Nursing
Research the following:
How do you get certified and licensed in your state?
What is the application process for certification in your state?
What is the primary nurse licensure office resource website in your state?
How does your state define the scope of practice of a nurse practitioner?
What is included in your state’s practice agreement?
How do you get a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) license?
How does your state describe a nurse practitioner’s controlled-substance prescriptive authority and what nurse practitioner drug schedules are nurse practitioners authorized to prescribe?
In what legislative and advocacy activities are your state nurse practitioner organization(s) involved?
By Day 3
Post a summary of your findings on your state based on the questions listed above. Explain the types of regulations that exist and the barriers that may impact nurse practitioner independent practice in your state. Be specific. Also, describe what surprised you from your research.
STATE WILL BE NEW JERSEY
ANSWER
Nursing Practice in New Jersey
The New Jersey license and certification allow an individual to offer professional nursing services in different organizations. A registered nurse has to complete an approved R.N. program within New Jersey to be certified and licensed. The registered nurse must have completed the R.N. programs in New Jersey and then take the NCLEX-RN licensing exam (Weaver, Cordova, Leger, and Cadmus, 2021). After completing the requirements, the candidates need to have a accreditation of program accomplishment that is directed to the board.
The applicant may decide to complete an application form or use the online systems. The submission can be seen on the board site. This involves questions regarding education, medical conditions, and child support status, influencing the nursing practice. The applicants need to have criminal background checks, but a candidate who has taken fingerprints will not need to do that again. The applicant needs to register with Pearson VUE to have NCLEX-RN (Russell, 2012). After determining the eligibility, the candidate will have an ATT and then schedule an exam. The R.N. will also need to apply for the sexual assault certification on the board site separately. The official resource website for primary nurse licensure is the New Jersey Board of Nursing, https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/nur/Pages/applications.aspx.
In New Jersey, the nurse practitioners are primary care providers whose practices include diagnosing and managing both chronic and episodic illnesses. They are allowed to prescribe drugs, interpret diagnostic tests and other treatment modalities. Nurse practitioners within New Jersey are technically independent practitioners who can diagnose and offer treatment to patients (Weaver, Cordova, Leger, and Cadmus, 2021). They are legally and ethically responsible for the care provided. In prescribing medications, the nurse practitioners have to collaborate with the physicians. The prescriptions written by the nurse practitioners have to contain information for both the collaborating physician and N.P. Other scopes of practices in New Jersey include pronouncing death, performing DOT physicals, and completing temporary work disability forms.
New Jersey has a joint protocol collaborative agreement that allows the Nurse practitioners to prescribe the medications. The collaborative agreement does not need the collaborating physician to be on-site with the nurse practitioner but communicate effectively through email or phone (Jacob, 2018). The joint protocol outlines the collaborative relationship that must be signed and maintained each year by the M.D. and N.P. Within the collaborative agreement, the nurse practitioner is allowed to prescribe controlled substances. They may also receive, request, and dispense pharmaceutical samples.
To get a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) license, one needs to hold a DEA registration for New Jersey and federal registration. After registering, apply online through the U.S. Department of Justice Website. Application for a license will depend on the type of activity intended. The collaborative agreement states that the nurse practitioner is allowed to prescribe Schedule II to V controlled substances. The nurse practitioners that are approved for controlled substance prescriptive authority must have completed an approved nursing program. The nurses are also required to complete a one-time six hours course in controlled substance prescribing and have obtained licensure from New Jersey.
The New Jersey nurse practitioner organizations have advocated for efficiency, quality care, and patient safety. Regulation via licensure has been a major milestone in facilitating quality care and public safety (Hain and Fleck, 2014). The nurses are required to advocate, promote, and protect the patient’s safety, health, and rights. The nurse practitioners organizations have participated in advancing the nursing profession through education, practices, knowledge development, and administration.
Summary
The licensure of nurse practitioners includes prosperous achievement of an approved nursing education program and NCLEX-RN exam. The application for accreditation is easy since the requirements are direct. The scope of practice for the nurse practitioners is not very different from other states since it includes interpretation of medications, diagnostic tests, and prescription of drugs. The Nurse practitioner’s independent practice is impacted by policy and regulation initiatives such as the N.P. Regulation; licensure, certification, accreditation and education, New Jersey’s Nurse Practitioner Supervision Laws, prescribing laws, and other practice laws. They are also influenced by the IOM report and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The most surprising thing is that the full practice of authority in a nurse practitioner is collecting all licensure laws and state practices that allow the N.P. to diagnose, evaluate, interpret the diagnostic tests and manage treatments. The state licensure and practice create barriers to N.P.s practicing their full extent of training and education.
References
Hain, D., & Fleck, L. (2014). Barriers to nurse practitioner practice that impact healthcare redesign. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(2).
Jacob, S. R. (2018). Nursing Licensure and Certification. Contemporary Nursing E-Book: Issues, Trends, & Management, 62.
Russell, K. A. (2012). Nurse practice acts guide and governs nursing practice. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 3(3), 36-42.
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.
