Scope Of Nursing Practice

This discussion board is about the scope of nursing practice. The scope of nursing is defined by each individual state with the help of the American Nurses Association. The purpose of this posting is to define the scope of nursing practice by the Ohio Board of Nursing and the American Nurses Association. The American Nurses Association states that the scope of nursing practice must answer the questions of “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” ““why,” and “how” to describe its complete picture, complex practice, and ever-changing boundaries (American Nursing Association, 2010, pp 2).

Currently, I practice as a registered nurse in the State of Ohio. The Ohio Board of Nursing defines practicing as a registered nurse in section 4723.01B, ORC,
as providing to individuals and groups nursing care requiring specialized knowledge, judgment, and skill derived from the principles of biological, physical, behavioral, social, and nursing sciences (Ohio Board of Nursing, n.d.). The care a nurse provides includes, but is not limited to, education, assessing overall health, administering medications or treatments to patients, and supervision of staff. I use my nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills daily.

Every day I use the nursing practice as described by the Ohio Board of Nursing. As a dialysis nurse, I assess my patients’ over health status. An example is a dialysis patient’s health status is assessed pre-treatment. Their fluid gain is above the prescribed amount. I educate them on the risks of drinking more fluid than prescribed. I use my nursing judgment to determine the amount of fluid to remove based on vital signs, physician orders, and past treatment patterns. I communicate with my physician to determine any further orders. In conclusion, I use the nursing scope of practice to provide safe care to each of my patients.