Board of Nursing & Professional Nurse Association
Regulations play a role of paramount importance in informing the standards of care within nursing practice. This field is supervised by a range of private and public bodies, the most notable of which are Boards of Nursing and professional nursing associations. In this regard, the two types of entities are often confused with regard to their functions. A Board of Nursing is a state agency that does not draft legislation but ensures that it is enforced in full. As per the rights granted by the government, each of the 59 BoNs operates either nationwide or within a respective state. They provide licensure applications and renewals to all professional nurses. Furthermore, they supervise the implementation of federal and state statutes, pursuing disciplinary actions for non-compliance. On the other hand, a professional nurse association is a private organization that grants its members significant benefits. Functioning as a union, nurse associations advocate for nurses in the public domain, helping them have their voices heard by the agencies with decision-making capacity. They are not tied to specific states, which is why there are hundreds of them.
Florida Board of Nursing
In Florida, the professional activity of nurses is regulated by the Florida Board of Nursing. By its fundamental design, the Board grants licensure applications and renewals to all local candidates. In addition, it oversees the discipline of care, punishing violations, for example, by permanent practice bans. Overall, there are 13 members of Florida’s Board, 7 of which are registered nurses with at least four years of professional experience. Next, there are 3 Licensed Practical Nurses who bring their expertise into the mix. The 3 remaining members represent the public, being consumers with zero histories of nursing practice. This organizational structure ensures the diversity of the Board as multiple voices with different backgrounds are introduced.
Membership Requirements
The Florida Board of Nursing employs a series of requirements for the candidates for its membership. In order to be eligible for membership, a candidate is required to reside in Florida permanently. The majority of the Board is comprised of professional nurses who need to have a background of at least four years of practice. Furthermore, out of seven registered nurses, “one must be an advanced practice registered nurse, one must be a nurse executive, and one must be a nurse educator member of an approved program” (Florida Board of Nursing, n.d., para. 2). These requirements apply to the professionals willing to join the Board. Should a consumer express the desire to become one of the three public members, they are to prove that they no recorded history of professional activity as a nurse.
General Nursing Regulation: Florida
The purpose of Florida’s Board of Nursing is to ensure that all practice is performed in accordance with federal and state statutes currently in effect. One of the key tenets that apply to all professional nurses of Florida without exception is the principle of patient data confidentiality. All professionals of all levels of practice are mandated to handle private patient information from the perspective of maximum confidentiality. This implies that all and any data can be disclosed only to a limited number of authorized stakeholders. Aside from the patient themselves, this range includes the members of the medical team who directly participate in the treatment process. Furthermore, access must only be granted during the procedures that are prescribed within the framework of a particular patient’s case.
General Nursing Regulation: Florida – Influence on Practice
A failure to comply with Florida’s confidentiality regulations is to be deemed a violation of the Code of Nursing that is supervised by the state’s Board. This principle has a direct influence on the practice of nursing in Florida, affecting all actors and stakeholders involved in the system. From the patients’ perspective, it is natural to worry about the safety of their data, especially in the age of electronic records. By communicating this policy on a state level, Florida’s Board confirms its commitment to informational security. This way, all medical organizations are obliged to maintain the same standards that aim to prevent any leaks of private data to unauthorized members of the public.
Advanced Practice Nursing Regulation: Florida
At the same time, Florida’s nursing statutes also implement particular regulations for the work of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. These professionals are characterized by a higher level of education, which implies that they hold stronger competencies. Therefore, they reasonably expect to be more involved in the decision-making process and treatment procedures. As Florida’s legislation dictates, APRNs are authorized to perform diagnosis, treatment, and operation procedures with relative independence. However, all of these procedures are pre-determined by a protocol that is to be signed by a licensed doctor, physician, or dentist. Moreover, the independence of the APRN is limited by the necessity of optimal supervision, which is also determined by the protocol.
Advanced Practice Nursing Regulation: Florida – Influence on Practice
In light of Florida’s stance on Advanced Practice Nursing, significant progress is observed in terms of recognizing APRN’s ability to make informed decisions. More specifically, they receive more agency in terms of their medical expertise, becoming directly involved in decision-making. This supports the value of advanced nursing education, as it illustrates how it contributes to the professional growth of nurses. Of course, there is still a degree of supervision involved, but their voices become better heard. In a way, Florida’s Board of Nursing fulfills a similar role to the mission of most professional associations. In the end, patients also benefit from a wider variety of qualified professionals, which improves the availability of care to the population.
Summary
Ultimately, nursing regulations serve to ensure that high standards of care are maintained on all levels. Boards of Nursing are granted the power to oversee this process by the federal government. They operate on both federal and statewide levels, and one of their key missions is to perform licensing. This way, they ensure that only qualified professionals who share the values of the field are given the right to perform their duties. Any violations of the local and federal statutes are punished severely, which aligns with the noble mission of the body. In turn, professional nursing associations complement the process by also advocating the rights of nurses to ensure that this relationship is on equal terms. Florida is an example of a state that adheres to the nationwide principles which translate into its local nursing regulations.
References
Florida Board of Nursing. (n.d.). Web.
Florida Nurse Practice Act.(2022). NCBI.