What is the purpose of the Nurse Practice Act in Tennessee?
The state’s duty to protect those who receive nursing care is the basis for a nursing license. Safe, competent nursing practice is grounded in the law as written in the state nurse practice act (NPA) and the state rules/regulations.
What is the nurse practice act and what does it do?
The NPA exists to regulate and protect the public from practitioners who are a risk to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens within its state board jurisdiction. This protection principle is accomplished by assessing competence at initial licensure and throughout the career of the nurse.
What does the Nurse Practice Act contain?
The NPA gives authority to regulate the practice of nursing and the enforcement of law to an administrative agency or BON that is charged with maintaining the balance between the rights of the nurse to practice nursing and the responsibility to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of its citizens (Brous, 2012 …
Is Tennessee a full practice state for nurse practitioners?
Where Does Tennessee Currently Stand in the Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners? Currently, Tennessee is one of the few remaining states with restrictive practice laws for NPs. These laws require full physician supervision on-site at all times or have regular oversight visits from a physician.
What type of law is the nurse Practice Act?
A legislative body enacts statutory law. Statutory laws must be in keeping with both the federal constitution and the state constitution. Nurse Practice Acts are an example of statutory laws.
How is the scope of practice different from a nurse Practice Act?
Scope of practice refers to the professional activities defined under state law. The scope of practice for nurses is determined by each state’s nurse practice act. These standards of care are guidelines and are not law unless referred to in state nurse practice acts.
Is Tennessee an independent practice state?
Advanced Practice Legal Issues Recent rankings show Tennessee is overall the 3rd freest state in our nation. Fortunately, this attitude of freedom and independence extends to state laws governing nurse practitioners.
Can a nurse practitioner own a medical practice in Tennessee?
However, a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse (who is not, in addition, a certified nurse practitioner or advanced practice nurse) may not own and operate such a practice.
Which types of law are most applicable to nursing practice?
Sources of Law The legal guidelines that nurses follow come from statutory law, regulatory law, and common law. Elected legislative bodies such as state legislatures and the U.S. Congress create statutory law. An example of state statutes are the Nurse Practice Acts found in all 50 states (see Chapter 1).
Can you work below your scope of practice?
Scope of employment cannot reach beyond the boundaries of the state’s scope of practice regulations in the Nurse Practice Act. This could occur if an organization chooses to not allow a nurse to place an intraosseous catheter in spite of the fact that the NPA does allow for such placement in the scope of practice laws.
What is the purpose of the Nurse Practice Act?
Nursing Practice Act and Code of State Regulations. The main purpose of nursing practice acts is to protect the public from unsafe practitioners, and the ultimate goal is competent, quality nursing care provided by qualified practitioners.
Is the Nurse Practice Act a statutory law?
Statutory laws are derived from the Nurse Practice Act found in all states. The Nurse Practice Act describes and defines the legal boundaries of nursing practice in each state. An example of a federal law is the Americans With Disabilities Act (1990).
Can LPNs replace RNS?
LPNs cannot replace RNs. Back in the ’90s, I worked on a medical/surgical unit as an RN and was assigned six patients. We had LPNs assigned six patients also.
Why is the Nurse Practice Act important?
There are 2 important purposes for the nurse practice act. The first practice is to protect the Health and safety of the citizens in the jurisdiction, and the second purpose is to protect the title of the RN (Cherry & Jacob 2011).
