Nursing Practice
These are the position statements from ANA regarding Nursing Practice. Bckground information regarding each of these statements is available in the Members Only section of the site. Login required.
Professional Role Competence - 5/28/08
The public has a right to expect registered nurses to demonstrate professional competence throughout their careers. ANA believes the registered nurse is individually responsible and accountable for maintaining professional competence. The ANA further believes that it is the nursing profession’s responsibility to shape and guide any process for assuring nurse competence. Regulatory agencies define minimal standards for regulation of practice to protect the public. The employer is responsible and accountable to provide an environment conducive to competent practice. Assurance of competence is the shared responsibility of the profession, individual nurses, professional organizations, credentialing and certification entities, regulatory agencies, employers, and other key stakeholders. Background Info
Elimination of Manual Patient Handling to Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (Revised)- 3/14/08
In order to establish a safe environment of care for nurses and patients, the American Nurses Association (ANA) supports actions and policies that result in the elimination of manual patient handling. Background Info
Safety Issues Related to Tubing and Catheter Misconnections - 10/10/07
The ANA supports the inclusion of policies and processes that address tubing and catheter connections as part of the healthcare delivery system and the prevention of tubing and catheter misconnections as a National Patient Safety Goal (The Joint Commission, 2006a). The ANA also advocates collaborative investigation with nurses, manufacturers and product engineers to eliminate tubing and catheter misconnections by creating a universal design specific to the function of the tube. Background Info
Assuring Safe, High Quality Health Care in Pre-K Through 12 Educational Settings - 3/16/07
Students’ health and health needs must be addressed in schools to achieve optimum learning.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) supports a collaborative school health model which best protects the fundamental public health and educational priority our nation’s children represent. Based in part on the success of public health planning, it requires the cooperation and participation of health care professionals, teachers, school administrators and staff, students, families, and the community.
In such a model, the school nurse serves in the role of coordinator of care, information,
education, personnel and resources to take best advantage of schools’ unique position in
addressing students’ safety and health care needs. As with any professional registered nurse, the school nurse’s role also includes direct care, as well as educating and delegating health care activities to others (both healthcare and non-healthcare personnel) under various guidelines and protocols, as permitted by each state’s Nurse Practice Act.
To that end, ANA supports the assignment and daily availability of a registered school nurse for the central management and implementation of school health services at the recommended ratio of one nurse for every 750 students, with an ultimate goal of at least one nurse in every school. If the school nurse is assigned to more than one facility, the total number of students that the nurse serves should not exceed 750. Furthermore, ANA supports and recommends a modified ratio of fewer students per nurse, dependent upon the number and severity of disabilities within the student population. Background Info
Credentialing and Privileging of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses - 10/11/06
ANA supports nursing peer review in the clinical credentialing and privileging of Advance Practice Registered Nurses based on established principles that would guide the process. Background Info
ANA Response to Pew Commission Report - 12/5/96
Any effort to reform health care workforce regulation must be based on a commitment to ensuring a stronger, more effective system that places primary emphasis on protection of the health and safety of the public. ANA opposes attempts to weaken the functioning and enforcement abilities of the regulatory system. Background Info
Association of Operating Room Nurses Official Statement on RN First Assistants - 4/94
Perioperative nursing practice has historically included the role of the RN as assistant at surgery. As early as 1980, documents issued by the American College of Surgeons supported the appropriateness for qualified RNs to first assist.
AORN officially recognized this role as a component of perioperative nursing in 1983 and adopted the first Official Statement of RN First Assistants (RNFA) in 1984. Acceptance of this official statement by many state boards of nursing has supported that RNFA behaviors are recognized within the scope of nursing practice.
AORN's official statement delineates the definition, scope of practice, qualifications, educational requirements, and clinical privileges that must be met by the perioperative nurse who practices as an RNFA. AORN further recognizes the need for appropriate compensation/reimbursement to RNs who fulfill this role in providing perioperative patient care. Background Info
Nurse-Midwifery - 4/02/93
The current crisis of inadequate maternity care for the American woman, and in particular for those who are poor or live in rural communities, has contributed to the need to critically evaluate the existing health care delivery system. Nurses and the general public are concerned that the lack of access to prenatal care contributes to an alarming number of infant deaths and low birth weight infants each year. Every effort therefore, must be pursued to assure access to quality care for pregnant and postpartum women, and their newborns. In response, this position statement supports the increased development and utilization of certified nurse-midwives as care providers. Background Info
Role of the Registered Nurse in the Management of Analgesia by Catheter Techniques - 9/91
Placement of a catheter or infusion device, administration of the test-dose or initial dose of medication to determine correct catheter or infusion device placement, and establishment of analgesic dosage parameters by written order for patients who need acute or chronic pain relief or for the woman during labor should be done only by licensed professionals who are educated in the specialty of anesthesia and physicians in other specialties who have been granted clinical privileges by the institution. Background Info