Title: Explain the legalities governing the scope of practical nursing.
Course: Practical Nursing I (14052-I) > Section: Describing Legal, Ethical, and Professional Responsibilities in Clinical Practice

Explanation should include

- laws, regulations, policies, and procedures
- consideration of Nurse Practice Act, Virginia Board of Nursing, Patient's Bill of Rights, Good Samaritan Law, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), and federal agencies (e.g., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- licensure process
- professional boundaries
- implications of contract, liability, advanced directives, client chart
- legal issues related to client care
- issues of an agency's policies and procedures.

Teacher Resources:

- A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) (http:www.ncsbn.org/NCSBN_SocialMedia.pdf)
- Social Media Guidelines for Nurses, NCSBN (https://www.ncsbn.org/347.htm)

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the functions and importance of the Virginia Nurse Practice Act, Virginia Board of Nursing, Patient's Bill of Rights, and Good Samaritan Law to nurses? To clients?
- What steps are involved to practice legally as a nurse in Virginia or in another state?
- How would one demonstrate understanding of the legal implications of the nursing practice, such as contracts, liabilities, advanced directives, and charts?
- What are common litigation issues, such as the client's chart?
- How do the legal issues of assault and battery, child abuse, elder abuse, confidentiality of information, duty of care, negligence, and informed consent relate to client care?
- How are nursing tasks and procedures delegated to unlicensed persons, according to the current State Board regulation?
- What are the potential repercussions of improper use of social media in nursing?