2018 license renewal cycle. 2018 • Worked with the Center for Nursing and Louisiana Action Coalition to promote LSBN initiatives on workforce planning, leadership 2013 • Revision of the LSBN strategic plan to include the new strategic priority, “E,”Advance Nursing Workforce Through Research. • Approved Step I for South Louisiana Community College to proceed to Step II for developing an Associate of Science in Nursing Degree Program. • Approved the request of Herzing University to offer graduate clinical experiences in Louisiana for the specialty/concentration of MSN/ Family Nurse Practitioner. 2014 • Promulgated new rules related to Title 46, Subpart 2: Registered Nurses, §3341 Fees for Registration and Licensure to allow for limited fee increases and §4513 Authorized Practice to allow for temporary prescriptive authority for APRNs during a formal, declared disaster. • Approved the Louisiana Nursing Education Articulation Model 2014, which became effective in the fall of 2014. • Approved a curriculum change for Our Lady of the Lake College to transition the Master of Science in Nursing Anesthesia Program to a BSN to DNPA program. 2015 • Approved the joint statement with the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners providing for “collaboration and collaborative practice.” • Approved the request to revise LAC 46: XLVII: 3703.A.a.iv.c and to add section LAC 46: XLVII: 3709 in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, LA. R.S. 49:951-968 providing for revision to the current definition of “Delegating Nursing Interventions” and providing for “Delegation of Medication Administration to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel in Outpatient Clinic Settings.” • Accepted the letter of intent from Sowela Technical Community College, approved Step I and the request to begin Step II for initiation of an Associate of Science in Nursing Degree Program. 2016 LSBN staff worked with board members and community RNs and APRNs on the following projects: • Disciplinary Rules, Section 3331 Task Force; • Delegation to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel Task Force; • HR 244 Task Force on Proposal for Joint RN/LPN Board; • Transporting Critically Ill Neonates Ad Hoc Committee; • IEN English Proficiency Task Force; • Nurse Fatigue and Safety Task Force; and • Task Force on Capacity and Clinical Availability. R.S. 37:914(B)(1), 916, 917, and 927(A) was amended allowing for the: • Removal of the two designated MD ex officio members from the LSBN; and A WARMHEARTED GOODBYE TO OUR LOUISIANA NURSES IT IS WITH MIXED EMOTIONS that I begin what will be my last column for this journal. I will be retiring effective January 31, 2026, and returning to my family and roots in Texas. It has been my privilege to collaborate with some of the most accomplished leaders in profes- sional nursing, achieving significant milestones over the past 12 years. I am incredibly proud of what the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN) has built and the positive impact we’ve made on nursing regulation and practice in Louisiana and throughout the country. The following are select strategic outcomes that have elevated the voice of nurses and ensured that nurses are making a difference and influ- encing quality health outcomes for all Louisianans since 2013. A farewell message from the retiring CEO of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing