Public Policy Meeting Involving the Board of Registered Nursing

Public Policy Meeting
Student’s Name
Institution
Public Policy Meeting
Purpose of the Meeting
The purpose of the meeting was to deliberate on bills that were important to the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) as well as to possibly vote on adoption or modification positions on the bills that were introduced during the last legislative session (2019-2020). The key participants were Michael D. Jackson, president of the BRN, Kenneth Malbrough, the vice president, Elizabeth Woods, advanced practice nurse (APRN) role in the BRN, Dolores Trujillo, bedside nurse role, Loretta Melby, the executive officer, and Imelda Ceja-Butkiewicz, Donna Gerber, and Karen Skelton. The last three are all public members appointed as members of the BRN (California Department of Consumer Affairs, 2020). Other key stakeholders were members of the public who submitted their comments through the public comment section and shared their opinions on various issues concerning the agenda of the meeting.
The key agenda items were to establish a quorum, general instructions on how to participate in the teleconference meeting, public comment for future agenda items, and the report of the Legislative Committee. The meeting took place via teleconference call. Web Ex was utilized to facilitate interaction. Comments from the members of the public were limited to one minute.
Background Information
The president of the BRN, Michael D. Jackson has a background in nursing as a registered nurse (RN) and a holder of a master’s degree in nursing (MSN). The vice president, Kenneth Malbrough, is a public member appointed to the BRN. Elizabeth Woods is an MSN, FNP, RN, who serves on an advanced practice nurse (APRN) role in the BRN. The person appointed for the bedside nurse role, Dolores Trujillo, and the executive officer, Loretta Melby are both RNs. Imelda Ceja-Butkiewicz, Donna Gerber, and Karen Skelton are all public members appointed as members of the BRN. These members hold meetings to discuss the status of current bills that are of interest to the BRN and to deliberate on the next course of action about the said bill. The BRN focuses on ensuring that the state of California protects the rights of patients. This requires having highly qualified nurses working with patients (California Board of Registered Nursing, n.d.). The committee represents this interest of the BRN in legislative issues.
Specific Topic Discussed
One of the specific topics discussed in the meeting was the status of the bill on the nurse practitioner's scope of practice. The BRN had made some amendments to the bill and the bill is in the Senate awaiting a hearing. Initially, the BRN opposed the bill because it proposed a new APRN board and requested it to be amended. As at the time of the meeting, the requested amendment and been made and instead of an APRN board, there would be an APRN advisory committee. It was recommended that the BRN should now support the bill. The motion was seconded by a member of the BRN. However, another board member challenged the motion indicating that there was no specific language indicating the number of the members of the committee or who would decide on the number. The specific board member received clarification on the matter, althou...