Sciope of Nursing Practice (Essay Sample)

Scope of Nursing Practice
Name
Institution
Scope of Nursing Practice
Nurses work in different environments providing healthcare services to individuals and communities through diagnosis and treatments to alleviate suffering. There are several areas of specialty in nursing, which all focus on addressing specific issues in provision of healthcare. The American Nursing Association (ANA) defines nursing as the delivery and advocacy of healthcare through diagnosis and treatment of individuals, families and communities to alleviate suffering and promote health abilities. As the organization for professional nurses, ANA has the responsibility of prescribing the scope and standards of nursing practice in the US (ANA, 2010). The scope of nursing defines the what, who, where, when and how in relation to the nursing practice. Based on ANA’s broad definition of nursing, one can understand the scope of nursing. Nurses are healthcare professionals, providing healthcare through treatment and diagnosis. Secondly, the main objective of nursing or the reasons for nursing g practice include preventing and promoting health abilities (ANA, 2010). Nurses also work in different settings attending to individuals, families and the wider community.
Besides the general scope of nursing developed by the ANA, different states and local authorities also have a role to play in setting standards of nursing practice in their jurisdictions. This informs the processes and structures for regulating the profession at different levels. For instance, the state of Ohio has established different scopes of professional practice for registered nurses (RN) and the licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). The specific legislation covering nursing scope in the state is the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). The scopes for both RNs and the LPNs are presented in section 4723.01 of the ORC. Section 4723.01(B) identifies the scope for registered nurses as the provision of nursing care to both individuals and groups through displaying specialized knowledge, skills and judgment derived from basic principles of nursing and other related sciences (ANA, 2010). Therefore, nursing practice entails responding to health problems, assessing health status of individuals, and administering medications. On the other hand, the scope of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) as defined in section 4723.01 (F) is the provision of nursing care to both individuals and groups through applying basic knowledge of nursing and related sciences under the direction of licensed physicians.
As a nurse, one encounters different situations which require the nurse to demonstrate the scope of nursing effectively. On a personal level, I have been through numerous situations that have required me to apply my nursing knowledge within the scope established by both the ANA and the state. On one occasion, I was in charge of providing healthcare to a patient suffering from diabetes. Working through the scope and standards of the nursing profession, I diagnosed the ...