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Hospitals ask committee to clarify LPN scope language to let nurses practice to top of training
Summary
NH Hospital Association and nursing leaders asked the committee to amend HB 1030 to remove wording that limits LPNs to "focused" assessments and to change 'participating in' to 'contributing to' care, saying program curricula already teach comprehensive assessments and the change would reduce confusion and underutilization.
CONCORD, N.H. — The House committee heard Jan. 21 from nursing leaders and hospital officials who requested clarifying amendments to House Bill 1030 to modernize practical‑nurse scope language.
Alyssa Cummings, an interim nursing director at Dartmouth‑Hitchcock, said LPN programs now train graduates to perform broader assessments than some statutory language reflects and asked the committee to remove the phrase "focused" from the description of LPN assessments. "Allowing LPNs to practice at the highest level of their education, training, and demonstrated competencies strengthens team care models and increases access to crucial patient care," Cummings said. (Alyssa Cummings)
Kathy Pizzaro Thunberg, executive vice president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, handed the committee draft statutory language and asked that subsection c be revised from "participating in" to "contributing to" registered‑nurse initiated activities, which the hospitals say better reflects team practice and the LPN role. The association offered redrafted statutory language for the committee's consideration.
The New Hampshire Nurses Association also supported the clarification, saying education has evolved and LPNs increasingly provide the bulk of bedside assessments, particularly in long‑term care settings where registered nurses are less available.
What happens next: The sponsors and committee members discussed a narrowly focused amendment; no final committee vote was recorded. OPLC staff said they would coordinate statutory and rule drafting should the committee decide to proceed.
Ending: Committee left the record open for suggested wording and indicated staff will circulate a redraft for member review.
