Boards of Nursing (BONs) exist in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Similar entities may also exist for different regions. The mission of BONs is the protection of the public through the regulation of nursing practice. BONs put into practice state/region regulations for nurses that, among other things, lay out the requirements for licensure and define the scope of nursing practice in that state/region. Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations Comparing regulations among various state/regional boards of nursing can be a valuable exercise. Doing so can help share insights that could be useful should there be future changes in a state/region. In addition, nurses may find the need to be licensed in multiple states or regions. Post a comparison of at least two APRN boards of nursing regulations in your state/region with those of at least one other sta

Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations

Professional nursing regulations differ from one state to the other. In Florida, an advanced practice nurse practitioner is considered an individual who has acquired a master’s degree level in a given specialty from an accredited institution in Florida, Colombia, or other states. The board of nursing must approve the nurse in Florida. The state has protocols that define the scope of advanced practice nurse practitioners, and the nurse practitioners are, therefore, expected to serve according to these guidelines and protocols. Interestingly, the Nurse Practice Act states that nurse practitioners can prescribe, administer, dispense, and even order medications (Tony-Butler & Martin, 2018). In addition, the nurses can order diagnostic investigations, coordinate healthcare services, order physical therapy and occupational therapy, and manage selected medical diseases. For uncomplicated acute illnesses, the nurse practitioner is authorized to initiate, alter, maintain and monitor treatment without physician supervision (Toney-Butler & Martin, 2018). However, for each speciality, there is a protocol to be followed. In the case where supervision is required based on the protocol, the nurse practitioner must work under a physician from the practice group.

Conversely, in California, the regulations are very strict, and the practice scope of the advanced practice nurse practitioners is limited. To begin with, the state restricts the nurse practitioner from handling patients without the physician’s supervision. Besides, nurse practitioners are not authorized to make decisions regarding patient treatment and are, therefore, expected to work in the physician’s company. Secondly, unlike in Florida, nurse practitioners outside the state of California must submit endorsements of the applications (California Board of Registered Nursing, 2022). In Florida, on the other hand, individuals with master’s degrees from a credited institution anywhere in the state are allowed to practice. Accordingly, this is very unfair since the nurse practitioners are prepared to work fully within their scope during their training. Given the differences across the states, the advanced nurse practitioner should recognize and appreciate the limitations of the practice scope across the cities (Milstead & Short, 2019). This is crucial, especially for the advanced nurse practitioner who may be willing to relocate to another state.

References

California Board of Registered Nursing. (2022). Retrieved 23 March 2022, from https://www.rn.ca.gov/applicants/ad-pract.shtml.

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Toney-Butler, T. J., & Martin, R. L. (2018). Florida Nurse Practice Act Laws and Rules. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532859/