Scope Of Nursing Practice Essay

The American Medical Association (2022) refers to scope of practice as the rulings adopted and enacted by state and licensing entities that outline the range of activities licensed health professionals are allowed to perform. Meanwhile, the American Nurses Association (2017) relates that not only does the scope of practice entail the activities health professionals are allowed to perform but that the health professional must be competent to perform. For an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), the scope of practice broadly distinguishes what an APRN is and is not allowed to do. An APRNs education, experience, specialty area, and population of focus, in addition to the needs of a patient, serve as a foundation for the health services an

As a result, it is not explicit about specifying all of the services an APRN may perform or provide (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). In addition to the scope of practice, the nurse must also be aware of the Standards of Nursing Practice and what constitutes unprofessional conduct. Knowledge of the scope of practice and standards of practice ensures that the nurse's practice is prudent and professional and exceeds the minimum standard of practice to provide safe care to patients (Standards of Practice, 2004/2007; Unprofessional Conduct, 2004/2018/2019). The scope of practice is not all-encompassing to address each possible situation an APRN may face (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). As mentioned previously, there needs to be more clarity regarding the overlapping scope of practice between the APRN roles. Suppose questions about if an activity is within the nurse's scope of practice occur. A tool like the Six-step decision-making model can help identify or clarify if any activity is within the scope of practice (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). The Six-step decision-making model is used in order, starting with the first question (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). Considering the activity in regard to the question being asked, the nurse will either be directed to stop or continue to the following question in the model (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). If advised to stop, that deems the activity outside the nurse's scope of practice (Texas Board of Nursing,