Nurses may know how important the Georgia Board of Nursing is to their practice, but many don't know how it works. Created by Georgia statute in 1965, the board is responsible for the regulation of registered professional nurses and advanced practice nurses.

"We're there to protect the public," said Linda Herren, president of the board and an independent nurse anesthetist in metro Atlanta.

BARRY WILLIAMS/Special (ENLARGE)

Linda Herren, outside the state Capitol, is president of the Georgia Board of Nursing.

MEET THE BOARD Mary Anderson, RN, MA, CNAA Chief nursing officer, East Georgia Regional Medical Center, Statesboro Susan Ayers, RN, BSN, MPH Public health director of nursing and clinical services, District 4 Public Health Services, LaGrange Toni O. Barnett, APRN, Ph.D., FNPC Chair and professor of nursing, FNP coordinator, North Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville Linda Herren, RN, CRNA (president) Independent nurse anesthetist, DeKalb Medical (Decatur) and WellStar Windy Hill Hospital (Marietta) Delynn M. Keeton, RN, MN Director of risk management, DeKalb Medical, Decatur Kellie R. Lockwood, RN, MSN Director of and instructor in pharmacy technician program, East Central Technical College, Fitzgerald Scott C. Thigpen, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN Assistant professor of nursing at South Georgia College (Douglas) and Satilla Regional Medical Center (Waycross) Karen Wessinger, BSHE (vice president, consumer member) Account manager, Kennickell Print and Communications, Savannah

The board has the statutory responsibility to protect and preserve public health, safety and welfare under the Georgia Professional Registered Nurse Practice Act.

The responsibilities of board members include developing regulations that set the standards for nursing practice, approving nursing education programs, setting minimum qualifications for licensure, and ensuring that the disciplinary process guarantees due process and public protection.

"By law the board consists of eight members; seven must hold an RN license in Georgia and be currently employed," said Herren, RN, CRNA. "The eighth member is a consumer member and has nothing to do with nursing. It's valuable to have someone from outside the profession [to] look at issues."

Of the nurses on the board, two must come from education and two from administration. Members are appointed by the governor for three-year terms and are approved by the Georgia Legislature.

"Anyone who is interested in serving may send a letter and résumé to the governor's staff to be considered," Herren said.

Gov. Sonny Perdue asked Herren — a former Republican National Committee — to fill a vacancy on the board in 2003. She was re-appointed in 2005; her term expires in September.

"The appointments are staggered so that there is never a complete turnover of the board, and that's a good thing," she said. "You need people with institutional experience."

Besides visiting nursing schools, the board meets every other month for three days in Macon.

"We work nine- or 10-hour days and hear 100 to 150 cases that need some decision, discipline or reinstatement," she said.

Board members get mileage allowances and $105 daily stipends.

"You get a hotel room, and, if you don't eat, you can about break even," Herren said. "It's a lot of work, but people are willing to do it for the good of the profession."

A case in point: This year, Herren was glad to see the Legislature pass a bill (HB 1041) that would require all new or transferring registered nurses to undergo criminal background checks before they are licensed. As of press time, the bill was awaiting Perdue's signature.

"Georgia is one of only three states without this requirement, and we've become a dumping ground for nurses who have run afoul of the law. They know they won't be checked here," she said.

Herren said serving on the board has been a honor and a learning experience.

"It's very rewarding to know that I've given something back to a profession that's been good to me," she said.