The nursing standards

The nursing standards

The nursing standards are made through a simple process involving the establishment of the Nursing Practice Act and the development of a governing body that oversees the implementation of the Act (ANA, n.d., para. 5). The Maryland legislature with the contribution of appropriate officers enacts or revises the Nurse Practice Act. The Act contains a delineation of the legal expectations of nursing practice within the state. The purpose of the Act is to ensure nurses stay within their scope of practice in order to protect the public. The second step in the process is the establishment of the governing bodies for the Act (ANA, n.d., para. 5).

The entities required in the establishment of the standards of practice in Maryland are therefore the Nursing Practice Act and the MBON (Maryland Board of Nursing. The board is made of 14 members. 12 of those members are nurses in different nursing fields and levels of education. The two remaining members are people selected from the public and are referred to as consumers. The requirement for one to be a member is that he or she must be a US citizen residing in Maryland. The 12 nurses stay on the board for 4 years while the two citizens only serve for two years. The members are sworn in the office and can be removed by the Governor on the grounds of misconduct (Maryland Code and Court Rules, (n.d.)

The standards of practice affect the way nurses provide care. We have to consider ethics when interacting with the patients and we should not work outside our scope of practice. We must demonstrate the evidence-based practice and ensure the provision of quality care. Furthermore, we must enhance good communication with the patients and ensure collaboration with other care providers.