NSGCB 426 Reflection 1

Sample Answer

Duties beyond the Scope of Practice

Healthcare practitioners work in diverse settings with varying work demands, approaches to patient care, and regulations. Irrespective of the work environment, nurses should understand that their practice is regulated and operate as professionally obligated. The Nursing Practice Act outlines the nurses’ roles and scope of practice in different situation based on state laws and regulations. Generally, practice regulations vary across states since some are under full practice authority while others implement restricted or reduced practice. Some circumstances may prompt doctors to assign nurses a role beyond the scope of practice. The purpose of this reflection is to discuss what a nurse should do in such circumstances.

A Nurse’s Action

Nurses respond to situations depending on their magnitude. Some situations require prompt interventions, while others can be handled slowly and cautiously. When assigned a task beyond the scope of practice, nurses should critically evaluate the circumstances under which the task was assigned and possible repercussions. In all circumstances, nurses must never attempt what they cannot do (Rimmer, 2021). In regular practice, a doctor can be too pressed by workload. Consequently, they might ask a nurse to perform a task not within the practice’s scope. Urgent tasks may also force doctors and hospital administrators to assign nurses tasks beyond their experience and professional obligation.

An effective response varies with the situation. If the nurse is certain that their state Nursing Practice Act does not allow them to handle a certain role, they should turn it down. Refusing to handle a task typifies working within the boundaries defined by nurses’ education, competence, and legal obligation (Boman et al., 2020). Sometimes, a task might be beyond the nurse’s scope of practice, but the nurse is unsure about it. Instead of taking chances, the nurse should consult their supervisor or the policy manual if there is time. In this case, they should avoid instances that can risk their job or the patient due to incompetence.

When refusing a task or consulting, nurses should always be determined to provide the best care possible to a patient. In agreement with Oldland et al. (2020), care quality could be compromised if nurses do not practice within their scope of responsibilities. Although some situations may demand instant support, caution is necessary to avoid disciplinary measures that follow practice violations. Commonly, nurses can be severely punished or their licenses revoked if they act beyond their scope of practice. Therefore, adhering to the scope of practice as outlined in the Nursing Act should be the gold standard for nurses’ professional responsibilities.

Conclusion

Nurses are trained in many specialties with varying job obligations. They might often be requested to perform tasks beyond their scope of practice. Before accepting any role, nurses must evaluate the implications of their actions on patient care and their job. As a result, they must be certain that a task does not compromise patient care or risk their job. If certain that a task is beyond the scope of practice, nurses should refuse such a task. If they are uncertain but experienced in handling a task, nurses should consult the practice policy or their supervisor.

References

• Boman, E., Levy‐Malmberg, R., & Fagerström, L. (2020). Differences and similarities in scope of practice between registered nurses and nurse specialists in emergency care an interview study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 34(2), 492-500. https //doi.org/10.1111/scs.12753
• Oldland, E., Botti, M., Hutchinson, A. M., & Redley, B. (2020). A framework of nurses’ responsibilities for quality healthcare—Exploration of content validity. Collegian, 27(2), 150-163. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.07.007
• Rimmer, A. (2021). What should I do if I’m asked to work outside of my practice? BMJ British Medical Journal (Online), 372. https //doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n586