#186: Tactical Tuesday: Use Scope of Practice as your Roadmap for Opening a Clinic
- The Nurse Practice Act outlines everything a nurse is allowed to do, depending upon their license type.
- Visit your state's Board of Nursing website to access scope of practice regulations.
- Over the last 30 years or so, there's been a big move to expand scope of practice and increase autonomy for nurses in the US.
- When it comes to owning a practice, there are several levels of physician involvement.
- Only a few states require having a physician present for direct supervision.
- Following direct supervision, the next level is physician supervision where the physician directs the work and has overview responsibilities to ensure appropriate treatment is provided.
- Next is physician collaboration which means a physician isn't required to be onsite yet he/she is available for consultation. Protocols at this level can be in a written format yet it's not required.
- Lastly, a physician isn't required to be onsite for the independent practice level and these protocols can be verbal. Independent prescribing is an area that falls into this level.
- If you need to find a collaborating physician, NPs can go to the Collaborating Docs website (see link in the Resource section).
- If regulations limit your scope of practice to a certain area, hire another NP or you can change your specialty by obtaining a post-master's graduate certificate.
- Advanced practice nurses can open a clinic in any state but your nurse practice act will determine what kind of physician supervision you may need.
- Understand the level of autonomy allowed by your state's regulations and then structure your practice so staff members remain within their scope of practice.
- Collaborating physicians are not responsible for the independent decisions of the APRNs they're supervising or working with.