Widely respected for its healthcare system, the state of Oregon is proud to offer top-notch medical care to residents and visitors alike. The state boasts nearly 67,000 registered nurses whose work is crucial to its success and reputation. For their part, nurses count on the Oregon Nurse Practice Act for the guidance they need to excel.
In fact, violating the Oregon Nurse Practice Act can lead to serious long-term consequences for the offenders. Whether you need to defend yourself against false accusations or minimize any sanctions imposed on you, contact the Lento Law Firm at 888.535.3686 or fill out this contact form to find out how they can help you.
What is the Oregon Nurse Practice Act?
Often called the ONPA for short, the Oregon Nurse Practice Act was established in 1907 by the Oregon State Association of Trained Nurses, the ancestor of the Oregon Nurses Association. Though it has undergone several amendments since then, it remains a thorough and authoritative guide to the rules, regulations, and policies of nursing in Oregon.
Whenever someone files a complaint or report against a nurse, their actions are reviewed in the context of the Oregon Nurse Practice Act. In other words, this act is the first and last word, not only on how nursing should be standardized throughout the state but also on what counts as a violation and what the Oregon State Board of Nursing (or OSBN) can or should do about it.
Authorized Acts
Nurses have the training and responsibility to perform many types of tasks. A crucial aspect of the job is understanding what those tasks are. Read on for a list of what Oregon nurses are authorized to do under the Oregon Nurse Practice Act.
Evaluating and Diagnosing Conditions
Patients often see nurses to check on their overall health. Sometimes, however, they're experiencing an ailment that they want to understand and treat.
After evaluating a patient's physical status and medical history, a nurse can provide a diagnosis and suggest a solution, sometimes with additional counsel from a doctor. Each time the patient visits for a follow-up, the nurse will reevaluate and adjust the diagnosis and treatments as necessary.
Writing Prescriptions
Some injuries and conditions are most manageable or improvable with prescribed medicines or medical devices. Since prescriptions must often be individualized to work optimally, patients need to get them from experts.
Nurses fit that description. They can not only determine which treatments are best, but they can write prescriptions to help their patients access them. They can also update prescriptions as their patients' needs change.
Administering Medications and Treatments
Patients who require long-term care or complex treatments may need assistance taking medication or using specialized devices. Since the wrong amounts, methods, or machines could be harmful, they require training that nurses receive.
That's why it's a nurse's job to administer the right medications and treatments at the right times. It's also a great opportunity for the nurses to check how well the treatments are working and make any necessary adjustments.
Caring for Patients
Great healthcare goes beyond drugs and medical procedures. It involves making sure that patients are as comfortable, clean, and informed as possible. The key to that is keeping up with routine but essential tasks, such as changing bedsheets, helping with hygiene, assisting with bathroom trips, sanitizing rooms, answering medical questions, and more.
These tasks often fall to nurses. Although nurses of every type and level can and do perform them, many registered nurses will delegate them to licensed practical or certified assistant nurses.
Supporting Doctors and Physicians
The Oregon Nurse Practice Act states that nurses are under obligation to follow the instructions of the doctors and physicians to whom they report directly. Although nurses can and should offer input on how to help patients, they ultimately must comply with what their supervisors choose to do.
As part of their obligation, nurses often decide how to execute the instructions that they're given. This could include delegating some tasks to other nurses and healthcare staff and supervising their work. It also means that registered nurses are liable for any serious mistakes committed by the other nurses and staff to whom they delegate.
Supervising Students, Interns, and Assistants
Reading every nursing book in the world isn't enough to make someone a great nurse. For that, students and interns need additional hands-on learning under the guidance and supervision of nurses, as stipulated by the Oregon Nurse Practice Act.
Nursing assistants must work as direct reports to registered nurses as well. After all, their job is to complete any tasks that don't require advanced medical training but help registered nurses work more efficiently.
Reporting Violations
It's often a virtue to mind one's own business or to live and let live, but that's not always true in the medical field.
Per the Oregon Nurse Practice Act, nurses who notice other nurses violating anything within it are obligated to report it to a supervisor and/or the Oregon State Board of Nursing. Their loyalty should be to the board and patients before their colleagues. It helps promote a safe, healthy, and productive environment for patients and healthcare staff alike.
Considering the importance of HIPAA, nurses must also immediately report any suspicions they may have about breaches in patient or provider data. Otherwise, the Oregon Board of Nursing may consider them at fault for allowing harm to befall those affected.
Prohibited Acts
There's plenty that nurses can and must do to fulfill their duties. However, what about the things that they should reject or avoid? Understanding what the Oregon Nurse Practice Act prohibits is just as important as knowing what it demands.
