[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 53 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 53

  To express the sense of the Senate concerning the establishment of 
Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Pharmacy dual degree programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 25 (legislative day, January 5), 2011

 Mr. Inouye (for himself and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To express the sense of the Senate concerning the establishment of 
Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Pharmacy dual degree programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Doctor of Nursing Practice and 
Doctor of Pharmacy Dual Degree Program Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Senate makes the following findings:
            (1) The terms dual, joint, double, or combined degrees are 
        used interchangeably, and such terms mean students working for 
        2 different and distinct degrees in parallel, completing 2 
        degrees in less time than it would take to complete each degree 
        separately.
            (2) The overall purpose of the innovative cross cutting 
        dual or joint degree nursing programs is to prepare nurses to 
        expand the traditional scope of nursing practice, with the goal 
        of strengthening health care teams.
            (3) The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) 
        2009 survey of schools of nursing documents that there are over 
        100 nursing schools that offer dual degree programs of which 74 
        are MSN/MBA programs, 34 are MSN/MPH programs, 10 are MSN/MHA 
        programs, 5 are MSN/MPA programs, 4 are MSN/MDIV programs, and 
        3 are MSN/JD programs.
            (4) There is currently no dual degree program that combines 
        nursing and pharmacology.
            (5) Recently, the University of Hawaii at Hilo has explored 
        the option of nursing and pharmacy partnering to meet the needs 
        of the changing health care field.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) there should be established a Doctor of Nursing 
        Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) dual degree 
        program;
            (2) the development of a joint degree in nursing and 
        pharmacology should combine a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) 
        with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD);
            (3) such a dual degree program would improve patient 
        outcomes;
            (4) through such a dual collaborative role, health 
        providers will be better able to meet the unique needs of rural 
        communities across the age continuum and in diverse settings;
            (5) such a dual degree program--
                    (A) would enhance collaboration between Doctors of 
                Nursing Practice and physicians regarding drug therapy;
                    (B) would provide for research concerning, and the 
                implementation of, safer medication administration;
                    (C) would broaden the scope of practice for 
                pharmacists through education and training in diagnosis 
                and management of common acute and chronic diseases;
                    (D) would provide new employment opportunities for 
                private physician or nurse-managed clinics, walk-in 
                clinics, school clinics, or clinics at institutions of 
                higher education, long-term care facilities, Veteran 
                Administration facilities, hospitals and hospital 
                clinics, hospice centers, home health care agencies, 
                pharmaceutical companies, emergency departments, urgent 
                care sites, physician group practices, extended care 
                facilities, and research centers; and
                    (E) would assist in filling the need for primary 
                care providers with an expertise in geriatrics and 
                pharmaceuticals; and
            (6) additional research and evaluation should be conducted 
        to determine the extent to which graduates of such a dual 
        degree program improve primary health care, address 
        disparities, diversify the workforce, and increase quality of 
        service for underserved populations.
                                 <all>