Virginia\'s Nursing Practice Act

Nursing Practice Act of Virginia:

The scope of practice in medicine, nursing, law, dentistry, and various other disciplines are usually established and regulated at the state level. This implies that the legislative body in every state establishes practice law and allocates authority for the implementation of the law to suitable regulatory agencies and boards. In relation to the nursing field, the established laws are usually in the form of professional practice acts that act as the basis for licensing standards. Licensing is in turn geared towards the protection of public health and well-being, safety, and welfare. Generally, the statute that defines and manages the nursing profession and practice is known as a nurse practice act. There are four major objectives of the nurse practice act in each state including defining the nursing professional practice, establishing the minimum academic qualifications and requirements for licensing, defining the legal titles and abbreviations that nurses may use, and providing disciplinary action for licensed nurses (Black, 2013, p.68).

Virginia's Nursing Practice Act:

The Virginia Board of Nursing is mandated with the responsibility of defining and controlling nursing practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The board achieves its mandate through ensuring the implementation of the requirements of the state regarding nursing profession and practice. In essence, the Virginia Board of Nursing ensures compliance with the regulations that govern the practice of nursing in this state. Apart from defining nursing and its scope of practice, the regulations state the pre-requisites for approval of nursing and nurse aide educational programs and licensure of registered and practice nurses. The regulations also provide requirements for the registration of clinical nurse specialists and certification of nurse aides in this state. The work and function of Virginia Board of Nursing is based on the belief that each nurse practitioner is accountable to the Commonwealth as well as the public to sustain high professional standards of practice based on nursing ethics ("Regulations Governing the Practice of Nursing," 2014).

According to the Nursing Practice Act of Virginia, public health nursing is defined as the practice of promoting and safeguarding the health of populations through the use of knowledge from nursing, public health, and social sciences. Consequently, nursing practice is geared towards achieving and maintaining optimum health of an individual and community through focusing on health promotion, environmental protection, and disease prevention. The scope of practice based on the Nursing Practice Act of Virginia varies depending on the specific interest of an individual practitioner. The act provides some guidelines or guidance documents containing specific skills and decision trees for determining an individual's scope of practice. In essence, the scope of practice requires an individual's judgment since there is no place where specific skill sets are listed clearly. Therefore, the scope of practice for a nurse in Virginia is based on the specific interests and qualification of an individual nurse.

Virginia's Nursing Practice Act defines advanced practice as the provision of advanced nursing services by registered nurses who are clinical nurse specialists based on the requirements of law and regulations. In this case, the registered nurse is responsible and accountable for decision making depending on academic preparation and experience in this field. Advanced practice registered nurses have some independent prescribing privileges that include but not limited to prescription and controlled drugs, durable medical goods, medical devices, extra health or medical services, and other medical equipment and supplies. These nurses can exercise the prescriptive privileges without necessarily collaborating with physicians. In addition, nurse practitioners with prescriptive authority can dispense samples of Schedule II-VI drugs and also sign for the receipt of those samples.

The requirements for obtaining new license for new graduate include filing the required application, provision of an official transcript from the nursing education program, and nursing practice pending the results of the examination. A new graduate can also be licensed by endorsement provided he/she meets the same requirements for registered or practical nurse as those pursuing initial licensure in the state. A nurse can be denied licensure or have his/her license suspended or revoked if he or she engages in activities that can result in a disciplinary action against him/her. Some of the activities that lead to disciplinary action include fraud or deceit in acquiring or attempting to acquire a license, conviction of a felony, addiction to the use of habit-forming drugs, professional misconduct, and violation of nursing law and regulations ("Complaints Against Licensees," 2012).

The requirements for continuing education or competency re-licensure include completion of a current specialty certification by a national certifying organization and completion of post-licensure academic education relevant to nursing practice. The applicant should also complete a publication during a renewal cycle, evidence-based practice project or research study, and a board-approved refresher course in nursing. In contrast, the requirements for schools of nursing include submission of an application to the board at least one year before the opening date. The application should include a statement of intention to establish a nursing education program and an application fee. The institution should also submit documented evidence of adequate resources for the anticipated number of students, show capability to meet the program's requirement for the expected number of students, and prepare for a site visit by a representative of the board.