Nursing Scopes of Practice - Essay Example

"In 1978, Michigan legislature combined all laws regulating health personnel into one statute consolidating the legal framework for nursing in the Michigan Public Health Code, rather than a separate Nurse Practice Act." (Licensed Practical Nurse: Scope of Practice - Michigan, p 1). Significantly, the Michigan Board of Nursing makes use of the various rules governing nursing found in the Occupational Codes and in the Administrative Rules of Nursing and they serve as the guidelines to issue licenses and promote the health, safety and welfare of the public.

As some state laws describe the scope of practice succinctly while others go into great detail, there is an important need for clarity of the scope of practice. The scope of practice for the nurses has improved substantially over the years and scope of practice in Michigan is an example of this change. The Occupational Regulation Sections of the Michigan Public Health Code Act 368 of 1978 provides the definition of nursing in Michigan, which serves as the legal scope of practice statement. In Michigan, the RNs are licensed to practice independently within this scope and the nurse practitioner's practice within a scope of practice is defined by their specialty education and training.

"The depth of scope of practice is further defined by the knowledge base of the nurse practitioner, the role he/she is in, and the client population within the practice environment. The American Nurses Association has developed two publications to assist nurse practitioners in explaining their scope of practice: Scope and Standards of Advanced Practice Registered Nursing and Standards of Clinical Practice and Scope of Practice for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner." (Nurse Practitioner Frequently Asked Questions).

The generic functions applicable to most nurse practitioner roles include: Comprehensive physical examination and health assessment, promotion and maintenance of health, prevention of illness and disability, management of health care during common acute and stable chronic illnesses, assessment of clients that includes analysis, synthesis, and application of nursing theories and modalities, and health counseling and guidance etc. In order to comprehend the nurse practice acts, scope of practice for nursing, and Public Health code etc of Michigan, it is essential to compare it with other states.

Thus, nurse practice acts for the state of Texas have distinctive features. The Texas Board of Nursing recognizes that advanced nursing practice is dynamic and it argues that the scope of advanced practice evolves through experience, acquisition of knowledge, evidence-based practice, technology development and changes in the health care delivery system. "Scope of practice is defined as the activities that an individual health care provider performs in the delivery of patient care. Scope of practice reflects the types of patients for whom the advanced practice nurse can care; what procedures/activities the advanced practice nurse can perform; and influences the ability of the advanced practice nurse to seek reimbursement for services provided.

" (Guidelines for Determining APN Scope of Practice). Various aspects are essential in determining the scope of practice Texas, including advanced practice education in a role and specialty, legal implications, and the scope of practice statements as published by national professional specialty and advanced practice