HARRISBURG — Joyce Knestrick can independently give physical exams, diagnose health conditions, prescribe select medications, and make referrals as a nurse practitioner at a clinic in West Virginia. But when she crosses over the border to Pennsylvania, where she lives in Washington County, she needs physician oversight to do the same work.

Nurse practitioners, who receive advanced clinical training that emphasizes preventative care, are more specialized than registered nurses. Pennsylvania law requires that in order to practice, these nurses must partner with a doctor who gives input on patient care — a standard that is commonly referred to as a collaborative agreement.

Knestrick, the former president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, compared the oversight requirement to having a driver’s license but being allowed to operate a car only if someone supervises. For the past decade, lawmakers in both parties have tried to give Pennsylvania's roughly 20,000 nurse practitioners more leeway. Removing the doctor oversight restriction, they hope, could expand access to health care.

Bipartisan bills currently before the state House and state Senate would have Pennsylvania join the 27 other states — including three of its neighbors — that have granted full practice authority to nurse practitioners so they can examine, diagnose, and treat patients without physician oversight. And unlike many initiatives in Harrisburg, it has bipartisan appeal. Of the upper chamber’s 50 members, 32 have signed on as co-sponsors, including 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans.