Suture/Staple removal in NYC

[RNpaula]

Can RNs remove sutures and/or staples in NYC? Legally? Is it in our scope of practice?

[Sparrowhawk]

Pretty sure that's universally within a nurse's scope of practice, even an LPN.

[NPinWCH]

I believe as long as you aren't deciding if they should or shouldn't come out it is in your scope of practice. So, if you have an order to remove them then you can remove them.

[barbyann]

I recently moved to AZ from NY and here in AZ we are removing sutures/staples, in NY we never did. I don't believe it is in our scope or else we would have been taught it in nursing school. I never received instruction on the topic, just told to do it, had to research on my own. Had to refuse an order to remove facial sutures on a patient recently secondary to bleeding at site. MD was annoyed. Still not comfortable with this procedure. Interested in responses.

[loriangel14, RN]

I am a Practical Nurse and I can remove both as long as I have an order.

[Black Jade, BSN, RN]

Can RNs remove sutures and/or staples in NYC? Legally? Is it in our scope of practice?

I've removed sutures and staples when I used to worked at a clinic as long as there was an order. We weren't taught to do this at nursing school, but then again, most of your training are on the job.

[JerudC]

If you are concerned about legal liability in regards to your license then the only way is to pull up your states nurse practice acts and check. What a nurse can and can't do varies from state to state. I live on the border of two states, what is green light in one is not necessarily green light in the other.

[bjaeram]

We do it all the time and our techs/emt's even do it. It's not a hard thing at all!

[GM2RN]

I don't live in NY but I didn't learn it or discuss it in school either, and I have done it multiple times when I worked in TCU.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I learned to remove staples as an LVN student in 2005 during clinical rotations. As long as you have an order to remove the staples or sutures, you can do it. It is one of the easiest nursing skills that I have performed.

Even if you have not learned a particular skill, it is still within your scope of practice. For example, I have never dropped an NG tube or drawn an ABG, but these skills remain within my scope of practice as an RN. However, I wouldn't attempt these without some training and practice.

[lawandaluxnurse, ADN, BSN]

In WI we can remove as long as we have a md order