Stephanie B. Harold

The Alabama Board of Nursing's strategic initiatives are designed to safeguard and promote public health through regulatory excellence. Key strategic pillars include enhancing nursing education through programs like the Leadership Institute and Just-in-Time Training, improving communication and transparency via social media and the Center for Nursing Excellence, ensuring regulatory excellence by supporting the nursing workforce and revising scope of practice standards, and demonstrating leadership by promoting Full-Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and eliminating regulatory barriers. The plan aims to foster growth, development, and support for nurses while ensuring regulatory compliance and public awareness.

The Alabama Board of Nursing's strategic direction focuses on safeguarding public health through regulatory excellence in nursing practice and education. This vision is supported by activities encompassing nurse licensure, continuing education, advanced practice nursing oversight, and comprehensive nursing education programs, including scholarship and loan repayment initiatives. The Board's operations, legal enforcement, and Center for Nursing Excellence further contribute to ensuring a qualified, ethical, and continuously developing nursing workforce for the citizens of Alabama.

The committee addressed several clinical practice and protocol requests. Discussions included tabling a request for nurse practitioner training on port catheter removal pending further educational documentation. The committee approved the removal of specific exclusion statements from the Critical Care Protocol regarding dialysis, extracorporeal photopheresis, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Additionally, revisions were approved for the Neonatal Standard Protocol regarding needle aspiration procedures, while requests to modify total parenteral nutrition documentation requirements were deferred. Furthermore, revisions were approved to include the insertion and removal of intrauterine devices in Women's Health, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Certified Nurse Midwife protocols. The committee also scheduled the January 2026 meeting date.

The Joint Committee meeting addressed several protocols and skill approvals. Key discussions included receiving the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) approved Cosmetic Botulinum Toxin Injection Protocol as information, and deferring the ABN Oculoplastic Skill Approval item. New business involved the approval of modifications to the ABN Revised Botox for Chronic Migraines Protocol and the ABN Revised Botox for Hyperhidrosis Protocol. Modifications were also approved for the ABN Revised Cosmetic Botulinum Toxin Injection Protocol. The committee approved adding specific skills to the ABN CRNP Standard Protocol for several certifications, while deferring other complex procedures for acute and primary certifications. The committee voted not to approve the ABN New Oculoplastic Protocol and approved a specific oculoplastic skill request for two individuals with protocol modifications. Finally, the committee considered and approved a request from Dr. Cash for Advanced Practice Practitioners (APPs) to perform dermal fillers.

The Regular Board Meeting addressed numerous agenda items. Key discussions included the modification and adoption of the Consent Agenda, which involved removing a travel item. The full agenda was adopted as amended. Financial reports reviewed included the revenues and expenditure summary as of July 31, 2025, and the approval of the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget. Reports covered numerous topics, including the voluntary surrender for revocation of several nursing licenses. The Board established the daily compensation rate for Board Members for FY 2025 and 2026 at $300.00 and increased the compensation rate for Joint Committee Members to $150.00. Significant policy work involved the final certification of revisions to the Administrative Code regarding prelicensure clinical education, revisions to the Voluntary Disciplinary Alternative Program (VDAP) rules, and affirmation of the Fee Schedule. In Advanced Practice, the Board appointed nurse members to the Joint Committee, approved revisions to the CRNP Standard Protocols, approved a new consolidated Critical Care Protocol, and approved revisions to the Cosmetic Botulinum Toxin Injection Protocol. The Board also approved recipients for Nursing Scholarships and Advanced Practice Nursing Loan Repayment Program loans. A large portion of the session involved Executive Session to address numerous disciplinary cases, resulting in the acceptance of 32 Consent Orders pertaining to license status changes, probations, and reprimands, as well as one voluntary surrender.