ANA Standards Of Practice And The Nurse Practice Act

Nursing is governed by clearly stipulated professional procedures that are critical for patients care and recovery. The practice followed is uniform for all registered nurses in the country However, this does not imply that innovation is curtailed. Nurses can come up with alternative ways of handling certain issues within the scope of nursing. Innovation is important as it can lead to better understanding of care situations, hence affording better care for patients. The first step in adopting a new procedure is determining whether it falls within the scope of nursing practice. First, a new process must follow the ANA Standards of Practice and the Nurse Practice Act. Further, the process should uphold the rights of patients and also be safe. Second, the new procedure must be backed by relevant nursing theories and literature. The process must have a backing of conclusive information and data from reputable health sources like the nursing organizations. Having this would ensure that the procedure is based on evidence.

The point implies that other nurses should propose such a process or approve it in case they are in a situation that it can be applied. According to the Texas Board of Nursing (n.d), nurses are supposed to follow ‘standard care practice’ in dealing with emerging situations. A new process must have a nursing remedy in case of further complications as a result of the new practice. Nurses should be in a position to accept any repercussion that emanate from the new process. Before following the new practice, the nurses must first determine the consequences and the applicable laws, should they violate the safe care