Discussion: Professional Nursing and State-Level Regulations

Mostly, the documents from the profession are the main foundation or the regulation policy and legislation which is critical in ensuring public safety. The practice of the APRN is governed by the nursing board and defined well in the nursing practice Act. However, the nursing practice is also affected by other policies and well as the role played by different boards in the nursing field. The APRN board of nursing is the jurisdictional government agencies which have the authority to regulate the practice of nursing in the state (Ca. Gov., 2019). They are supposed to guarantee high quality in the practice of nursing, which is essential for maximum public safety and welfare. In this regard, the board issues and renews the license of those practitioners and the institutions offering the nursing practitioners program. It sets the standards to be met by the practitioners as well as the institution offering the nursing practitioner programs. Once the board grants the license to the individual, it has the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring that those licensed complies with the laws of the state. It also has the responsibility of taking actions against practitioners who do not comply with the laws in their nursing practice.

I come from Florida and the two APRN board of nursing regulations are; the requirements to meet the set minimum hours for the continuous education and the approval of the Nursing programs. The APRN nursing board in Florida provide in the regulation for the continuing education for the nursing practitioners. This is meant to ensure that APRN practitioners are well informed on the emerging issues in the nursing practice. These regulations provide that the nursing license of practitioners once expired cannot be renewed unless the person has undergone continuous education (NCSBN, 2019). For example, one of the requirements for license approval is the submission of the statement to prove that one has experienced the required hours of continuing education. Secondly, on Florida APRN nursing board regulation on the accreditation of the nursing program, while seeking the approval of the program, the institution offering the program must provide evidence that it has complied with the board requirements. For instance, the institution must provide evidence that it is well equipped to offer high quality training to the APRN practitioners.

Comparison of APRN nursing board regulation in Florida and California

The APRN nursing board regulations in Florida differ with similar regulations in California in various ways. The Florida APRN nursing board regulation on the license renewal requires that if a practitioner wants to renew their licenses, they will be allowed to do so without any challenge if they have completed their continuing education hours. If they have not completed the required continuing education hours; they are required to do the remaining hours before they can have their licenses renewed. On the other hand, in the renewal of the APRN practitioner in California, one is required to provide a statement as evidence that they have met the continuing education hours (ANA, 2019). The regulation does not provide for the attendance of the remaining continuous education hours when one fall short of the required hours. This means that unlike in Florida, where one is required to complete the remaining continuous education hours, in California, one’s renewal application is outrightly rejected. For instance, in the license renewal in California, the nursing practitioner has to provide a statement as evidence that they have met the required continuing education hours. This is a proof of compliance with the board requirements.

In the case of the approval of the practitioner program, according to the APRN board of nursing in Florida and California, the institution is supposed to provide evidence of the compliance with the board requirements. While in California, the institution offering the program must be recognized by the department of education, in Florida, the interest is whether the practitioner program has met the standards set by the APRN board of nursing. In Florida, the APRN board is allowed to call for additional information before approving the practitioner programs and the time frame for licensing is provided as 7-10 days (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019). In California, there is no time frame under the regulation under which the approval application should be considered. The nursing program may not be offered if the board does not approve of it.

The above regulations can apply in the APRNs by ensuring that they study in the institutions whose programs are licensed by the board and ensuring that they meet the license renewal requirements prescribed by the board. For instance, the nursing practitioners should ensure that they study in the institutions which are recognized and have their program approved by the board. They should also ensure that they meet the required continuing education hours.

References

ANA. (2019). Lead the profession to shape the future of nursing and health care http://www.nursingworld.org/

Ca. Gov. (2019). Nursing Practice Act https://www.rn.ca.gov/practice/npa.shtml

Florida Board of Nursing. (2019).Advanced Practice Registered Nurse https://floridasnursing.gov/licensing/advanced-practice-registered-nurse/

NCSBN. (2019). License Verification (Nursys.com) https://www.ncsbn.org/index.htm