Laws, Rules, and Regulations Needed for Professional Nursing Practice
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14th November 2020
Like every other field and sector, the nursing practice requires laws and regulations to govern how nurses perform and relate. They give a functional framework upon which healthcare professionals, including nurses, should comply while conducting their activities. These regulations are intentionally enacted to eliminate confusion and contradiction that often ensues in unregulated environments. In this paper, the functions of laws and regulations in professional nursing practice are discussed. The paper equally describes the Nurse Practice Act, its composition, including the nursing board, and its functions. Eventually, the paper gives the liability for who fails to raise the side rails after surgery, causing the patient to fall out of bed.
Laws, policies, and regulations are essentially required in professional nursing practice to ensure nurses conduct their activities appropriately, and the relationship between them and their patients is regulated (DeMarco, Jones, and Daly, 2019). They safeguard nurses from being harassed by patients and their family members, allowing them to perform their duties without fear. By clearly highlighting the rights and obligations of nurses, laws, and regulations ensure that they are only held accountable for valid accusations that can be legally substantiated (DeMarco, Jones, and Daly, 2019). Without laws, the nursing practice could be marred with various undefined issues, causing contradiction and confusion.
In the United States, the Nurse Practice Act is one of the policies that specify how nurses should perform their activities and relate with patients. It is ratified by state legislation, and its function is to manage and direct nursing practice inside that state. It fundamentally safeguards the public from insecure nurses and ensures that only competent and qualified nurses provide patient care (Kelly, 1974). It equally influences professional nursing practices by clearly outlining all the delegations and duties that a nurse is allowed to perform, such as patient assessment, diagnosis, and management.
Ideally, the Nurse Practice Act recommends the formation of the Board of Nursing, which oversees various nursing legislation. Among other things, the board makes, amends, and enforces nursing regulations (Kelly, 1974). It sets nursing education standards and licensure fees. It ensures that all registered nurses have undergone a criminal background examination and are well updated with new and continuing nursing education. Nonetheless, it provides applicants with practice licenses and collects and analyzes nursing workforce information.
A nurse who fails to raise the side rails after surgery, and the patient falls out of bed could be liable for negligence and be sued accordingly. In this case, the nurse is negligent because they have failed to do something that a reasonable, prudent, and careful nurse would do in a similar situation (DeMarco, Jones, and Daly, 2019). The respective nurse failed to meet the recommended nursing standards of competence by failing to raise the rails and making the patient fall. They could be successfully prosecuted before a court of law and eventually suffer various consequences, including loss of job, conviction, and being fined to compensate them. In extreme cases, his or her license to practice as a nurse can be recalled and suspended.
In conclusion, nursing regulations are essential to ensure that boundaries in which nurses operate are set to avoid confusion and unnecessary friction. The Nurse Practice Act is a well-known policy in the United States that oversees laws and regulations in individual states. Its functions are often enforced by a special nursing body referred to as the board of nursing. The board ensures that patients receive quality care by allowing only qualified and competent nurses to provide care services.
References
DeMarco, J. P., Jones, G. E., & Daly, B. J. (2019). Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing. Broadview Press.
Kelly, L. Y. (1974). Nursing practice acts. The American journal of nursing, 1310-1319.