Nursing Standards of Practice
- The Development of Nursing Standards Of Practice In California.
The process of developing nursing standards in the state of California is administered by the Nurse Practice Act (NPA). Ideally, the NPA is regulated by the Board of Registered Nurses. The Nurse Practice Act is the body of law that is mandated to offer the range of responsibilities as well as practices of registered nurses. California Nursing Practice Act includes all regulations and features governing Nurses within California. The sections of the Nursing Practice Act define the authority, role, accountability, and responsibility that have come with powerful decision making role as well as set minimum standards for the generic registered nurse role. The Nurse Practice Act is evaluated through the board of nursing. The nurse boards are responsible for ensuring that the nurse practices have been defined within the state laws practice.
2. The Standards of Practice In Nursing Process
The practice of nursing is governed by rules and standards that are established by professional associations (American Nurses Association, 2010). The nursing process entails input from families or parents through all levels from assessment to evaluation. The standards of practice have described the level of competence within the nursing process. They reflect the achievable and desired level of performance. These standards are crucial in the nursing profession since they direct and encourage clinical practice. For instance, ICU nurses have relied on professional standards to maintain competence in clinical decisions.
The professional standards have encouraged the utilization of knowledge and skills to ensure the best possible outcome. During the assessment phase, one is required to gather information to determine the state of the patient as well as identify the factors that may influence their well-being. During the assessment, the nurse is required to be alert to patterns of co-morbidity among family members, patients, and communities.
3. The Concept of Professional Accountability
Professional accountability in nursing is considered as being responsible for one’s actions, judgments, omissions, and actions as they link to maintaining and upholding competency and quality patient. This means that nurses are accountable for the actions and decisions as well as the consequences of those actions. Accountability is paramount in nursing practice to ensure patient safety (Battie, 2016). Accountability has played a great role in improving the quality of patient care. The nurses are required to follow ethical conduct code and hold high ethical standards. Professional nursing accountability entails terms such as ethics, professional values, professional identity, virtue, professional behavior, moral agency, ethical behavior, and professional development.
4. Medical Errors
Considerably professional accountability in nursing plays a great role in the nursing practice. The accountability of a nurse exists in three elements commitment, clarity and consequences are present. For instance, where a nurse was to receive an order for a drug that is not clear, the nurse will be accountable for offering the wrong dosage. A nurse is responsible for the right medication for the patent by ensuring the right drug for the right patient to prevent medical errors. While offering medications nurses have to remember their responsibility to avoid harm and to do good.
References
American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Nursesbooks. org.
Battie, R. (2016). Accountability in nursing practice: Why it is important for patient safety. ACORN: The Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia, 29(4), 11.