(Madison, WI) – The Wisconsin Nurses Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 WNA “Friend of Nursing” Award.  The two awardees are state legislators Senator Devin LeMahieu of the 9th Senate District, Oostburg and Assembly Representative Mike Rohrkaste of the 55th Assembly District, Neenah.  LeMahieu and Rohrkaste were the lead sponsors of this biennium’s Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Modernization Act Legislation, SB 497 and AB 568.  The proposed legislation created licensure for the four categories of advanced practice registered nurses: Certified Nurse Midwives, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Nurse Practitioners.

“We are so appreciative of the efforts of Senator LeMahieu and Representative Rohrkaste in sponsoring our legislation.  Wisconsin is one of the first states to recognize the critical role of APRNs in providing access to timely, quality and safe patient care.  Over the past twenty years Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in further clarifying the responsibility and accountability of the APRN role.  This is why our statutes need to be modernized,” states Linda Gobis, RN, MN, JD, President – Wisconsin Nurses Association.

“As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, I appreciate Senator LeMahieu and Representative Rohrkaste’s support of our practice, their recognition of our graduate level of nursing education, and their understanding of what we bring to the healthcare setting and to our patient populations,” states Tina Bettin, RN, DNP, APNP Advanced Practice Nurses represent 6.4 percent of the 105,000 nurses in Wisconsin.

The “Friend of Nursing” Awards was announced at the WNA APRN Forum Pharmacology and Clinical Update Conference on April 27, 2018, at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI.