Georgia State Nursing Practice Act
The Georgia State Nursing Practice Act addresses advanced practice and meaning "practice by a registered proffessional nurse who is liscenced by the board [and] who meets those educational, practice, certification requirements, or any combonation of [these] requirements" (Georgia State Board, 2019). Occupations that fall under the title of advanced practice include "certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists" and many more (Georgia State Board, 2019).
With so many occupations falling under the advanced practice umbrella it is important to differentiate what each title is responsible for such as the differences between registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and advanced practice nurses. The Georgia State Board's definitions for these titles vary in that an RN is described as "a person who is authorized by a license issued under this article to practice nursing," an LPN is resposible for the "care of the ill, injured, or infirm under the direction of a registered professional nurse [or] a physician," and an advanced practice registered nurse is "recognized by the board as having met the requirements established by the board as having met the requirements established by the board to engage in advanced nursing practice, and who holds a master's degree" (Georgia State Board, 2019).
Despite the varying titles and responsibilities of these professionals, they are still found in the same hospitals and under the same management so it is vital for the nurse manager to understand these distinctions because it allows for effective delegation of tasks, ensures patient saftey and proper care, and helps to facilitate collaboration by assigning responsibilities based on each individual's skill set and scop of practice. All roles and deligations ultimately lead to better patient outcomes and a smoother functioning unit.
References
Georgia secretary of State. (2019, July). OCGA § 43-26 nurse practice act - Georgia secretary of State. Georgia Nursing Board. https://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms/38%20Reference%20-%20Nurse%20Practice%20Act.pdf
Some examples of "never events" include surgeries performed on the wrong body part, patient suicide while being cared for in a health care facility, and medication errors. The one thing that all of these events have in common is that they are all preventable. These events have an impact on patients, patient's family members, and the staff. Patient's who have surgery on the wrong body part can have complications such as bleeding, infection, tissue and organ dames, and even death. Families may be impacted by the death of a loved one due to a preventable error, and staff may be impacted by the thoughts of what they could have done differently. There are many proticals in place to prevent these events and it is important as future nurses that we know those proticals.