Transition-to-Practice Repeal Act - HF1794 / SF1794 - Minnesota APRN Workforce and Access

Sep 21, 2026

Transition-to-Practice Repeal Act (HF1794 / SF1794) targets Minnesota Statute 148.211, which requires NP and CNS graduates to complete 2,080 transition-to-practice hours in settings employing a physician, despite APRNs’ full practice authority. The act removes this regulatory burden that blocks APRN-led clinics from hiring new graduates, limits NP/CNS job opportunities, drives workforce loss to nearby states, and favors large health systems over communities. The document also highlights statewide primary and mental health provider shortages and describes how APRNs and APRN-led clinics serve critical gaps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Current MN Statute Harms APRN-Led Clinics and Access

HF1794 / SF1794 Aims to Remove this Unnecessary Regulatory Burden

MN Counties Face Shortages of Primary & Mental Health Care Providers

APRNs and APRN-Led Clinics Provide Essential Services In Critical Gap Areas

Written Comments Supporting HF 1794

Transition-to-Practice Repeal Act HF1794 (Virnig) / SF1794 (Kupec) Current MN Statute Harms APRN-Led Clinics and Access The growth of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) led clinics is constrained by an outdated and burdensome “transition-to-practice” requirement in Minnesota statute. APRNs in Minnesota have full practice authority, however Minnesota Statute 148.211 requires nurse practitioner (NP) and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) graduates to complete their first 2,080 hours in a setting that also employs a physician. This requirement: ● Bars APRN-led clinics from hiring new graduates, even when those graduates trained in the clinic and are prepared to continue serving that patient population, unless the clinic is able to shoulder the cost of a contract with a physician. ● Restricts employment opportunities for new NPs and CNSs, who cannot practice in APRN-led settings without a physician on staff. ● Drives workforce loss to neighboring states, such as Iowa and North Dakota, that do not impose similar barriers. ● Distorts market competition, favoring large health systems that can easily meet the statutory requirements over small, community-based practices. ● Doesn’t add value or address a problem. APRN’s education and licensure requirements prepare them for practice, as evidenced by research showing APRNs have excellent outcomes in terms of health markers, chronic disease control, length of hospital stay, readmissions, patient satisfaction and more.1 HF1794 / SF1794 Aims to Remove this Unnecessary Regulatory Burden The Transition to Practice Repeal Act eliminates this statutory barrier to practice, expanding access to mental health and primary care services, particularly in Greater Minnesota. Enacting this legislation would align Minnesota with 16 other states and DC that have full practice authority like MN but do not require a transition-to-practice period. (See map below.) MN Counties Face Shortages of Primary & Mental Health Care Providers These workforce shortages undermine health outcomes statewide by making it harder to secure timely appointments, increasing travel distances, and raising the risk of delayed or foregone care. ● 30% of counties have a shortage ofprimary care providers; ● 56% of counties have a partial shortage ofprimary care providers; ● 80% of counties qualify as mental health shortage area Health Professional Shortage Areas in MN Source: Health Resources and Service Administration, U.S. HHS May 2023 APRNs and APRN-Led Clinics Provide Essential Services In Critical Gap Areas ● There are an estimated 12,000-13,000 APRNs in MN, including certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), certified nurse specialists (CNSs), and nurse practitioners (NPs) . ● Since 2015, APRNs have launched APRN-led clinics, a model expanding primary care and mental health services across MN. In a 2017-2018 MDH workforce survey, nearly 425 APRNs in Minnesota reported owning or co-owning a private practice, with 25% located in rural Minnesota.2 ● In the same workforce survey, over 500 APRNs in Minnesota identified mental health as their specialty.2 1 [https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/quality-of-nurse-practitioner-practice](https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/quality-of-nurse-practitioner-practice) 2 [https://www.health.state.mn.us/data/workforce/nurse/docs/2019aprnb.pdf](https://www.health.state.mn.us/data/workforce/nurse/docs/2019aprnb.pdf) The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner ® Committee on Health Finance and Policy Minnesota House of Representatives 658 Cedar St. Saint Paul, MN 55155 March 10, 2026 Re: HF 1794 Dear members of the Committee on Health Finance and Policy, The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) appreciates the opportunity to submit written comments in on HF 1794 as introduced before the Committee on Health Finance and Policy in

FAQs

What Minnesota statute requirement does HF1794 / SF1794 seek to change?

It seeks to retire the “transition-to-practice” requirement in Minnesota Statute 148.211 that requires NP and CNS graduates to complete their first 2,080 hours in a setting that also employs a physician.

How does the current transition-to-practice rule affect APRN-led clinics and new graduates?

It bars APRN-led clinics from hiring new graduates unless they can fund a physician contract and restricts employment opportunities for new NPs and CNSs because they cannot practice in APRN-led settings without a physician on staff.

What problem does the act claim Minnesota is facing beyond the regulatory barrier?

The document states that workforce shortages undermine health outcomes by reducing timely access to care, increasing travel distances, and raising the risk of delayed or forgone care, especially across primary care and mental health needs.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Caleb Sterling