Scope of Practice Fundamentals Study guide

Caregiver

The nursing actions required for this role may involve providing full care for a completely dependent client or assisting a client in attaining the highest possible level of health and wellness. A person who takes care of a client and helps meet their needs.

Communicator

This role is integral to all nursing roles and is used when communicating with clients, support persons, health-care professionals, and members of the community. Someone who shares information and listens to patients and healthcare workers.

Client advocate

The nurse limits visitors at the request of a client receiving end of life care to help the client obtain etiquette rest and maintain comfort and privacy. A person who speaks up for the patient and protects their rights and wishes.

Case manager

Ensures that client care is coordinated and focused on the clients needs while also considering appropriate use of healthcare resources. A healthcare worker who organizes a patient’s care and makes sure everything they need is arranged.

Socialization

A process through which nursing students learn the social expectations, professional behaviors, values, and relationships associated with the nursing profession. The process of learning how to behave and fit into a group or profession.

Slander

A nurse manager overhears a nurse make a spoken, false, and defamatory statement about a client‘s ability to understand client education. Spoken false information that hurts someone’s reputation.

Ethics

The moral principles and values that guide nurse’s professional conduct and decision-making. Rules about what is right and wrong.

Novice

The nurse follows procedures in a step-by-step, methodical manner to ensure that they are performed correctly. A person who is brand new and has little or no experience.

Expert

Performance is fluid, flexible, and highly proficient. The nurse no longer relies primarily on rules and guidelines to connect and understanding of a situation with appropriate action. A person who has a lot of knowledge and experience and can handle situations easily.

Competent

The nurse differentiates Important factors from less important aspects of care and coordinates multiple, complex care demands. Having enough knowledge and skills to do the job safely.

Malpractice

For malpractice to occur, the applicable legal elements must be established, including a connection between the nurses professional actions or failure to act in harm or injury experienced by the client. When a healthcare professional does something wrong or fails to do something they should, causing harm to a patient.

Negligence

The nurse fails to check the client’s blood pressure before administering a medication that may lower blood pressure. Not giving the proper care that a reasonable person would give, which can cause harm.

Good Samaritan Act

This law generally provides certain legal protections to a nurse or other qualified healthcare professional who voluntarily provide emergency care within the person’s capabilities and as permitted by applicable law. A law that protects people who voluntarily help someone in an emergency from certain lawsuits.

Accountability

Being answerable to oneself and others for one’s own actions and decision. Being responsible for your own actions and accepting the consequences.

Responsibility

The specific duties and obligations associated with preforming the functions of a particular role. Being expected to do something or complete a duty.

Delegation

The nurse remains ultimately responsible for appropriate delegation, and supervision of assigned nursing activities. Giving a task to another qualified person while still making sure it is done correctly.

Informed consent

The nurse verifies that informed consent has been obtained according to organizational policy and applicable law and may verify that the client signature is authentic. The patient understands what will happen and agrees to it before procedure or treatment.

Implied consent

Client permission is inferred from a person‘s actions, behavior, or circumstances. Consent that is shown by a person’s action instead of directly saying it.

Libel

The nurse documents, a derogatory and potentially defamatory statement about a client in the medical record. Written false information that hurts someone’s reputation.

Torts

A civil wrong, other than a breach of contract, that causes harm or injury to another person of their property. Wrongful acts that can cause harm to another person and can lead to a lawsuit.

What is a nurse’s scope of practice?

What a nurse is legally allowed and qualified to do based on their education, license and state law

What are standards of practice?

The expected level of safe and professional nursing care

Why are standards of practice important?

They tell nurses how they are expected to practice safely

What determines a nurses scope of practice?

State laws, education, license, training, and competence

What should a nurse do if asked to perform something outside of their scope?

Do not perform it and notify the appropriate person

What is the nurse practice act (NPA)?

A state law that regulates nursing

What does the nurse practice act tell nurses?

What nurses can and cannot legally do

Who enforces the nurse practice act?

The state Board of nursing

Why should nurses know their state nurse practice act?

To practice legally in protect their nursing license

What is the ANA?

Helps establish professional standards, ethics, and advocacy for nurses

What is an SNA?

Student nurses association, an organization for nursing students

What does an SNA help students with?

Networking, leadership, professional development, and learning about nursing

What is MSNA?

Midstate nurses association, a student/professional nursing organization connected with nursing at Midstate technical College

Why are nursing organizations important?

They help nurses learn, network, advocate, and grow professionally

What is a crime?

An act that breaks a law and can result in criminal punishment

What is assault?

Making someone fear they are about to be harmed

What is battery?

Touching or treating someone without their consent

What is false imprisonment?

Restricting or Preventing a patient from leaving without legal justification

What is fraud?

Intentionally lying or deceiving for personal or financial gain

What is a BSN?

Bachelor of science in nursing, a bachelors degree in nursing

What can an RN with a BSN do?

Provide RN level, nursing care, including assessment, planning, implantation, and evaluation

What is an MSN?

Master of science in nursing

What can an MSN prepare a nurse to do?

Take on advanced practice, Education, leadership, administration, or specialty roles, depending on the program

What is a DNP?

Doctor of nursing practice, a doctoral degree focused on advanced clinical nursing practice, and leadership

Why is documentation important legally?

It provides a record of what happened and what care was provided

What is healthcare reimbursement?

How healthcare providers get paid for services they provide

What is fee for service?

The provider gets paid for each service performed

What is cavitation?

A provider receives a set amount of money per patient for specific period of time

What is a perspective payment system?

Payment is determined before the care is provided often based on set amount

What is Medicare?

A federal health insurance program primarily for people 65+ and certain younger people with qualifying conditions

What is Medicaid?

A government healthcare program for eligible people with limited income/resources, with rules varying by state

What is the nurses role as a teacher?

Educating patients and families about health, medications, treatments, and self-care

What is the nurses role as an advocate?

Speaking up for the patient’s rights, wishes, and safety

What is the nurses role as a leader?

Guiding others and helping coordinate safe patient care

What is the nurses role as a counselor?

Listening, supporting, and helping patients cope with health problems

What is a change agent?

A nurse who helps improve or change healthcare practices for the better

What are the four things that generally must be proven for nursing malpractice?

Duty, breach, injury, causation

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing

LPN (licensed practical nurse)

Usually about 1 year of education, Works under the supervision of an RN, collect patient information, give certain medication’s, performs treatments, monitors, patients, and reports changes

Rn (registered nurse)

Can have an ADN or BSN education, performs, comprehensive assessments, develops, nursing care, plans, administer medication’s, educate patients, evaluates care, and coordinate care

MSN (master of science in nursing)

Graduate level nursing degree, prepares nurses for roles, such as nurse, educator, nurse leader, advanced practice roles

DNP (doctor of nursing practice)

Practice focused, doctoral degree, prepares nurses for advanced, clinical practice, leadership, quality improvement, and evidence base practice