Health Law for Nurses Assignment PDF

Health Law for Nurses 1
Health Law for nurses.
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Health Law for Nurses 2
Introduction.
The control and regulation of any field of practice is done by the governing bodies
through laws formulated to address the various ways. These laws define the way professionals
behave and interact with one another in their line of profession. The nursing profession is one of
those fields that are tightly regulated to ensure that individuals perform their duties as per the
allowed laws and ensure that they uphold the inherent rights of patients granted by the
constitution. Laws are well stipulated in the constitution and the punitive actions that will be
imposed in case they are violated (Grace, 2017). Professional bodies are established under
provisions in the constitution. They set the codes of conducts of a particular profession. The
nurses and midwifery board of Australia is one such body regulating the nurses and midwives
(Bryce, Foley & Reeves, 2017). Ethics are important factors that define the scope of practice of a
particular field. Ethical practice is a requirement of any individual in the profession.
Scope of practice of a Registered Nurse.
The scope of practice of a Registered Nurse refers to the boundaries or the precincts
within which the nurse is allowed to practice. It defines their duties and responsibilities that are
endowed to an individual by the virtue of being recognized as a registered nurse. the scope of
practice includes provision of care to all categories of people, promotion of health, prevention of
illnesses, being a patient advocate, participating in policy development and patient education
(Black, 2016) Being recognized as a registered nurse depends on the qualification and the
responsibilities given to them.
The scope of practice is determined by the level of education, seniority in practice, time
spent in specialty and the individual competence levels (Kelly, Berragan, Husebø & Orr, 2016).

Health Law for Nurses 3
A registered nurse is considered to have acquired a bachelor’s degree in nursing and registered
by the NMBA. A recently registered nurse is expected to take responsibility and be accountable
for the care of the patient. They are accountable of making a judgement on when care is beyond
their scope and initiate a referral.
The issue of the scope of practice between the different specialties and levels of nurses is
quite vague especially on the responsibilities that are done by both (Scanlon, Cashin, Bryce,
Kelly & Buckely, 2016). For instance, the issue of care includes all levels. There are no defined
boundaries as to when a registered nurse cannot longer provide care. a registered nurse can be
involved in the collection of the patient history relevant to come up either a diagnosis. The role
of making a diagnosis is done by a general practitioner or a nurse practitioner. The nurse
practitioner can also write a prescription for a patient, whish a registered nurse cannot. If a
registered nurse attempts to make a diagnosis or writes a prescription, they will be working
beyond their scope which dangerous to a patient as they do not have the competencies to do so.
The nurse practitioner and registered nurse are both nurses but the scope of their duties is
different. Their levels of education and time of practice in the field of nursing is different. Thus
more responsibilities and a wider scope of practice for a nurse practitioner.
Impact of legislation on how to provide care.
The Work Health and Safety Act of 2011 provides for a healthy safe working
environment for employees at the work place. This act requires an employer to assess the
working condition of the employees and lay down a plan to adhere to the safety guidelines
stipulated (Hamilton, Gibberd & Harrison, 2014). It was also put in place to deal with increasing
health hazards due to changes in technology, new disease conditions and new methods of care. In
nursing practice, these legislations have brought about may changes. For instance, in terms of