Week 5 Discussion

Nurses are regulated by the respective nursing boards from their states. These boards have distinct rules and regulations that their nurses must abide by as they practice within their full scope of education and experience. However, each regulation has a unique impact on the extent of practice from one state to another. This discussion will compare and contrast two nursing regulations from the state of Ohio and Texas.

The first regulation relates to the prescription of medication by APRNs. In Ohio, regulation number ORC 4723.50 allows APRNs to prescribe medication when a collaborating podiatrist or physician is within an acceptable travel time from APRN's location when prescribing medication (Barton Associates, 2021). In Texas, following the implementation of regulation SB 406 in 2013, physicians have the freedom to delegate prescriptive authority to APRNs regardless of their location in Texas. The regulation eliminates the site and location restrictions (Lynda, 2019). Therefore, the Texas regulations on the prescription of medication give the nurses more room to practice within the full scope of their education and practice compared to that of Ohio which still implements the site and distance restrictions on APRNs before prescribing medication. To adhere to this regulation, Ohio's APRNs must ensure that they have a physician close by before prescribing any medication to patients.

The next regulations relate to the pronouncement of death and the signing of a death certificate. In Ohio, recent amendments to chapter 4723 of ORC authorizes APRNs to determine and pronounce death only under specific circumstances (Barton Associates, 2021). However, the provision of regulation number HB 284 still prohibits APRNs from completing any parts of the death certificate. The APRN must also adhere to the determination and pronouncement of death requirements by reporting it to an attending physician within a reasonable and not more than 24 hours after determination and pronouncement. In Texas, APRNs are also not allowed to sign any parts of the death certificate or even handicap parking permits. They may determine and pronounce death only under specific circumstances and must still report that determination and pronouncement to an attending physician within a reasonable time, usually under 24 hrs. Based on this, APRNs in Texas and Ohio still do not practice fully within their scope of education and experience.