Nursing 108

N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse Role Study Guide mandatory license prohibits the actual practice of nursing to anyone not qualified and licensed by the state. Mutual recognition is when an individual maintains only one license in his or her home state, but is legally permitted to practice in any party state. In some states, private certification may be criteria for licensure to practice. The terms accredited and certified can cause confusion. Institutions can be accredited and individuals can be certified. Certification typically means that a practitioner has met specific standards of specialty practice by a private organization. Some state boards of nursing require private certification as criteria for licensure to practice. Recently to facilitate multi-state licensure, some state boards of nursing have promised to give reciprocity to each other’s graduates. Recent Developments that Affect Licensure Since 1971, the ANA has been working to require a BSN for RN licensure. “Grandfather” clauses would allow currently licensed nurses without a BSN to continue as RNs. New graduates would be required to meet the new standard. However, critics argue that the requirement will lead to less access to nursing school, fewer nurses, higher salaries, and higher costs for nursing care. Compact legislation is a new kind of reciprocity. As of 2015, 25 states have passed the Multistate Licensure Compact . The states that have passed this act have agreed to recognize the credentials of nurses licensed in other states of the compact. The nurses who are licensed in compact states may only use their home state licenses in other compact states. Only the nurse’s home state can discipline her license but another state may prohibit her practice if she gets in trouble there. The law also created an information system (NURSYS) that contains licensure and disciplinary information to be shared among the Ccompact states. Continuing education has been made mandatory in some states. Continuing education is measured in “contact hours,” which typically refers to 50 minutes of seat contact. Requiring CE for licensure has increased the availability of CE. Sunset laws refer to laws that require agencies to be abolished on a certain date unless they are proved necessary. These types of laws, such as the Nurse Practice Act, will automatically be rescinded after a predetermined length of time if not reauthorized. This leads to periodic review of these agencies to determine the need for their continuation. Institutional licensure has been proposed as a replacement for individual licensure of nurses. This would mean that agencies would be licensed rather than individuals. The agency would be required to employ only qualified nurses. G od Samaritan laws refer to someone who renders aid in an emergency to an injured person on a voluntary basis. The nurse rendering aid in this situation must behave as a reasonably prudent nurse would. This law protects healthcare providers who try to help another person in an emergency situation. Many states have enacted Good Samaritan laws. These lower the standard of care for people who help or rescue others. The law provides immunity for ordinary negligence.

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