State Liaison Candidate
Campaign Message
If elected I will coordinate and work with AANP and NP organizations, and other stakeholders in Wisconsin to continue to move our state to Full Practice Authority. This initiative will require a great deal of education for physicians, legislators and the public, regarding the education, certification and licensure of Nurse Practitioners and the services that they can offer to close the healthcare access gap to multiple populations in Wisconsin. If unnecessary barriers to NP practice are removed, NPs could perform at the top of their licensure to provide quality care in a timely manner for all patients. In addition, I will work with AANP to assist Liaisons in all states to fulfill the AANP mission to achieve Full Practice Authority, as well as moving the Wisconsin Scope of Practice to a Full Practice Authority.
Bio Sketch
Dr. McLaughlin has been a leader in the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner profession for over 26 years. During his tenure as an Acute Care Nurse practitioner, he has worked in cardiothoracic surgery, trauma, general surgery, and is currently a Hospitalist. Dr. McLaughlin holds a faculty appointment as the Lead Faculty for the Adult/Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Saint Anthony College of Nursing in Rockford, IL. Beyond the faculty appointment, Dr. McLaughlin has taught thoracic and general surgical skills to medical students, Residents and Fellows for the last 20 years. Dr. McLaughlin has published manuscripts regarding Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice. Furthermore, he has presented Procedure workshops at the National AANP Conference for 17 years and was inducted into the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2011. Dr. McLaughlin was awarded the Faculty Daisey Award at the University of Chicago College of Nursing in 2013. In 2022, Dr. McLaughlin helped develop and implement the Advanced Practice Critical Care Fellowship at Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL. Currently, Dr. McLaughlin is the director of the AG/ACNP Program at Saint Anthony College of Nursing as well as full time practice as a hospitlist and Intensivist.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing NPs in the delivery of health care over the next decade? How should AANP address this issue to support NPs and the populations they serve?
The biggest challenge facing NP practice in the delivery of healthcare over the next decade will be to negotiate NP scope of practice and attain Full Practice Authority in all states. Currently, states with restricted scope of practice require physician oversite for many aspects of NP practice including requiring physician signatures to order DME and pronouncement of death. These barriers impede NP practice, and if eliminated NP's can expand their scope of practice to functionat the top oftheir licensure to meet the upcoming gap in healthcare access for many populations.
Describe, in detail, leadership and other professional skills that you will bring to AANP and provide at least one initiative or outcome that occurred because of these skills.
In the Army Reserves I held positions such as Platoon Leader, and Company Commander. I was responsible for the administrative operations of the unit, including mission planning and execution. I was also in charge of survival training before the unit was deployed to Afghanistan. I have been a practicing NP for 26 years. In my career I have worked in CV-Surgery, Trauma, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, and as a Hospitalist. I am also the director of an AG/ACNP program, and have an appointment as Adjunct Faculty at UW-Madison and have overseen procedural skills training and simulation for medical studnets.
Identify one major challenge that could impact your ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position you are seeking. How do you plan to manage this challenge to be successful?
A major challenge that could impact my ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position could `be a conflict of scheduling with my professional practice position and my obligations to the college of nursing. Both positions require a lot of coordination and early scheduling. Although I think this challenge can be controlled with early proactive scheduling for the commitments with AANP.
AANP’s mission is to empower all NPs to advance accessible, person-centered, equitable, high-quality health care for diverse communities through practice, education, advocacy, research, and leadership. If elected, how do you propose to advance AANP's mission and strategic plan?
If elected I will coordinate and work with state NP leaders and move the Wisconsin Scope of Practice to a Full Practice Authority model. This initiative will require a great deal of education for physicians, legislators and the public, regarding the education, certification and licensure of Nurse Practitioners and the services that they can offer to close the healthcare delivery Gap to underserved areas. If unnecessary barriers to NP practice are removed, NPs could perform at the top of their licensure to provide quality care in a timely manner for all populations.