The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a non-profit organization that works with different nursing regulatory bodies and allows them to come together to discuss and work on multiple interests and concerns. Currently, they are the world leader in nursing regulatory knowledge (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2020).
There are 59 nursing regulatory bodies in the U.S and they all are members of the NCSBN. They outline the safety standards for nursing care and issuing licenses to practice (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2020). The two APRN regulation boards I chose for this purpose of this discussion board are my home state North Carolina and Texas.
The first aspect of North Carolina nursing regulation I looked into was education and certification requirements. According to 21 NCAC 3.0805, nurse practitioners must provide certification evidence from a national credentialing body (NC Board of Nursing, 2020a). A nurse practitioner education program needs to be successfully completed, with 400 didactic and preceptorship hours.
Courses of health assessment and diagnosis, pharmacology, pathophysiology, various disease management, prevention services, client education, and role development are required (NC Board of Nursing, 2020a, para. #1).
Next, I looked into continuing education requirements for APRNs in North Carolina. To maintain practice approval 50 hours of continuing education are due each year, as stated in 21 NCAC 36.0807. 20 of the hours must be obtained by the ANCC or ACCME, other credentialing bodies, or practice relevant courses (NC Board of Nursing, 2020b, para. #1.). If the APRN is prescribing controlled substances, one hour of continuing education mut be dedicated to substance practice acts.
In comparison, Texas APRN educational requirements are approved by the State of Texas accrediting board. According to Rule §219.1 program must be at a Master’s level of nursing education, and the director and faculty all must comply with the Nurse Practice Act and Board of Nursing regulations (Texas Board of Nursing, 2018).
The education program should have uniform standards and the program must promote safe and effective advanced practice nursing, seen as a developmental guide, and provide criteria to evaluate new APRNs (Texas Board of Nursing, 2018).
Texas APRNs are required to complete 20 hours that correlate to their profession, or they have the option of obtaining, maintaining, or renewing national nursing certification approved by the Texas Board of Nursing (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019). 5 additional contact hours must be dedicated to pharmacotherapeutics. Competencies must be earned with a two-year period preceding license renewal (Texas Board of Nursing, 2019).
Licensure requirements and continuing education requirements apply to APRNs because they must show and maintain educational competence. Both states have misconduct regulations and not adhering to competent care can lead to unsafe practice, patient harm, and being seen in front of the nursing board with potentials of a license being revoked. Autonomy comes with the advance practice licensure, which leads to an expectation and responsibility of professionals to stay current and competent when practicing at all times.
APRNs can adhere to these regulations by staying up to date on current education and practices that correlate to the care they provide. They can also join professional organizations that can be used to access journals and continuing education opportunities. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is a great example of a professional organization that provide advocacy to APRNs, CE hours, journal subscriptions, and more (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, n.d.). Along with this, APRNs can be become certified and gain expertise in their professional area.