Nursing practice: the regulatory arena.

Abstract

State nursing laws and boards of nursing significantly impact nurses, nursing education, and practice. As healthcare delivery systems continue to change, roles of boards of nursing and the value of licensure will be questioned. In this article, the purpose of nursing laws and licensure, and the mission, authority, and functions of boards of nursing are reported. A decision-making model to guide nurses in determining scope of practice matters is provided. The delegation of nursing tasks and use of unlicensed assistive persons under nurse supervision is addressed.