On Friday, August 8th, Wisconsin reached a historic milestone, Governor Tony Evers signed the APRN Modernization Act into law! This makes Wisconsin the 29th state to grant full practice authority to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), ensuring more timely, affordable, and high-quality care for people across the state.

What this means:
APRNs will now have their own license and the ability to practice independently in four roles:

• Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

• Nurse Practitioner (NP)

This change is a major win for patients, especially those in rural areas and underserved communities — who will now have expanded access to highly skilled, experienced nursing professionals.

“We cannot say thank you enough to the Governor and our bill authors, Senator Pat Testin and Representative Tony Kurtz, and the Wisconsin Legislature for supporting this legislation,” said WNA Executive Director Gina Dennik-Champion, RN, MSN, MSHA. “The major benefit to be realized is Wisconsinites gaining access to timely, quality, exceptional, and economical care delivered by a highly educated and experienced advanced practice registered nurse workforce.”

According to the Wisconsin Center for Nursing 2024 RN Workforce Survey, there are 9,127 nationally board-certified APRNs in Wisconsin — nearly 10% of our state’s registered nurse workforce — practicing in hospitals, primary care and specialty clinics, labor and delivery, long-term care, and more.

This success is the result of years of advocacy, collaboration, and commitment from WNA members, leadership, and partners. Together, we’ve helped shape the future of nursing in Wisconsin.

Want the full details? Read the complete press release here.