Is 'scope of practice' not taught in school?

Nurses General Nursing

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I see so many questions posted asking 'Is ______ within in my scope of practice as a ____ in ?'.

Is this not taught in school anymore?

Is it a rarity that a license application/renewal includes a statement that the applicant understands their NPA and agrees to abide by it?

At my program back in the dark ages we were given a copy of the NPA (for the state the school was located in) for both LPNs and RNs during first term. It was on the required materials list for every term after that, it was discussed in class and we were actually tested on the contents.

I hold licenses in multiple states, I read and understood the LPN and RN NPA before I even applied for a license. I've gone so far as to write the BoN when I didn't clearly understand something.

Another topic that just occurred to me.

So many questions about the basics of licensure from nurses who are already licensed:

Do I have to take the NCLEX again to move my license in StateA to StateB?

My license expires on my birthday, what does that mean?

How do I renew my license?

Is this stuff no longer covered?

Another dark ages anecdote:

NCLEX Prep was a 1 hour, twice a week class my last term of nursing school.

Class time was spent filling out the NCLEX application, applying for licensure and practicing for the test.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

I've wondered the same thing as well.

It's probably not covered because nursing is so much more complex than it was years ago. There just isn't the time to cover that information.

Specializes in Telemetry/Stepdown.

we went over RN scope of practice in nursing school twice, the first and the last semester. we were also told where to find it online.....

we would ask about our pn scope of practice in class. unfortunately, with where i live the scope of practice for lpns is just this:

[color=#002b51]scope of practice for the licensed practical nurse

the nurse practice act defines the scope of practice of the licensed practical nurse (lpn) as that which is taught in schools of practical nursing in colorado at this time. therefore, all decisions regarding which tasks may be performed by a lpn are based on the present curriculum criteria. the lpn curriculum in colorado is a 9 to 11 month course focusing on the care of patients with predictable outcomes. the curriculum emphasizes the maintenance of those patients and performance of nursing skills with a high degree of technical expertise. the practical nursing student is taught to identify normal from abnormal in each of the body systems and to identify changes in the patient's condition which are then reported to the rn or md for further or "full" assessment. for further information regarding the specific tasks and skills taught in the lpn curriculum, you may wish to contact one of the many colorado colleges offering an lpn program.

it doesn't direct much, does it? especially when the schools tend to pick and choose how much of what they want to teach, and when you get conflicting information.

Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

I guess it depends on the school & what they feel is important. In our skills lab, our scope of practice (as LPN's) was discussed a lot. Our instructors always told us that we should go to our state BON & look @ the NPA..I tried however, and couldn't find it..*off to search google*

Specializes in Obstetrics.

Not in mine. We were told to reference the NPA but never went into detail. Heck, our instructors barely told us info about signing up for the NCLEX.

Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

Hi Kids, I graduated in 2008 and we were not taught scope of practice during school. It was always deferred as "look at your facility's scope of practice" or "make sure you know your scope of practice for the state you'll be practicing in."

Specializes in PACU.

We discussed it quite a bit in my programs, but the reality is that in many states it is somewhat vague. As technologies evolve, roles shift, and the standard of care changes it is reasonable to question where the line is.

Specializes in geriatrics.

Most schools refer to the scope of practice at various points. We were also told that it was our responsibility to know this information. While there are many great students, there are also those students who are borderline in their programs. Sadly, many students don't take the initiative to learn certain things. You can't blame everything on the program.

the Nurse Practice Act is a joke. Its frustrating. I may be the only one who thinks this but I have to say.....It is not clearly defined. Its a hassle to try to figure out what exactly can be done at times.....

After reading a few sentences this is what I believe my nurse practice act states...

"Do what you can at all cost to save lives but if you do more harm than good or kill somebody, dont pass GO!, do not collect $200 go directly to jail....( or you can just drop your license off at the board of nursing for an unknown length of time) Do not get in the way of the doctors and by the way I am management-friendly.

Specializes in ICU.
Another topic that just occurred to me.

So many questions about the basics of licensure from nurses who are already licensed:

Do I have to take the NCLEX again to move my license in StateA to StateB?

My license expires on my birthday, what does that mean?

How do I renew my license?

Is this stuff no longer covered?

Another dark ages anecdote:

NCLEX Prep was a 1 hour, twice a week class my last term of nursing school.

Class time was spent filling out the NCLEX application, applying for licensure and practicing for the test.

Lack of common sense? Beware its rampant these days. Lolz! ROFL...

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