Practice Policy Appropriate health care continues to be one of the major challenges throughout the nation. Financial and educational hindrances can produce negative health effects on individuals and communities. Advanced practice nurses can implement their evidence based knowledge and skills within any environment to increase the knowledge and health of the surrounding populations. However, nurse practitioners must comply with the protocols and laws mandated by the board of nursing. This paper will discuss the setting in which nurse practitioners practice in, along with the laws and limitations that they must adhere to at all times. Setting Lucedale is a rural, underserved community in Mississippi that carries an increased prevalence …show more content…
The APRN must notify the board immediately if any changes are made between the collaboration relationship with the physician. If notifications are not made to the board of changes then the APRN cannot practice and an APRN in any health care setting. The nurse practitioner does not have the authority to prescribe or distribute any scheduled controlled drug until the appropriate guide lines are followed and obtained by the board of nursing. ("Nursing Practice Law," 2010) In order to prescribe controlled substances and medications, nurse practitioners must successfully complete a board approved educational course. Upon completion of the program, the nurse practitioner must apply for a controlled substance prescription authority. Nurse practitioners may the prescribe schedules II-IV after obtaining the prescription authority. The advanced practice nurse must always comply with the board’s rules concerning the prescription, distribution, labeling, and record maintenance of all medications and controlled substances. Violation of the mandated guidelines can result in grounds for disciplinary action. ("Nursing Practice Law,"
In care settings the currently legislations, guidelines policies and protocols relevant to the administration of medication would be: - The misuse of drugs act 1971 - The Medicines Act 1968 - Care Standards Act 2000 - The Health and Social Care Act 2001 The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 - The RPS Handling Medicines in Social Care Guidelines The recording, storage, administration and disposal of medication must be adhered by employees in accordance with the current policies and procedures. The policies are in place to protect everyone - training must be undertaken or up-to-date before support workers can administrate any medication.
According to the BON, the scope of practice for the RN is defined as, “the legal scope of practice for professional registered nurses (RNs). “Professional nursing” means the performance of an act that requires substantial specialized judgment and skill, the proper performance of which is based on knowledge and application of the principles of biological, physical, and social science as acquired by a completed course in an approved school of professional nursing. The term does not include acts of medical diagnosis or the prescription of therapeutic or corrective measures.” (bon.texas.gov,
Scope of Practice NP’s scope of practice can vary depending on which state they are licensed in. It is extremely important that the NP is aware of the laws and regulations that their state has implemented. Understanding the scope of practice allows you to understand what you can and cannot do as an NP. In Arizona, NP’s are board certified and are now required to take a national certifying exam (Buppert, 2015). NP’s in Arizona have an expanded scope of practice, they can assess, manage, diagnose, and prescribe medications to patients.
“Advanced Practice Professionals” means those health care professionals who are not physicians and dentists and who will function within a scope of practice but may practice independently on defined clinical privileges as defined in these bylaws. These professionals include physician assistants (PAs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs), and clinical pharmacist specialists/clinical pharmacist practitioners (CPS/CPPs). Advanced Practice Professionals may have prescriptive authority as allowed by federal regulation, and/or state of licensure statutes and regulations, under the supervision of a credentialed and privileged Licensed Independent Practitioner when required. Unless privileged to do so, Advanced Practice Professionals do not have admitting authority. Advanced Practice Professionals may initiate prescriptions for non-formulary drugs or prescribe controlled substances in accordance with state of licensure statutes and regulations.
mends the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of patients that a qualifying practitioner dispensing narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment is initially allowed to treat from 30 to 100 patients per year. Allows a qualifying physician, after one year, to request approval to treat an unlimited number of patients under specified conditions, including that he or she: (1) agrees to fully participate in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program of the state in which the practitioner is licensed, (2) practices in a qualified practice setting, and (3) has completed at least 24 hours of training regarding treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients for substance use disorders provided by specified organizations.
