Florida Senate - 2026                               CS for SB 36
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senators Sharief, Osgood,
       Davis, Rouson, and Berman
       
       
       
       
       588-02419-26                                            202636c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the use of professional nursing
    3         titles; amending s. 464.015, F.S.; authorizing
    4         licensed nurses who hold a doctoral degree to use
    5         specified titles and abbreviations in a specified
    6         manner; prohibiting nurses who hold a doctoral degree
    7         from using a specified title in the clinical setting
    8         without clearly specifying their profession; providing
    9         an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Present subsection (10) of section 464.015,
   14  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), and a new
   15  subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
   16         464.015 Titles and abbreviations; restrictions; penalty.—
   17         (10) A person who is licensed pursuant to this chapter and
   18  holds a doctoral degree may use the title “Doctor of Nursing
   19  Practice” and the abbreviation “D.N.P.” or the title “Doctor of
   20  Philosophy” and the abbreviation “Ph.D.” in a manner consistent
   21  with the doctoral degree such person has obtained. A nurse who
   22  holds a doctoral degree may not use the title “doctor” in a
   23  clinical setting without clearly specifying his or her
   24  profession.
   25         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.