The nursing field

The Nursing Field and the Role of State Laws

The nursing field is involved with complicated practices and activities that necessitate nurses having some specific skills and knowledge in order to make critical independent judgments for public health promotion. State governments in the United States have adopted laws and regulations over the years to preserve public health and welfare by successfully controlling and regulating nursing profession. All states in the United States have established a Nursing Practice Act, and it is the responsibility of the state legislature to promote its implementation. Each state’s Nursing Practice Act requires the formation of a Board of Nursing, which should be made up of professional nurses. The board, in this case, is expected to create administrative policies and regulations that govern the activities, practices, and behaviors of nurses in the United States. Therefore, the paper will focus on analyzing the California Nursing Practice Act and the hospital policies and procedures governing the nurses. It will also assess why it is important for registered nurses to understand the laws stipulated by the Act regarding their health practices in medical institutions.

Nursing Practice Act

The California Nursing Practice Act is associated with creating the scope of work and responsibilities of registered nurses in the state to ensure they adhere to the laws provided in the Act. The NPA, in this case, is provided in the California Business and Professions Code where it begins with Section 2700 (State of California, 2016). The code, on the other hand, provides information regarding the implementation of laws and regulations governing the NPA. The Board of Nurses in California’s NPA is actively involved in the creation of principles and policies that regulate the state’s nursing sector. This is because the sector has over the years experienced changes due to factors such as technological growth and the emergence of new diseases and illnesses. These factors indicate the need to update the nursing practices to enable the nurses to adapt to the new changes; hence, preventing risks that could damage California’s public health. The NPA, in this case, consists of policies governing the different nursing practices where it provides guidelines on how the health activities should be conducted by the registered nurses. The different areas covered by the NPA include education program standards, authority and power of the board of nursing, disciplinary actions for the violations of the Act, and scope and standards of the nursing field. This indicates how California’s NPA is effective in promoting diligent nursing practices and public health.

Scope of Regulation 2725.3

Section 2725.3 of the California Nursing Practice Act indicates the scope of work required to be administered by the registered nurses in California. It provides that the nurses providing health services in medical institutions should be licensed and registered to ensure they are recognized by the state’s Board of Nurses (State of California, 2016). This section also focuses on the responsibilities of the registered nurses regarding clinical supervision where they are required to possess some technical skills and scientific knowledge to enable them to handle some of the practices. They include administration of medication, conducting invasive procedures and therapy, assessing the health conditions and status of the patients, performing laboratory tests, and educating patients and their family members regarding health challenges and solutions.

Importance of the NPA

It is crucial for the nurses to comprehend the Nursing Practice Act since it provides guidelines on how to perform the different nursing functions that aim at promoting public health. The laws and policies provided by the Act have a major impact on my career since I am a registered nurse operating in hospitals and clinics. My actions and activities are based on the NPA since it ensures I identify the scope of work to engage in when administering medication to the patients. The NPA is also crucial since it protects the interests and needs of the registered nurses since it recognizes them as licensed health providers. Therefore, the Board of Nurses may protect nurses in cases such as lawsuits if they acted according to the regulations of the act. This means that I should comprehend the guidelines provided under the act to identify the areas which I am covered and protected by the law when administering health care to the patients. The NPA is also associated with stating the core values and principles that should be effectively observed by the nurses to ensure high morality levels are maintained in health institutions. The values are also designed to motivate nurses to work diligently and promote public health in the state.

Conclusion

Therefore, the study provides information regarding the Nursing Practice Act in the United States and how it regulates the nurses. Each state in the US has enacted an effective NPA which is effectively managed by the Board of Nurses in the different states. For instance, the California Nursing Practice Act provides laws and policies that govern the activities conducted by nurses in California regarding medical care. The act is designed to prevent incompetent nurses from administering medication to the patients; hence, promoting public health. For instance, section 2725.3 of the NPA provides that nurses should be registered and licensed to ensure they are recognized by the Board of Nurses before providing health services in hospitals and clinics. This indicates how the act protects patients from risk or damage caused by the incompetency of the nurses.

References

State of California. (2016). Nursing Practice Act. Rn.ca.gov. Retrieved from http://www.rn.ca.gov/practice/npa.shtml

State of California. (2016). Codes Display Text. Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&division=2.&title=&part=&chapter=6.&article=2.