Board of registration in nursing; members; number; qualifications; appointment; term

Section 13. (a) The governor shall appoint 17 members to a board of registration in nursing, hereinafter called the board. When making such appointments the governor shall consider persons suggested by nursing organizations in the commonwealth. Members shall be residents of the commonwealth. The composition of the board shall be as follows: 11 registered nurses; 2 licensed practical nurses; 1 physician registered pursuant to chapter 112; 1 pharmacist registered under section 24 of chapter 112 and 2 consumers. (b) At the time of appointment or reappointment, nurse members shall: (1) be currently licensed as nurses in the commonwealth; (2) have at least eight years of experience in nursing practice in the ten years immediately preceding the appointment; and (3) be currently employed in nursing in the commonwealth at the time of appointment or reappointment. (c) Registered nurse board members shall include representatives from long-term care, acute care, and community health settings in the following manner: (1) 3 representatives with expertise in nursing education whose graduates are eligible to write nursing licensure examinations, including 1 representative from pre-licensure level, 1 representative from graduate level and 1 representative from post-graduate level; provided, that none of these 3 representatives shall be from the same institution; (2) two registered nurses in advanced practice, both of whom must meet requirements for authorization as a registered nurse in advanced practice as established by the board, at least one of whom is employed providing direct patient care at the time of appointment; (3) one registered nurse who is currently employed as a nursing service administrator and who is responsible in that role for agency or service wide policy development and implementation; (4) 2 registered nurses not authorized in advanced nursing practice and who provide direct patient care; (5) 1 registered nurse currently providing direct care to patients with a substance use disorder; (6) 1 registered nurse currently providing direct care to patients in an outpatient, community-based, behavioral health setting; and (7) 1 registered nurse currently providing direct care to patients living with chronic pain. (d) Licensed practical nurse board members shall include representatives from at least 2 of the following 3 settings: long-term care, acute care, and community health settings. (e) The consumer board member shall be knowledgeable in consumer health concerns and shall neither be, nor ever have been, associated directly or indirectly with the provision of health care. (f) Board members shall serve for a term of three years and until the governor appoints a successor, no member may serve more than two consecutive full terms in any category. Completion of an unexpired term does not constitute a full term. No fewer than four members of the board shall be appointed each year. (g) The governor shall fill any vacancy on the board within ninety days of the date that position becomes vacant. (h) The present members of the board holding office upon the effective date of this act shall serve as members for the duration of their respective terms.