Describe the differences between a board of nursing and a professional nurse association.
A board of nursing (BON) refers to a professional organization tasked with the responsibility of representing nurses in a given state. BON plays a broad range of roles, including nurse licensure, revoking a nurse’s license, and implementing other forms of disciplinary actions. On the other hand, nurse association serves as an organization that advocates for nurse practitioners (NPs) (Benton et al., 2017). Sensibly speaking, a BON influences nurse by developing competency standards in their respective states. For instance, a BON achieves this by requiring any given nurse aligns their objectives with the already-established continued education goals. As stated earlier, it impacts a NP’s career by applying relevant disciplinary actions with the sole purpose of ensuring the nurse observe each of the much-needed regulations. A nurse association defines and implements a variety of ethical standards, which shape daily practice in addition to instilling leadership skills and desired professional principles in individual nurses (Benton et al., 2017). Concisely, the main difference between BONs and a nurse association
Describe the geographic distribution, academic credentials, practice positions, and licensure status of members of the board for your specific region/area.
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In my area, the main BON is Illinois Board of Nursing ( I BON), which plays a leading role in regulating the various licensed practice nurses (LPNs), as well as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNS). The IBON not only includes APRNs and LNPs, but also consumer members, direct entry midwives (DEMs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). The IBON monitors health care quality and associated delivery standards in the state’s over 14,000 community residential, as well as healthcare programs ( IBON , 2019). Additionally, the IBON licenses and oversees the certification of health care professionals (HCPs) in addition to setting forth a variety of standards aimed at determining and ensuring compliance.
Equally important, the IBON requires existing and potential members to meet certain criteria before receiving full accommodation. Concerning academic credentials, the IBON (2019) recommends high school education as the primary foundation for the whole process of becoming an LPN. The prospective LNP then enrolls in any of the approved practical nursing programs. An individual who successfully graduates with a registered or recognized nursing program then proceeds to the licensing process by taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Once an individual attains the licensed NP position, they undergo the registration process to become the IBON members.
Describe at least one federal regulation for healthcare.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ) serves as one of the key federal regulations for healthcare. Implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), HIPAA has far-reaching positive effects on healthcare delivery, access, as well as cost (Cohen & Mello, 2018). Regarding access, for instance, the HIPAA prioritizes the protection of patients’ rights by ensuing that HCPs remain accountable for their actions, meaning no patient should be discriminated against when it comes to accessing quality and timely care. Moreover, the HIPAA’s was instituted with the sole purpose of improving efficiency in the America’s healthcare system, which means it revolves around cost reduction through Medicaid and Medicare programs (Cohen & Mello, 2018). Accordingly, the HIPAA creates a safe and suitable environment for health care delivery across the country.
The HIPAA has gone a broad range of changes over the past five years. Including the introduction of three safeguards, which place great emphasis on protecting electronically transmitted or stored protected health information (PHI) (Cohen & Mello, 2018). The safeguards, administrative, physical, and technical, cover risk assessments, equipment specifications, and remote access of PHI databases, respectively. Given these new measures, it is evident that the HIPAA has emphasized patient information safety, confidentiality, and privacy.
Describe at least one state regulation related to general nurse scope of practice.
In my state, the Nurse Practice Act (NPA) of Illinois defines the scope of nurse practice ( Russell, 2012 ). Concerning roles, the NPA requires nurses to play a role in administration, counselling, executing therapeutic regimen, teaching or educating patients and families on health and related issues, supervising and evaluating nursing practice, and treatment. Notably, the NPA presents an individual nurse with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their roles, which, in turn influences the achievement of desired health outcomes. For example, this regulation allows nurses to remain flexible to ensure ease of access to care ( Russell, 2012 ). At the same time, it requires nurses to observe and perpetuate professional ethics and standards when delivery healthcare services. In this way, they provide affordable, quality care by not overcharging their clients.
Describe at least one state regulation related to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).
One of the most effective state regulations for ADPNs is the Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority Act (NPFPA). The NPFPA plays a pivotal role in redefining nursing practice by increasing autonomy among ADPNs (Louise, 2015). By removing stringent state laws and rules, which undermined independent diagnosing, prescribing, and other aspects of nursing practice. This regulation has broadened the ADPN’s roles. As a result, it enhances access to care since patients do not necessarily to follow bureaucratic processes before seeing their favorite ADPNs (Rudner, 2016). In this way, clients are more likely to incur less costs, as they have direct relationships with their nurses.
References
Benton, D., et al. (2017). Exploring the differences between regulatory bodies, professional associations, and trade unions: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8 (3), 4-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(17)30154-0
Cohen, G. & Mello, M. (2018). HIPAA and protecting health information in the 21 st century. JAMA, 23 (3), 231-232.
Louise, K. (2015). Illinois ’s Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority Act of 2015. The Nurse Practitioner, 40 (5), 8.
IBON . (2019). Illinois Board of Nursing . Retrieved Mar. 26, 2019 from: https://www.nursinglicensure.org/state/nursing-license- Illinois .html
Oliver G., et al. (2014). Impact of nurse practitioners on health outcomes of Medicare and Medicaid patients. Nursing Outlook , 62 (6), 440–447.
Rudner, L. (2016) Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses is a Gender Issue" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 21 (2).
Russell, K. (2012). Nurse practice acts guide and govern nursing practice . Retrieved Mar. 26, 2019 from: https://www.ncsbn.org/2012_JNR_NPA_Guide.pdf
