Nursing

Respond of the ways listed below.

Share an insight from having viewed your colleagues’ posts.
Suggest additional actions or perspectives.
Share insights after comparing state processes, roles, and limitations.
Suggest a way to advocate for the profession.
Share resources with those who are in your state.

ANSWER

Certification and Licensure Response

Certification and licensure ate two commonly misunderstood terms in any profession. Certification is voluntary, and the loss of accreditation or the lack of one does not limit a person from practicing their profession. On the other hand, Licensure is granted by the State and contains the legal authority to practice a profession within a particular scope of practice. Licensure is required for one to call themselves a licensed professional. Majority of States in the U.S. require a person to meet a certain standard of practice to acquire licensure as a nurse or clinical supervisor. Working as an N.P. in the U.S. requires licensure, which means that a person must meet the standards pit in place and pass the licensing exam (American Nurses Association). All the 50 States share the same standard for passing the exam, which is graded as either a pass or fail.

Almost half of the U.S. belongs to the nurse licensure compact. This means that it is easier for a nurse to practice in multiple States either through telenursing or being physically present. The N.P., however, holds one compact license at a time. In case of a change of primary residence, they have to transfer their license. In New Jersey, the N.Ps and LPNs are licensed by the board of nursing as Advanced Practice Nurses. The board in New Jersey is responsible for accrediting nursing programs within the State. Any program that achieves less than 75% pass rate repeatedly is reduced to conditional approval and is at the risk of losing accreditation (NursingLicensure.org, 2021). New Jersey is not a member of the nurse licensure compact. The total number of N.Ps is 9,799 in New Jersey. This is a small number compared to California, which has 27,000 licensed N.Ps. California, like New Jersey, is also not a nursing licensure compact State. Nurse practitioners practicing in New Jersey are independent providers, which means they can see and treat a patient without the oversight of a physician. However, their prescribing laws are a bit different from the ones in California because they must collaborate with a physician before prescribing any medication. The physician does not have to be physically available, but they have to communicate through phone or email.

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. State Practice Environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment

American Nurses Association. Certification and Licensure. https://www.nursingworld.org/

NursingLicensure.org. (2021). The R.N. Licensing Process. https://www.nursinglicensure.org/articles/rn-licensing/