Discussion

Instructions Reply # 2

Respond to a colleague and explain how the regulatory environment and the regulations selected by your colleague differ from your state/region (Florida). Be specific and provide examples. At least 2 references

 

Joshua Leasure 

Legislation and regulations, two terms used to describe the process and rules to follow, “protects the interests of public safety” (Milstead & Short, 2017, p. 58). Legislation is described by Milstead & Short (2017) as “both a bill-in-progress and a law that has been enacted”. A regulation can be defined as “a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The board of nursing (BON) is a regulatory agency that oversees advanced practice registered nurse’s (APRNs) scope of practice. “There are 60 boards of nursing (BON) in the United States, including those in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories” (Milstead & Short, 2017, p. 66).  Each of these boards create their own regulations on how an APRN shall practice and is why there are differences is practices from state to state. Ohio and Arizona are two states I wanted to research regard regulation governing the practice of nurse practitioners.

One regulation that has a lot of momentum to change is the restriction for full-practice authority (FPA). In Ohio, APRNs are not able to practice without the supervision of a collaborating physician. “A nurse authorized to practice as a certified nurse practitioner, in collaboration with one or more physicians or podiatrists, may provide preventive and primary care services, provide services for acute illnesses, and evaluate and promote patient wellness within the nurse’s nursing specialty”. (Lawriter, n.d.a., C section). In Arizona, an APRN does not need to be supervised by a physician to provide care as stated in Arizona State Legislature (n.d.a.) “a registered nurse practitioner makes independent decisions in solving complex patient care problems”.

Another Ohio APRN regulation is the authority to prescribe medications. According to Lawriter, (n.d.b.), “the prescriptive authority of a clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or certified nurse practitioner shall not exceed the prescriptive authority of the collaborating physician or podiatrist”. According to Arizona State Legislature (n.d.), a registered nurse practitioner shall “prescribe, administer, and dispense therapeutic measures, including legend drugs, medical devices and controlled substances within the scope of registered nurse practitioner practice”.