The nursing practice and scope are defined by the nurse practice act that is regulated by the board of nursing in all the states in the United States. Cimiotti et al., (2019) discuss that the laws and regulations are developed by the BON to ensure that nurses in practice are qualified and have met the educational requirements as well as certification to be a nurse. This is important because it helps in preventing unqualified nurses from practicing thus avoiding malpractice and medical errors from happening. Additionally, this is improving patient safety (Chesney, & Duderstadt, 2017). Therefore, in the state of Pennsylvania, advanced practice registered nurses follow state law and regulation that allows them to diagnose medical conditions, implement treatment plans, order and perform diagnostic tests among other responsibilities with a written collaborative agreement with a certified and licensed physician (Pittman et al., 2020). Another state law regulation in this state is that APRNs may prescribe drugs, devices, and schedules II-V controlled substances following the collaborative agreement signed by the APRN alongside a licensed physician. On the other hand, the APRNs in the state of Pennsylvania with proper training and experience can receive a federal waiver to dispense products containing buprenorphine while being supervised by a licensed physician.
When compared with the state of New Jersey, APRNs require a joint protocol agreement with a licensed physician to perform their responsibilities. Additionally, APRNs in the state of New Jersey are required to have an additional six hours in pharmacological education to be allowed to prescribe medication and devices (Weaver, et al., 2021). Certification from the New Jersey state board of nursing is required for any nurse who wishes to practice as an APRN. However, they must have an advanced level of education like a Master of Science in nursing.
APRNs in the state of Pennsylvania are not allowed to have full practice authority; however, they obtain their prescriptive authority by signing a collaborative agreement with a licensed physician. On the other hand, APRNs in Pennsylvania adheres to the prescriptive authority and practice authority by signing a collaborative agreement that is reviewed and updated after every two years.
References
Chesney, M. L., & Duderstadt, K. G. (2017). States' progress toward nurse practitioner full practice authority: Contemporary challenges and strategies. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 31(6), 724-728.
Cimiotti, J. P., Li, Y., Sloane, D. M., Barnes, H., Brom, H. M., & Aiken, L. H. (2019). Regulation of the nurse practitioner workforce: implications for care across settings. Journal of nursing regulation, 10(2), 31-37.
Pittman, P., Leach, B., Everett, C., Han, X., & McElroy, D. (2020). NP and PA privileging in acute care settings: Do scope of practice laws matter?. Medical Care Research and Review, 77(2), 112-120.
Weaver, S. H., de Cordova, P. B., Leger, A., & Cadmus, E. (2021). Licensed Practical Nurse Workforce in New Jersey as Described by LPNs and Employers. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 12(1), 60-70.
