Report of Regents Professional Practice Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Professional Practice Committee held its scheduled meeting on June 4, 2019.  All members were present. Regent Kathleen M. Cashin was also present but did not vote on any case or action.

ACTION ITEMS

Professional Discipline Cases

Your Committee recommends that the reports of the Regents Review Committees, including rulings, findings of fact, determinations as to guilt, and recommendations, by unanimous or majority vote, contained in those reports which have been distributed to you, be accepted in 6 cases.  In addition, your Committee recommends, upon the recommendation of the Committee on the Professions, that 42 consent order applications and 16 surrender applications be granted.

These recommendations are made following the review of 64 cases involving fifteen registered professional nurses, ten licensed practical nurses, four licensed practical nurses who are also registered professional nurses, four pharmacists, three certified public accountants, three pharmacies, two architects, two dentists, two massage therapists, two professional engineers, one chiropractor, one dental hygienist, one licensed master social worker, one licensed master social worker who is also a licensed clinical social worker, one licensed mental health counselor, one physical therapist, one physical therapist assistant, one registered professional nurse who is also a nurse practitioner (Family Health), one respiratory therapist, one speech-language pathologist, and one veterinarian.

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD

Madam Chancellor and Colleagues: Your Professional Practice Committee recommends, and we move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on June 4, 2019, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Your Committee discussed several topics of interest, including:

• Deputy Commissioner's Report/Update 
• Full Board Consent Agenda Items
• Board (Re)Appointments
• Licensing Petitions
• Master Plan Amendment – Arnot Ogden Medical Center School of Nursing, Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Nursing

Proposed Amendment to §64.7 of the Commissioner’s Regulations Relating to the Execution by Registered Professional Nurses of Non-Patient Specific Orders to Administer Immunizations (2nd Emergency Action) - Discussion for emergency action on the revised proposed amendment to §64.7 of the Commissioner’s regulations relating to the execution by registered professional nurses of non-patient specific orders to administer vaccinations. The proposed amendment was intended to, among other things, allow the New York State Department of Health to have maximum flexibility when combatting an epidemic or outbreak. After the March 2019 emergency action, Department staff discovered that section 64.7(a)(1)(i)(c) used the term “vaccines” instead of the more appropriate term “immunizing agents.” The term “immunizing agents” includes both vaccines and immunoglobulin drugs.  Thus, a revision was made to the proposed rulemaking to use the more appropriate term “immunizing agents” to ensure that the intent of the proposed rulemaking to enhance the protection of the public health by expanding access to needed immunizing agents for infants, children and adults can be effectuated. The revised proposed amendment allows registered professional nurses to execute non-patient specific orders for administering vaccines and/or immunoglobulin drugs to combat an outbreak or epidemic.