Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice

What are the scope and standards of practice?

The scope and standards of practice are authoritative statements on how the professional nurse should practice. They aren’t prescriptive; they don’t state exactly how to perform specific job tasks or functions. But they do serve as a guide on how to perform those tasks and functions competently.

Providing a framework for the expectations of critical thinking and professional behavior, they are developed by nursing specialty organizations in concert with the American Nurses Association (ANA). All documents are approved by ANA and must be based on the cornerstone document ANA’s Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (2nd edition). This book sets standards of practice and professional performance for registered nurses (RNs) in all specialties, roles, and practice environments. Nursing specialty organizations then develop documents to meet the practice and performance competencies of their specific specialty. (See Scope and standards: The legal standard of care by clicking the PDF icon above.)

As a nurse administrator, I sought guidance from Nursing Administration: Specialty Scope and Standards of Practice. This book offers conceptual models that nurse administrators should study and understand so they can do their job effectively. The scope statement provides a conceptual description of the specialty—the who, what, when, why, and how. Although it doesn’t cover the clinical scope of practice, it defines the specialty nursing practice and differentiates it from other types of practice.

https://www.americannursetoday.com/scope-and-standards-of-practice-documents-guiding-you-to-leadership-success/