Office of Diversion Control: Questions & Answers. Retrieved from: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/faq.htm#1 Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (2015). Information & Application pertaining to prescriptive authority for advanced practice nurses. Retrieved from: http://www.in.gov/pla/2503.htm Indiana State Board of Nursing (2011). Compilation of the Indiana Code and Indiana Administrative Code (Article 4).
The Diversion Program One of the many professional regulatory boards and bureaus existing within the Department of Consumer Affairs is the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Its main responsibility lies in licensing and regulating California’s registered nurses and these responsibilities come from the Nursing Practice Act. This act is composed of statures which give BRN the authority to manage a Diversion Program for registered nurses and other functions. This Diversion Program is a confidential but voluntary program for registered nurses where their substance use disorder or mental illness impairs their practice.
According to the California Board of Registered Nursing (2011), “An Explanation of the Scope of RN Practice including Standardized Procedure” documentation defines the scope of practice for RNs licensing in California also explains the process of determining if a standardized procedure is required. It is RNs’ responsibilities and accountabilities to enforce the Nurse Practice Act (NPA) pertaining to the specific state for nursing practice within the scope of educational level and entitled licensure allowed. In addition, “Code of Ethics for Nurses” (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015) provides guide indicating how to care patients with ethical obligations. An organized health care system such as health care facility, clinic, home health
Adopted August 21, 2002 Effective June 1, 2003). This is helpful, but it is not as specific as the code in the NAADAC l-11. Also in the NAADAC l-11, it went as far specifically to state “When extending these boundaries, Providers take appropriate professional precautions such as informed consent, consultation, supervision, and documentation to ensure that their judgment is not impaired and no harm occurs” (NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals NCC AP: The
Carla, I agree with you that prescriptive authority for nurse practitioners varies from state to state. Currently only 12 states allow nurse practitioners to prescribe medications without restriction and you also mentioned that the other 38 states require physician collaboration or restrictions on controlled substances (allnurses, 2013). However, many states have made, and continue to make, changes to existing laws that regulate scope of practice for APRNs, including independent prescribing privileges. The laws regulating APRN is still very dynamic. Despite the existence of the consensus model, there still exist many differences between the states with respect to prescriptive authority.
To create an environment where these errors are a rare occurrence, all healthcare professionals must dedicate themselves to implementing QSEN's six core competencies each and every day. These professionals must also speak up when they see room for improvement in their workplace. Regardless of the healthcare setting or demographic of patients, safe outcomes are the purpose of providing patient-centered care. Since nurses are the largest subgroup of healthcare professionals, their ability to make strides towards improved medication administration is undeniable. As the nursing code of ethics states, nurses have the duty to protect the health and safety of those in their care (Winland-Brown, Lachman, O'Connor Swanson, 2015).
Registered nurses are required to deliver wide-range nursing attention and treatment to all persons in a healthcare setup (American Nurses ' Association, 2000). Notably, they have to offer emergency care and guarantee the safe execution of treatment. It is mandatory for nurses to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the laws and regulations that are in line with their profession. Additionally,
I liked going online and looking at the nurse practitioner scope of practice laws by state. Barton Associates did an excellent job of creating a display
The demand for highly skilled nurses and physician shortage prompted the introduction of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) in the delivery of primary care in the United States. The increase in education, training, and enhanced professional standards allowed the nurses to be clinically capable. As a result, it transformed APNs in advanced roles which were only performed by physicians in the past. The increased visibility of the APN role provides a “historical benchmark” that allowed for other countries emulate this success (Schober, 2016).
As a nurse working in the home healthcare industry there were many instances when I had to utilize my nursing critical skills. One day I was contacted by a clinical supervisor, who stated she was contacted by an LPN with a question regarding medication administration. She stated that the LPN informed that she was instructed by a parent to give a patient medications that did not have a physician’s order. I informed the clinical supervisor to refer to the Pa cod of RN scope of practice, where it states, A licensed registered nurse may administer a drug ordered for a patient in the dosage and manner prescribed. I also informed her that although the parent instructed her to give the medications to the child, it was not within her scope of practice