Assignment: State Regulations for Advanced Practice Nurses

Although your roles and responsibilities may differ based on
your practice setting (think emergency department versus inpatient hospital
setting or outpatient specialty medicine clinic), they may also vary depending
on the state in which you practice. Because each state has its own laws and
regulations that determine the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses,
it is your responsibility to understand your own state’s guidelines. This
Assignment involves locating the Nurse Practice Act for your state and
reviewing practice guidelines, licensing requirements, and the certification
process.

To prepare:

Locate the Nurse Practice Act for your state, as well as any
other state legislation that outlines practice for Advanced Practice Registered
Nurses (APRNs). Reflect on the definition and scope of practice of the APRN
according to your state.

Consider which state board is responsible for licensure of
APRNs. Determine whether your state requires nursing board approval, board of
medicine approval, or joint board approval for APRN practice.

Consider the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Drug
Schedule categories approved for APRN prescribing. Think about how this might
impact your clinical practice.

Research the national certifying board options and
application processes for the Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.
Think about which exams are recognized by your state board and which board
options best suit your professional needs.

To Complete:

Address the following in a 1- to 2-page paper:

Explain the definition and scope of practice for APRNs
according to the Nurse Practice Act in your state.

Identify the state board that is responsible for licensure
of APRNs.

Identify the DEA Drug Schedule categories approved for APRN
prescribing in your state. Explain whether this might impact your clinical
practice, and if so, explain how.

Identify which national certifying board options are
recognized by your state board. Explain which options best suit your
professional needs and why. Describe the application processes for these
options.

By Day 7

This Assignment is due.

Note: You must include references to support your paper. The
School of Nursing also requires that all papers submitted include a title page,
introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden
Writing Center provides an example of those required elements. All papers
submitted must use this formatting.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading,
do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the following naming
convention: “WK1Assgn+lastname+first initial”.

Click the Week 1 Assignment link.

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My
Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK1Assgn+last name+first
initial.(extension)” and click Open. If you are submitting multiple files,
repeat until all files are attached.

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.