PRINTER'S NO. 3906
No. 2588 Session of 2006
INTRODUCED BY REICHLEY, CALTAGIRONE, CRAHALLA, GOODMAN, GRUCELA,
HICKERNELL, JAMES, M. KELLER, SONNEY, STABACK, E. Z. TAYLOR,
YOUNGBLOOD, DeLUCA AND BEYER, APRIL 24, 2006
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
APRIL 24, 2006
AN ACT
1 Requiring a circulating nurse in certain operating rooms.
2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3 hereby enacts as follows:
4 Section 1. Short title.
5 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Circulating
6 Nurse Act.
7 Section 2. Purpose.
8 The purpose of this legislation is to require a registered
9 nurse to be the circulating nurse in an operating room for the
10 safety of the patient.
11 Section 3. Definitions.
12 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14 context clearly indicates otherwise:
15 "Health care facility." Any health care facility providing
16 clinically related health services, including, but not limited
1 to, a general or special hospital, including psychiatric
2 hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, ambulatory surgical
3 facilities, long-term care nursing facilities, cancer treatment
4 centers using radiation therapy on an ambulatory basis and
5 inpatient drug and alcohol treatment facilities, both profit and
6 nonprofit, and including those operated by an agency or State or
7 local government. The term shall also include a hospice. The
8 term shall not include an office used primarily for the private
9 or group practice by health care practitioners where no
10 reviewable clinically related health service is offered, a
11 facility providing treatment solely on the basis of prayer or
12 spiritual means in accordance with the tenets of any church or
13 religious denomination or a facility conducted by a religious
14 organization for the purpose of providing health care services
15 exclusively to clergy or other persons in a religious profession
16 who are members of the religious denominations conducting the
17 facility.
18 "Registered nurse." An individual licensed under the laws of
19 this Commonwealth to practice professional nursing.
20 Section 4. Operating room staff.
21 Only a registered nurse, licensed in this Commonwealth,
22 qualified by training and experience in operating room nursing
23 shall be present as a circulating nurse during all surgical
24 procedures in a health care facility for the duration of the
25 procedure.
26 Section 5. Effective date.
27 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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