Essay on Scope of Practice for Regisers Nurses

A profession can be defined as a “prestigious occupation with a high degree of identification among its member that requires a length and rigorous education in an intellectually demanding and theoretically based course of study; that engages in rigorous self-regulation and control; that holds authority over clients; and that puts service to society above simple self interest” (Schwirian, 1998, p. 6). Nursing is just that, and with its specific body of knowledge, standards, and codes of ethics, it is only fitting that it be self-regulated (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2012). The College of Nurses works with registered nurses, registered practical nurses, and nurse practioners to determine whether or not standards and best practices are met and that the public’s safety is protected.

Nursing is a profession that requires specialized training, knowledge, skills, and judgment to foster an independent decision making. Practicing nursing is a right granted by the state to safeguard those in need of care and efficient nursing practice is substantiated by the state Nurse Practice Act (NPA). The NPA is ratified by each state based on set guidelines and passed by the state legislature (Russell, 2012). The NPA serves as a corner stone in regulating the duties and responsibilities of the professional nurse. The NPA is founded on set guidelines, however, the states’ board of nursing (BON) has the authority to modify the laws and regulations to fit the desired practice expectations set forth (Russell, 2012). The state of Virginia (VA), where this writer currently practices, has laws and regulations that govern the nursing practice of the Registered Nurse (RN) and the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the similarities and differences between the role of the RN and the advanced practice nurse as well as to identify if the Virginia NPA identifies the role of an infection prevention nurse specialist.

The nursing practise has continually evolved and can be described as autonomous due to the significant involvement of nurses in patient care. This then necessitates critical reflection as a way to continually develop and improve the nursing practise. The Gibbs' model, one of the reflection models, assists nurses in complying to the codes and guidelines of nursing practice. For example, developing action plans, evaluating patient outcomes, and thinking critically. This essay will describe an event involving nurses and explain the feelings it evoked. It will also provide an evaluation of the positives and negatives, analysis and enhancement of learning, and an action plan.

This statement clearly defines the scope of practice of a nurse. But in the field of nursing there are several kinds of care givers. It includes registered nurses, midwives, licensed practitioner nurses, enrolled nurses and nurse assistants. The scopes of practice for these care givers are not so common. The scope of practice depends on their education qualification and experience which are well defined by the governing bodies. Some areas in the scope of practice of a nurse according to Queensland nursing council are,

The Saskatchewan Nursing Advanced Practice (SNAP) model is the framework that developed by the Master of Nursing –Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program (CNPP) at the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic in order to guide the successful implementation of the NP role for advanced nursing practice (SPUR, 2015). This paper compares and contrasts the registered nurses and nurse practitioners' roles to the SNAP model. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the characteristics, responsibilities, and legal legislatives for advanced practice roles.

In 2008, the coalition of members from the Alliance for Advanced Practice Credentialing and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) created the Consensus Model for Advanced Practicing Registered Nurses (APRN’s). This model creates a framework for APRN’s in licensing, accreditation, certification, and education in the United States (Alleman & Houle, 2013). The establishment of this Consensus Model has developed a bases for the ARNP’s comprehensive knowledge base, ability for clinical reasoning, cultural, and ethical competencies, establishing a model of practice for ARNPs in which to follow. These concepts will be further discussed in this paper.

These are obvious essentials for nursing practice. Nurses are required to perform many clinical tasks, for instance physical assessments and injections, which require competent clinical skills to ensure safe outcomes for patients. A broad base of nursing knowledge including physiology,

The second category of provisions relates to the nurse’s responsibility to maintain their own proficiency and health environments, delegate appropriately, preserve integrity, and keep their practice and competence current. It is crucial that nurses are proficient and maintain competency in order to deliver high quality care to patients. "The virtue of professional competence calls for continual professional growth and a commitment to lifelong learning. You must practice nursing that’s evidence-based, be knowledgeable about the scope and standards of nursing practice, and have the necessary skills to perform nursing tasks effectively” [ (Lachman, 2008, p. 44) ].

Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are both considered advanced practice nurses (APNs) in Canada (Donald et al., 2010). Although these roles have existed in Canada for decades (Canadian Nurses Association, 2008), confusion still remains about the titles and exact roles that these professionals play (Donald et al., 2010). This paper will use the Saskatchewan Nursing Advanced Practice model as a framework to highlight the similarities and differences between both types of advanced practice nurse. The scope of practice, registration, education, practice settings, and effectiveness of CNSs and NPs will be examined. Although their roles overlap, CNSs and NPs have both been shown to be important members of the health care team (DiCenso & Bryant-Lukosius, 2010). Research has shown that adding CNSs and NPs to our health care system can increase patient satisfaction, decrease wait times, and decrease readmissions (DiCenso & Bryant-Lukosius, 2010). Increased public and health care professional awareness is needed to have these roles fully incorporated into our current health care system (DiCenso & Bryant-Lukosius, 2010).

The NMC has a code of professional conduct, standard for conduct, performance and ethics, the code clearly states the need for nurses, midwives as well as special community public health nurses to maintain their professional knowledge and competence in order to deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and where applicable (NMC 2004, p.10). Hence, nursing profession is regulated by the NMC which has

Attaining a high level of education will improve the healthcare system only if nurses are fully utilizing their knowledge and abilities. Many times nurses face challenges in exercising their abilities and knowledge due to institutional policies or government regulations,

contemplates his/ her views, beliefs, values ideologies and opinions as well as those of others in healthcare.

they also receive on the job training as education through trial and error while working

The decision to work towards becoming a registered nurse requires a personal transition from the role of being an aerospace technician to one of a healthcare professional. As part of this transition, I must learn what defines a nurse, understand what I can contribute to the profession, establish and meet professional goals, and be aware of extraneous factors that affect the healthcare industry.

The standards of practice describe a competent level of nursing care as exhibited by the critical thinking model known as the nursing process. This practice includes the areas of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The nursing process includes significant actions taken by registered nurses (RN) and forms the foundation of the nurse’s decision-making (“American Nurses Association,” 2010).