To: Bryce Bennett (MT-50), Dee Brown (MT-2), Cary Smith (MT-27), Gordon Vance (MT-34), Tom Jacobson (MT-11), Gene Vuckovich (MT-39), Jason Ellsworth (MT-43), and Susan Webber (MT-8)
Speak Up! Montana Patients Need Us
H.B. 147 will put Montana patients at risk. Montana has some of the best nurses in the United States, because our law requires that nurses are continuously trained and that they renew their certification every two years. Under H.B. 147, nurses from neighboring states could practice in Montana without the same requirements. Please oppose H.B. 147.
Why is this important?
I am a registered nurse and Montana resident. As a nurse, I care deeply for my profession and for my patients. I take pride in the care I give patients and am proud of the reputation Montana healthcare has because of the work I do as a nurse.
On Friday, the MNA executive director and the MNA RN continuing education specialist delivered testimony on why H.B. 147 is not the right answer for Montana patients or Montana nurses. I wish I could have been there, but as RNs who work on the frontline—in Montana’s ERs, psych wards and critical care facilities, to name a few—we rely on our voice in MNA to speak for us when we are caring for Montana’s patients. That’s why I am speaking up through this petition to let you know that we fully stand behind MNA’s opposition to H.B. 147.
I know there were points both in favor of and opposition to H.B. 147. I’d like to bring your attention to these points:
1. There is substantial disparity among the compact states in regard to continuing education and competence assessment, just as there is with the non-compact states. Without ensuring that all nurses practicing in Montana are held to the same high standards, we put patients at risk and undercut the hard work our nurses do to stay at the forefront of our field.
2. This nursing compact does not solve staffing issues around the state. If nurses can easily be transitioned into Montana, being in the compact, our Montana nurses can just as easily be transitioned out. In addition, many of the compact states—especially those bordering Montana—are facing similar nursing shortages, so the likelihood of a significant recruiting increase is low.
I support and encourage the ongoing discussions with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and Tri-Council for Nursing to address these issues with evidence and standardization that ensure public safety and safe patient care. Until these issues are ironed out, I urge you to stop H.B. 147.
As a Montana RN, I work hard to improve my skills and provide high-quality care to Montana patients. There is substantial disparity among compact states in regard to competence assessment. I know that H.B. 147 raises more questions than it provides solutions. Reject H.B. 147, and let’s continue productive discussions that will benefit Montana patients.