Discussion: Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations
Boards of Nursing (BONs) exist in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Similar entities may also exist for different regions. The mission of BONs is the protection of the public through the regulation of nursing practice. BONs put into practice state/region regulations for nurses that, among other things, lay out the requirements for licensure and define the scope of nursing practice in that state/region. Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulation Comparing Texas and Maryland Boards of Nursing (BONs) Essay Paper

It can be a valuable exercise to compare regulations among various state/regional boards of nursing. Doing so can help share insights that could be useful should there be future changes in a state/region. In addition, nurses may find the need to be licensed in multiple states or regions.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on the mission of state/regional boards of nursing as the protection of the public through the regulation of nursing practice.
Consider how key regulations may impact nursing practice.
Review key regulations for nursing practice of your state’s/region’s board of nursing and those of at least one other state/region and select at least two APRN regulations to focus on for this Discussion..
By Day 3 of Week 5
Post a comparison of at least two APRN board of nursing regulations in your state/region with those of at least one other state/region. Describe how they may differ. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain how the regulations you selected may apply to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who have legal authority to practice within the full scope of their education and experience. Provide at least one example of how APRNs may adhere to the two regulations you selected.

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Learning Resources:

Required Readings
Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Chapter 4, “Government Response: Regulation” (pp. 57–84)
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). ANA enterprise. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.nursingworld.org

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. doi:10.1111/wvn.12291

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.ncsbn.org/index.htm

Neff, D. F., Yoon, S. H., Steiner, R. L., 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.

Peterson, C., Adams, S. A., & DeMuro, P. R. (2015). mHealth: Don’t forget all the stakeholders in the business case. Medicine 2.0, 4(2), e4.

Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations: Comparing Texas and Maryland Boards of Nursing (BONs)

All practicing nurses in any state in the United States are regulated by the state Board of Nursing. It guarantees that the state’s Nursing Practice Act is followed. It is also the institution that grants state licensure and takes disciplinary measures against any registered nurse who violates the Nursing Practice Act or its supporting rules. The following is a contrast of APRN regulations in Texas and Maryland.

In respect of the practicing situation for APRNS, these two states are profoundly different. Texas is a restricted practice state for APRNs, which necessitates career-long monitoring and delegating by a practicing physician under a formal cooperation agreement. Maryland, on the other side, is a full practice authority (FPA) or autonomous practice state. This means that APRNs in Maryland are free to practice autonomously to the fullest extent of their skills and capabilities (AANP, 2022). The relevant rule in Texas is that House Bill 278 eliminated the obligation for the APRN to interact physically with their supervising physician (Texas Board of Nursing, 2018). They can now meet at least once a month utilizing any other technological method. In Maryland, however, this is not the case because the APRN is not required to interact with any physicians.

In Maryland, the APRN has full practice autonomy as well as prescriptive discretion and operates independently (Maryland Board of Nursing, 2020). They are not required by the legislation to meet with anyone for practice reasons. In respect of this legislation, this is the main difference between the two states. The requirement that an APRN meet with their supervising physician at least once every month does not apply to APRNs with full practice power, such as those in Maryland. They are not mandated by law to have cooperation agreements with physicians. An APRN in Texas, for example, might follow the rule by scheduling a virtual meeting every first Saturday or Monday of every four weeks.   Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulation Comparing Texas and Maryland Boards of Nursing (BONs) Essay Paper

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP] (April 15, 2022). State practice environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment

Maryland Board of Nursing (2020). Advanced practice registered nursing: Nurse practitioners. https://mbon.maryland.gov/Pages/adv-prac-nurse-practitioner-index.aspx

Texas Board of Nursing (2018). Texas Board of Nursing. https://www.bon.texas.gov/

Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulation Comparing Texas and Maryland Boards of Nursing (BONs) Essay Paper