Nebraska Rejects Surgical Technologist Registry Proposal

On February 11, 2020, the Nebraska legislature voted against a long-standing proposal by Nebraska surgical technologists to be registered under the state Board of Medicine. LB 205 was defeated after much education and work by Nebraska perioperative nurse advocates and AORN’s state legislative coordinator and AORN member Karen Rustermier, BSN RN CNOR.

Like many states, Nebraska has a statutory requirement for health professions seeking credentialing or regulatory change to submit to a review by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. The process involves initial review by a technical review committee, review by the Board of Health’s Credentialing Review Committee, and review by the full Board of Health. The process in Nebraska began in 2010 with a proposal for licensure. Both the Credentialing Review Committee and the full Board of Health recommended against the surgical technologist’s proposal for licensure, citing concerns that a licensure requirement for the state’s surgical technologists could result in a decline in access to services, particularly in rural areas, also noting that that NE-AST provided no evidence of potential harm to the public from the current lack of regulation. No other state licenses surgical technologists, and the Nebraska Board of Health expressed concern about the adverse impact a licensure requirement would have on the employment situation for surgical technologists in the state.

In lieu of licensure, the Board of Health indicated support for a registry for surgical technologists, consistent with its recommendation for competency assessments for surgical technologists. The issue then fell to the Health and Human Services committee and then the full Nebraska Legislature when it considered LB 205 this year. AORN members remained engaged throughout the entire process, continuously educating the committee members and legislators over the years about the lack of need for a registry in Nebraska and the importance of RN circulator supervision when surgical technologists are performing in the scrub role.

AORN will continue to engage with perioperative nurses and stakeholders in Nebraska on issues impacting perioperative practice and patient safety in Nebraska operating rooms. If you have any questions about the surgical technologist registration initiative in Nebraska, please contact AORN’s director of government affairs, Amy Hader.