Need some scope of practice guidelines

Specialties Public/Community

Published

I am a nurse who does hospital work. Although we practice in our own independent ways, most of what we do is closely managed by physicians, hospital protocols, etc.

I am now volunteering at a free community health clinic on "nurse clinic" day. It is a VERY different role and I'm finding that the nurses have a lot more freedom in the clinic while still practicing within their scope, of course.

I would like to know if there are any issues that come up with this type of nursing and if there are any guidelines available to make sure we don't unknowingly practice outside our scope or neglect to do something for a patient that we should be doing.

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I'm just a student so I cannot give you any advice at this point, but I would love to hear the details of your work including what is within your scope of practice as a nurse, what is clearly outside your scope, and what you think pushes the boundaries. I am interested in this type of work outside the hospital environment.

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Specializes in Public Health, Maternal Child Health.

I am a Public Health Nurse that works in a different setting, I visit my patients in their home, and I'm all alone without anyone to turn to for advice! SO, what I have learned and what I practice is this: You are not allowed to "diagnose" ANYTHING! The only exception is if your work has very specific protocols that say if you see these s/sx then do this. That being said, it IS your job to know what is normal, what is not normal, and what needs to be seen by an MD. Will you have access to a supervisor or an MD for your concerns? Any concerns you have, you can always protect yourself by saying "I would like the doctor to take a look at this". In my job, I have to advise them how soon they need to make an appt with their doctor, or if I think they need to go to urgent care or even the ER. Most importantly, if you don't know - don't fake it! Tell your patient "I'm sorry I don't know about that, but let me see what I can find out" OR say "That is a question you will have to ask the doctor" Never be afraid to ask questions at your job and clarify with coworkers any uncertainties about your scope of work in your role.

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