The policy-making process involves multiple levels of government in the United States, and the healthcare aspects, such as the nursing practice, have diverse solutions depending on the state. Boards exist to interpret the local issues to the administration and help develop and establish appropriate regulations that would not disrupt federal laws yet benefit the specific populations and workforce (Thomas et al., 2010). For instance, policies that identify the scope of practice and the requirements for continuing education for nurses vary between states, enabling professionals to pass different exams and complete working hours to receive the license. Distinctions among the boards’ regulations benefit patient outcomes; however, they make practitioners’ career development less perspective and add difficulties for getting jobs in other counties (Benton et al., 2020). This paper aims to analyze the role of state boards of nursing in practice regulation and assess the issues around the scope of practice and licensing policy issues.
State boards of nursing are the government organizations responsible for the safety and prosperity of local professionals, improving the overall public health conditions. Furthermore, they approve and regulate educational programs’ curriculums and establish the scope of practice required to be licensed within a given jurisdiction (Unruh et al., 2018). For example, in Florida, a master’s degree and a two-hour board-certified program in preventing medical errors are necessary, while in New Jersey, the course of Pharmacology is required for registration (Unruh et al., 2018). Consequently, state boards of nursing have a crucial role in the practice regulation, and their policy-making initiatives should base on the issues that threaten patient outcomes and professionals’ safety.
State boards of nursing also determine the continuing education for practitioners through identifying the scope of the essential skills, responsibilities, and education required for receiving permission to work. Indeed, the content of practice is developed with the guidelines of federal regulators combined with the local organizations’ recommendations and published in states’ nursing policies (Hudspeth & Klein, 2019). Such requirements as advocating for health and providing care whenever an individual needs treatment are universal, while the range of medication prescription responsibility may vary among jurisdictions (Hudspeth & Klein, 2019). Policy-making processes that promote continuing education for nursing practitioners are also based on the local scope of practice and developed to respond to specific challenges and improve the quality of healthcare services.
Current healthcare policy enables nursing professionals to integrate continuous education into their career development; however, several issues make it challenging to complete additional courses and practice hours. For instance, the qualification improvement programs are costly for the healthcare facilities that should provide financial assistance for practitioners, and no federal policy has been established to make guidelines for such circumstances (Thomas et al., 2010). However, private funding for healthcare exists, and local politics towards the need for continuing education can be legally supported through non-governmental investments for organizations (Hudspeth & Klein, 2019). Indeed, narrow, state-wide regulations are beneficial for enhancing the practitioners’ scope of practice; thus, the boards of nursing should have sufficient power for establishing policies.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic became a massive healthcare challenge that resulted in practitioners’ shortage and the lack of time to maintain the continuing education initiatives. Workforce shortage forced federal regulators to require a lower scope of practice, and local boards of nursing responded to it by updating their politics for professionals’ registration (Benton et al., 2020). Although the emergency measures are relatively effective, they may result in future issues for improving the continuing education policies in the states with the most complicated licensing requirements.
Nursing scope of practice determines the educational programs nationwide and helps future professionals identify the necessary skills and responsibilities to receive legal permission to work at a selected state. Federal and local governmental organizations regulate such a crucial aspect of healthcare to establish effective and appropriate policies for a better quality of services and workforce safety. Continuing education policies also vary and cause difficulties for nursing practitioners’ career building; however, they are adjustable and can be improved through boards’ advocacy.
Benton,
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