[Sharon]

Think about the term Scope of Practice. How would you define it?

Describe in your posting why the response “It depends” is correct for the question “Can RPNs do…?

[Katie]

To me Scope of Practice whether you are an RN or RPN comes down to do you have the knowledge, skill and judgment to provide the care. This is going to vary greatly from one nurse to the next, no only from the experience and added education we bring to the table but to the setting in which we are currently providing the care. Have we been able to maintain a competence in order to be clearly designated to preform the tasks at hand and does the policy of the institution we are working for support this. Knowing how and when to seek this information is key to protecting your license and the patients you are providing care for.

[Johanna]

This is why collaboration is so important. By communicating with our supervisors and seeking clarification when faced with new situations, it becomes an opportunity to learn from those with more education and experience. Others may have different solutions to the problem. By accessing different points of view, the team can provide the best care for the patient.

[Johanna]

Scope of Practice has to do with practice competencies such as nursing skills, as well as judgement and critical thinking . A nurse need to be aware of their ability to practice a particular skill in a particular situation, but this is alone not enough. A nurse need to be able to analyze a situation and to be able to problem solve and collaborate in order to ensure the best outcome for the patient. This is where nursing judgement, experience, and critical thinking come in.

There are many different factors that can affect a nurse’s concept of Scope of Practice, such as their education program, work experience, generational differences, and the cohort to which they belong.

For example, new RPNs are learning skills such as venipuncture and IV insertion in school, as well as the rationale and critical thinking necessary to support these skills. When I graduated in 2002, RPNs were not thought to have the ability to successfully carry out these skills. It just goes to show that with the proper training RPNs are able to provide quality care for patients.

RNs will always have an important role, with a deeper emphasis on education, rationale, best practices, and research, they are an integral part of the health care team. By both parties working at their full Scope of Practice, the best outcomes can be realized for our patients.

[Katie]

Completely agree! The role of nurses both RN and RPN are continually expanding and growing even within different sectors of the health care system. It is amazing to see what the profession has become in the 25 years I have been practicing. As an RPN the job requirements then and now have grown exponentially!

[Jeanette]

Hi Johanna,
I agree skills are not the only thing a nurse needs to do be good at to do their job. If you can’t problem solve and be a critical thinker the job just becomes harder and harder. If you don’t have the confidence to ask for help or questions when you need it you certainly won’t grow as a nurse. I have found I learn the most when I have collaborated, asked questions or worked with other to do difficult task!

[Jeanette]

I would define Scope of Practice is the ability and competency to complete nursing skills and tasks. As a nurse you must be able to problem solve and critical think with every situation you face for the best possible out come for the patient. For this reason alone every nurses scope of practice is different.

As you know the more you do something the better you get. Experience, level of education and confidence are just a few factors that effect a nurses concept of Scope of Practice.

It is very hard to Compare Scope of Practice from one nurse to another as you learn by doing and repeating the skills over your career will also build confidence. Ones experience will be different depending on where you work and the skills that one requires for that job. If you go from working as an office nurse to working on a medical floor in hospital the skills will be completely different which will change the Scope of Practice .

In any work place working to the Scope of Practice is important but it is on the nurse to make sure that they can compete the skills safely and correctly and if not seek out the appropriate help to do so.

[Maame]

Scope of Practice means to me the blueprint in which a nurse can ulitize their nursing skills and also apply critical within their work setting in which authorized to do. “It depends” in relation to the question “What can RPNs’ do? ” is the correct because even though RPNs are given a blueprint on what they can and cannot do each work setting is different. In some settings’ a nurse can ulitize her nursing skills to full capacity in other settings’ that may not be the case.

[Norma]

Great discussion all, and you are all right!
According to the CNO, scope of practice refers to a range of activities that nurses’ have the legislative authority to perform. When thinking about scope of practice and how these changes may or may not impact our individual practice, it is important to do a quick review of just what is scope of practice.

Scope of practice encompasses the procedures, actions, and processes that health care professionals undertake in keeping with their professional license/registration and/or position guide.
The goal is always to maximize the scope of practice within the context of their practice setting, profession, and position for optimal patient care and outcomes and to increase role satisfaction of the practitioner.

Full scope of practice is a term that is heard frequently but will look different for each nurse and each practice setting as we will still need to consider the individual scope of practice.

The “it depends” needs to take into consideration several things such as what organizational supports are in place, the level of care required by the patient and the skill, knowledge, and judgment of the nurse.
I always like to add that just because we have the title does not mean we have the current competencies to perform a skill or provide care in a particular setting. We saw this through COVID when nurses were deployed to units that they had never worked before. therefore I would say they were beyond their own personal scope of practice.

[Nely]

I really like the sentence “Full scope of practice is a term that is heard frequently but will look different for each nurse and each practice setting as we will still need to consider the individual scope of practice”.
In a hospital setting, generally, you have a supportive environment, especially on day shifts where there are additional leaders and mentors.
Consider a novice RN – they may be very early in developing their competence, confidence and building their capacity and carrying a full patient assignment. An experienced RPN can be on the opposite spectrum.
It’s not about the title, it’s about the big picture. The novice RN may not be able to handle a patient who’s acuity is changing and the more experienced RPN may very well be. It’s about recognition and awareness.

[Author]

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