Introduction
Boards of Nursing (BON) are the institutions responsible for protecting the patient’s well-being by ensuring high-quality nursing services. These professional bodies regulate the scope of practice of nurses within their jurisdiction. They offer licensure examinations for the preparation of nursing in each state. This organization comprises nurses, physicians, attorneys, and citizens recommended by the nursing organizational bodies. The senators and members of congress are responsible for the appointment of the individuals to work on the nursing boards (Halm, 2018). Therefore, the state nursing boards are vital in ensuring standard patient care delivery by regulating the advanced registered nurses’ practice.
The Roles of the BON in Promoting the Public’s Safety
There are several ways through which the BON promotes effective patient care. Apart from safeguarding patient safety, these boards also set standards for optimal nursing education. They ensure that nursing education institutions adopt nursing curricula that align with achieving the professional needs applied in patient management. Furthermore, they conduct background analyses of the code of conduct of individuals aspiring to become professional nurses. This is necessary for promoting the citizen’s confidence in the nursing profession composed of persons with integrity.
Impacts of Regulations on Nursing Practice
Additionally, these boards are liable for ensuring nurses’ licensure by issuing licenses and setting the fees to be charged during licensure. They also promote high standards of practice in nursing by disciplining the members against the code of ethics. Offenses such as disclosing pertinent patient information to non-medical personnel is a severe deeds that may attract disciplinary action from the nursing boards. Nursing education regulation is imperative in ensuring the supply of highly trained nurses for effective patient care (Bosse et al., 2017). Moreover, the licensing of professional nurses by the BON will ensure that only qualified nurses are employed for patient care. Patient care is positively impacted by an efficient regulation of the nursing practice.
Key Regulations in Ohio and California
The regulation of nursing practice by the BON varies considerably between the states in America. For instance, California has pre-set guidelines on the standard nurse-to-patient ratios according to the various hospital units and the number of nursing staff available. The nurse-to-patient ratio in the operating room and the trauma emergency departments is one nurse to one patient. The labor and intensive care unit rate is one nurse for two patients and one nurse for five patients in the medical and surgical units (Neff et al., 2018). The state of Ohio does not have stipulated laws on the staffing of nurses. Nurse leaders and activists in Ohio call for enacting the minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in the state due to its documented benefits.
Furthermore, Ohio state has regulations that require a nurse practitioner to apply for a new license to practice nursing in this state, unlike in the California state. The BON in Ohio requires intensive background checks on the nurses’ disciplinary records from the other states before licensing them.
Influence of the Regulations on the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
A standard nurse-to-patient ratio affects advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) by reducing workload during patient management resulting in high-quality care. The APRNs also have improved job satisfaction due to good work conditions, hence decreasing job turnover incidences (Neff et al., 2018). Before licensure, the requirement for disciplinary checks will encourage nurses to maintain high standards of nursing care to practice in other states without problems. A well stipulated disciplinary process is crucial in promoting fairness and justice for nurses. The APRNs can adhere to the staffing regulations by following the state’s rules on the standard nurse ratios. Additionally, they can follow the professional regulations for nursing practice to avoid the denial of the nursing practice license in other states.
References
Bosse, J., Simmonds, K., Hanson, C., Pulcini, J., Dunphy, L., Vanhook, P., & Poghosyan, L. (2017). Position statement: Full practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses is necessary to transform primary care. Nursing Outlook, 65(6), 761–765.
Halm M. A. (2018). Evaluating the impact of EBP Education: Development of a modified Fresno test for acute care nursing. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 15(4), 272–280. Web.
Neff, D. F., Yoon, S. H., Steiner, R. L., Bejleri, I., Bumbach, M. D., Everhart, D., & Harman, J. S. (2018). The impact of nurse practitioner regulations on population access to care. Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 379–385. Web.