[Histonet] It's getting cold in here....

[Terri Braud]

If you've not been made aware before now, be warned.  The Department of Veterans affairs (DVA) has proposed a rule that would authorize any Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) to not only order and interpret lab tests, but also to perform, supervise, and direct lab testing.  The rule follows lab personnel requirement changes enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that say that a bachelor's or associate's degree in nursing is sufficient  to perform high complexity lab testing.
With a nod to nursing degrees that I'm sure prepare a nurse extremely well for nursing, there is no way that a nursing degree can adequately prepare a person to perform complex laboratory testing.  Unless your state has technologist licensure, and few do,  get prepared for nurses running the lab, and lab tests.  And where will that leave the histologist technician?  I'm guessing out in the cold.

Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
Laboratory
Holy Redeemer Hospital
1648 Huntingdon Pike
Meadowbrook, PA 19046
ph: 215-938-3689
fax: 215-938-3874
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