The 2000s: New beginnings

The beginning of the new millennium ushered in a new beginning for WSNA with a return to financial stability and steady growth in membership. With sustained membership growth, WSNA became the third-largest state nurses association in the nation. During this decade, programs were also enhanced — focusing on access to quality care, patient and nurse safety, improved working conditions, environmental health and safety, emergency preparedness, public health, nursing practice and continuing education.

The first eight years of this decade saw extraordinary successes in legislative and political action, with a national record of eight registered nurse legislators in key leadership positions in Olympia. Legislative victories including mandatory overtime, safe patient handling, nurse staffing and completion of full prescriptive authority for ARNPs were also achieved. These victories were clear examples of the comprehensive approach taken by WSNA as a multi-purpose organization through legislation, regulation, nursing practice and collective bargaining. WSNA’s intense focus on nursing practice meant the protection of the scope and standards of nursing practice and nurse licensure, while assuring public safety.

As another wave of nursing shortages began to take shape, WSNA was a leader in meeting this challenge by developing strategies to address the issues surrounding nursing recruitment and retention and through the creation and funding of the Washington Center for Nursing (WCN). The nursing shortage, along with the increasing complex health care needs of the population, translated to an extremely challenging workplace environment for nurses and concerns for safe patient care. WSNA’s experience and expertise in collective bargaining greatly enhanced nurse and patient safety through workplace protections, increased benefits and more input in patient care decisions.

2000

• WSNA was successful in limiting scope of nurse delegation to community-based settings — boarding homes, adult family homes and developmentally disabled settings — and not in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
• WSNA became a founding member of the United American Nurses, creating the largest national union of registered nurses affiliated with both the ANA and AFL-CIO.
• The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (NSPA) was passed by the United States Congress.

2001

• WSNA formed ARNP Coalition and successfully lobbied for the completion of prescriptive authority allowing ARNPs to prescribe Schedule II-IV medications — providing the ARNP has a joint practice agreement. This limitation was removed legislatively two years later.
• WSNA won an organizing election at Southwest Washington Medical Center and began negotiating their first contract.
• WSNA issued position papers on nursing shortage and workforce issues, as well as continuing competency.
• The problems of erosion of public health nursing and medical errors/systems safety were added as WSNA priorities.
• WSNA member Jan Bussert was elected to the ANA Board of Directors and later became ANA treasurer.

2002

• WSNA launched a statewide media campaign on nursing recruitment and retention.
• The Washington Nursing Leadership Council (WNLC) issued its “Washington State Strategic Plan for Nursing” and urged creation of a Center for Nursing in Washington state.
• WSNA won a decertification attempt by Teamsters Local 245 at Kittitas Hospital in Ellensburg.
• WSNA member Dawn Morrell was elected to the Washington State Legislature and appointed vice chair of the House Health Care Committee.
• WSNA won landmark legislation protecting nurses from mandatory overtime.

2003

• WSNA and the ARNP coalition tackled the Medical Malpractice Liability Insurance Reform issue.
• WSNA Board of Trustees endorsed the “precautionary principle” and established the WSNA Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Committee to address workplace and environmental safety issues.
• WSNA reached over a million people with “Nursing — A Career for Life” public relations campaign.
• WSNA initiated the new Public Health Nursing Special Interest Group.

2004

• WSNA and other groups collaborated to establish the Washington Center for Nursing (WCN) to address the growing nursing shortage. WSNA secured two seats on the WCN Board.
• WSNA made the final payment on its 1989 ANA critical assistance loan.
• With support from WSNA PAC, eight registered nurses (Sen. Rosa Franklin, Sen. Margarita Prentice, Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, Sen.Cheryl Pflug, Rep. Eileen Cody, Rep. Dawn Morrell, Rep. Judy Clibborn and Rep. Tami Green) served in the Washington State Legislature — the most of any state in the country at the time.

2005

• WSNA was successful in passing bills to enlarge the Nursing Commission and provide funding for the Central Resource Center for Nursing.
• WSNA issued a position paper on medical errors and patient safety and joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “100K Lives” campaign.

2006

• The Safe Patient Handling bill became law, providing for no manual lifting of patients.
• ANA, WSNA and New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) jointly filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for failure to enforce nurse staffing requirements in hospitals.

2007

• WSNA and other environmental groups were successful in securing passage of a bill banning toxic flame retardants — the first bill of its kind in the U.S.
• WSNA, in collaboration with other advanced practice nursing groups, achieved final completion of prescriptive authority legislation — making Washington state’s practice act the most advanced in the country.
• WSNA, in collaboration with other coalitions, was successful in securing additional funding for public health, mental health and nursing enrollment slots.
• WSNA ended its affiliation with the United American Nurses (UAN).
• WSNA issued a position paper on registered nurse delegation in community-based settings.
• WSNA issued a white paper on nursing education in Washington state.
• WSNA held nine regional workshops on safe nurse staffing.
• WSNA supported development of the Nursing Students of Washington State (NSWS), organized as a constituent of the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). It was the first state student nurses organization since 1998.

2008

• WSNA continued to monitor the activities of the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and provided advice on issues like continued competency, multi-state licensure, advanced practice issues, scope and standards of practice, and protection of the public.
• Nearly 700 nurses and students attended Nurse Legislative Day.
• WSNA, in collaboration with the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives (NWONE) and other nurse unions, successfully lobbied for passage of the Safe RN Staffing bill.