State Regulations for Aprn Prescribers

Question :

It has to have a proper running head and heading. Main heading should be differnt than the running head. Running Head-Rules and regulations of medication prescription. The page number needs to start from the introduction page. Prescription Regulations for APRN's in Texas as a heading. Or if you have something better you can add it

Answer :

Introduction

APRN stands for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse that refers to a nurse with a master's or post master's degree in nursing. The state board of nursing provides the license to APRNs to deliver patient care within their roles and responsibilities. APRNs have been defined by the International Council of Nurses as a registered nurse with complex decision-making, expert knowledge, as well as clinical competencies essential for expanded nursing practices (Hanks et al., 2018). This paper focuses on reviewing state regulation for APRN prescribers in Texas. The paper includes the agency that regulates or oversees APRN prescribing in Texas. This paper also summarizes educational requirements for prescribing as an APRN along with the differences in regulations between Texas and Delaware. The actions that are required to prescribe in Texas have also been outlined. Controlled substances regulations in Texas, as well as the process for obtaining DEA registration, have been briefly described.

Agency regulating APRN prescribing in Texas

The Texas Board of Nursing regulates APRN prescribing in Texas. The Board of Nursing identifies advanced nursing practice as the dynamic that evolves through experience, evidence-based practice, acquisition of knowledge, changes in the system of healthcare delivery services, as well as technology development. The Texas Board of Nursing focuses on promoting as well as protecting the welfare of the people of Texas. In order to do this, the board ensures that every individual licensed as a nurse is skilled as well as competent to practice safely (Hull-Grommesh et al., 2018). The Texas Legislature has empowered the Texas Board of Nursing to regulate the practice of professional, vocational, as well as advanced practice nursing. However, the Texas Board of Nursing cannot draft legislation. It also cannot support or oppose bills proposed during a legislative session. Mainly, the Texas Board of Nursing monitors and ensures safe nursing practices but changes or amendments in the law of nursing is in the hand of the legislature.  

The educational requirement for prescribing as an APRN

The individual should have completed an advanced practice nursing educational program that should be accredited by an organization that the Texas Board of Nursing has been recognized. The educational requirement for prescribing as an APRN is different for individuals who have completed their program on or before January 1, 1998, and on or after January 1, 1998. The individuals who have completed their program on or after January 1, 1998, should have completed dedicated courses in the following subject areas.

The individual should have completed an advanced physical assessment that includes a clinical component for prescribing as an APRN. Apart from the physical assessment course, Pathophysiology, APRN Role Preparation, and Pharmacotherapeutics are necessary for prescribing as an APRN. The individual should also have completed a minimum of 400 hours of practice in an advanced practice role as well as a population focus area within 24 months. It is also necessary to complete a minimum of 20 contact hours of continuing nursing education within 24 calendar months (Hull-Grommesh et al., 2018). Apart from this, if an individual has completed his/her nursing education program on or after January 1, 2003, he/she must have completed a minimum of 500 hours of non-duplicated clinical hours. It should be completed in every advanced practice role as well as a population focus area.

Differences in regulation between Texas and Delaware

The applicants prescribing APRNs are required to provide an affidavit of prescription as per the regulation of Texas. The applicants can also provide a letter of authentication from the receptor as an alternative to the affidavit. The regulation of Texas also asks the applicants to complete a minimum of 400 hours of work experience in a similar field. The applicants should have at least 400 hours of work experience in prescribing life-threatening drugs in the last two years. On the other hand, the applicants are needed to provide proof of a minimum of 30 hours of advanced pharmacology in the previous two years by the law of Delaware (Bazzell et al., 2018). The applicants are needed to provide proof of a minimum of 30 hours of advanced pharmacology if they have completed the APN program two years earlier to the application. And they do not possess prescriptive authority. 

There is a significant difference between the regulation of Texas and Delaware. The law of Texas requires at least 400 hours of work experience in a similar field while the law of Delaware requires at least 30 hours of advanced pharmacology. Apart from this, the governing body is also different in both states. It has also been found that nurses are fighting for full practice authority in Texas because the governing body has imposed restrictions on nursing practices whereas such types of issues are not found in Delaware.

Outline of the actions required to prescribe in Texas

It is necessary for the applicants to answer the second question ‘yes’ on the application for Licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. It means the applicant is agreeing to be an APRN and hence applying for the same. In the second step, the applicants are required to provide a transcript (official transcript) for the APRN program. It helps in showing that the applicants have successfully completed the course or academic course that was mentioned earlier (Willson & Throckmorton, 2017). After that, the applicants are required to use an If and then the table in order to make a decision indicating whether they should submit the detail of the continuing relevance to pharmacotherapeutics and advanced pharmacology.

Controlled substance regulations and the process for obtaining DEA registration

In the state of Texas, the regulation for controlled substance includes various activities such as prescription, labeling, security, inventory, keeping records, loss or theft, disposal, etc. These activities help in guiding the practitioners to safely handle the controlled substance (Ferries et al., 2017). The lawmakers have passed a bill that will limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain. The new law will limit it to a 10-day supply. 

In order to obtain DEA registration, the applicants must submit a complete, notarized, as well as signed application for the same. The processing fee is compulsory and hence they should pay the processing fee. The processing fee is not refundable. It is also necessary to submit a social security number but in case if the applicant does not possess it, he/she must submit a request to be exempted from such requirement (Kaftarian et al., 2019). After all, the applicant is needed to participate in a course training program in order to learn about the regulation and programs that are relevant for prescription as well as the distribution of the controlled substance.

Conclusion

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse is a registered nurse who has a master's degree or post master's degree in nursing. In order to practice advanced nursing practices, the practitioners are required to obtain a license from the Texas board o nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing governs APRN. It functions under the governor of Texas that is law formulating body. Texas board of nursing monitors and ensure safe nursing practices across the state. 

References

Bazzell, A. F., Jones, T., Dains, J. E., & Champion, J. D. (2018). Assessing the needs of oncology APRN preceptors. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 14(4), 296-301.

Ferries, E. A., Gilson, A. M., Aparasu, R. R., Chen, H., Johnson, M. L., & Fleming, M. L. (2017). The prevalence of and factors associated with receiving concurrent controlled substance prescriptions. Substance use & misuse, 52(12), 1639-1645.

Hanks, R. G., Starnes‐Ott, K., & Stafford, L. (2018, January). Patient advocacy at the APRN level: a direction for the future. In Nursing forum (Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 5-11).

Hull-Grommesh, L., Hanks, R. G., Luke, S. A., Gaines, C. G., Wilder, M., Edwards, C., & Loudd, C. (2018). Journal of Professional Nursing The Texas Gulf Coast Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration: Collaboration in Action.

Hull-Grommesh, L., Hanks, R. G., Luke, S. A., Gaines, C. G., Wilder, M., Edwards, C., & Loudd, C. (2018). The Texas Gulf Coast graduate nurse education demonstration: Collaboration in action. Journal of Professional Nursing, 34(4), 308-313.

Kaftarian, E. L., Caudill, R. L., Kim, T., Lingam, H., Antoniotti, N., Rabinowitz, T., ... & Wright, S. (2019). Online Prescribing of Controlled Substances for Mental Health Issues: a View of the Current Landscape. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 4(3), 285-296.

Willson, P., & Throckmorton, T. A. (2017). Advance Practice Nursing (APN) Students Use of Standardized Testing.