Committing Fraud
Nursing requires a rigorous education that ends with obtaining a license granted by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. Anyone who presents themselves as a nurse without having earned the proper qualifications is guilty of fraud. The same is true of legitimate nurses who lead others to believe that they hold an even more specialized position.
Acting Beyond Scope
As listed previously, nurses have numerous skills and responsibilities, but there are some actions within the medical field that they are not qualified to do. If they perform any of those actions anyway, they risk harming patients and opening themselves up to investigations and possible sanctions.
Abusing Authority
On the other hand, nurses must also respect the authority and qualifications they do have. If they purposely prescribe unnecessary drugs, diagnose the wrong conditions, exert undue influence on their patients, or abuse their authority in any other way, they are violating the Oregon Nurse Practice Act.
Breaching Confidentiality
HIPAA is one of the cornerstones of the medical field. Patients trust nurses not only with their health but with their privacy.
As mentioned previously, the Oregon Nurse Practice Act takes HIPAA seriously. Data breaches can happen for many reasons, but nurses who carelessly or deliberately compromise a patient's personal and sensitive information may be accused of violating confidentiality laws. Again, they can also be held partially responsible for any damage done by breaches if they suspected or knew about it but never reported it.
Scopes of Practice
Although nursing itself is already requires specific training, there are additional specializations in which nurses can choose to develop their careers. The following are the different types of nurses that Oregon employs and what their scope of practice is.
Registered Nurse
A registered nurse (or RN) is authorized to handle all the responsibilities described in the Oregon Nurse Practice Act. They can apply those responsibilities to a variety of fields, such as pediatrics, oncology, cardiology, gynecology, emergency medicine, and of course, general medicine, among others.
Registered Nurse First Assistant
Working primarily with surgeons and other medical professionals who perform invasive procedures, registered nurse first assistants (or RNFAs) must earn additional certification after becoming registered nurses. They prepare patients and tools for surgery, assist with the surgeries themselves, and provide medicine and life-saving treatments when necessary.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
As a type of advanced practice registered nurse, clinical nurse specialists have additional responsibilities. For example, they often analyze patient data, create healthcare plans, promote education, and influence developments in nursing policies and practices.
Nurse Practitioner
In Oregon, nurse practitioners have almost the same authority and responsibilities as doctors and physicians. They can order and interpret diagnostic tests, research medical and health issues, offer health education and counseling. Some of them opt for independent employment as health consultants.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Anesthesia is essential for many surgeries and other procedures. It can be helpful for pain management and overall comfort, too. However, it takes special training to know which drugs to use and what amount a patient should have. That's what a certified registered nurse anesthetist does, often in collaboration with doctors and surgeons.
Circulating Nurse
Another important nurse to have in an operating room is a circulating nurse. They handle many of the small but vital details for surgery, such as sterilization, tool selection, equipment functionality, specimen collection and labeling, and post-op cleaning. The patient's overall wellness and comfort is their responsibility as well.
Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed practical nurses (or LPNs) play supportive roles for both patients and the registered nurses who direct and delegate to them. They may perform a variety of routine tasks, such as checking vital signs, updating patient charts, drawing blood, changing bandages, and administering medications. Their input can often be valuable for individual patient healthcare plans, too.
Certified Nursing Assistant/Aide
Although there is some overlap between the responsibilities of a certified nursing assistant or aide (also known as a CNA) and a licensed practical nurse, CNAs cover more basic but essential tasks. For example, they may clean the rooms of long-term patients and assist with feeding, bathing, and grooming.
Nurse Intern
The Oregon Nurse Practice Act covers nurse interns as well. Nursing students who need an internship to gain experience and school credit must do so under the supervision of a registered nurse. They usually focus on tasks related to the class they're taking and/or the medical field in which they hope to specialize; either way, they typically receive compensation as well. Most nursing interns must get licenses specifically for the internship.
Why You Should Contact the Lento Law Firm
As vital as the Oregon Nurse Practice Act is for organizing the field of nursing, violating it can hinder or even destroy a career. You deserve the reassurance of knowing that your license is safe from mistakes, rough periods, and misunderstandings.
Luckily, the Lento Law Firm is passionate about helping nurses like you. With an extensive knowledge of healthcare law and a firm belief in balancing justice with hope, the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team is eager to protect you and your Oregon nursing license from suspension, revocation, and other sanctions.
Enlist the Lento Law Firm to Protect You
Although the Oregon Nurse Practice Act is vital for promoting and enabling the highest quality in healthcare, it can also be an obstacle standing between you and a shining career. You can change that by going to the Lento Law Firm to ask about your compliance and any other issues related to the act. They can also represent you in any cases filed against you. Find out more today by contacting the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or filling out a contact form.
