You have been asked to investigate a new procedure that physicians would like nurses to adopt in the hospital. Discuss the process you would apply to determine whether the procedure falls within the RN scope of practice and how you would go about introducing the new procedure with physicians and fellow nurses.
When it comes to investigating a new procedure, a systematic approach should be applied. It is imperative to determine whether a given procedure is within the nursing scope of practice before deciding to adopt or implement it. Some standard steps that must always be followed are based on the Nurse Practice Act, the ANA Standards of Practice, rights of patients, and safe nursing practice.
According to Anderson (2013), determining if a new procedure is within the scope of nursing practice can be accomplished in three steps. First, define the issue, which means clarifying what exactly is being asked and what the new procedure entails. This step also includes gathering any additional information such as conducting a competency assessment to perform the task, as well as any previous experience, current knowledge and skill. Evidence-based practice and nursing research must also support the adoption of any new procedure.
Secondly, since evidence is not the only component, the Nurse Practice Act and the policies of the workplace must also be considered. Nurses may be limited by the facility policies/standards to perform certain tasks even though the tasks are allowed by the BON (Anderson, 2013). Likewise, nurses may not be legally permitted to perform certain tasks that are commonly performed in the facility. These policies can vary within the same state and even within the same facility. For example, ICU nurses may be permitted to perform a certain procedure that nurses on the other unit are not. Additionally, consider other resources such as professional organizations for more information. Many states also have algorithms that help to