Autonomous practice authority has been a goal of nurse practitioners for years. Lawmakers ultimately sided with nurse practitioners, though, requiring them to have five years of clinical experience before practicing independently. But Cindy Fagan, the government relations chair with the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, pointed out that nurse practitioners are qualified, licensed nurses before they pursue their higher education. And autonomous nurse practitioners aren’t trying to provide the services licensed doctors do, she added. Winifred Y. Carson-Smith, a lawyer representing the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, said she suspects doctors don’t want nurse practitioners to practice autonomously because they fear they’ll lose money.