OH: Standards of Nursing Practice inc. Delegation, 2 contact hoursPage 3 of 12

1. The Ohio Nurse Practice Act

The Ohio Nurse Practice Act (NPA), established in 1915, sets guidelines for nurses who practice in the State of Ohio. It is codified in Chapter 4723 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). Nineteen chapters within the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) fill out the ORC with additional rules regarding nursing practice.

An amendment to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act [Chapter 4723, Ohio Revised Code (ORC)] authorizes certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and registered nurses, under specific circumstances, to determine and pronounce death. The new law, Section 4723.36, ORC, which became effective March 22, 2013, authorizes certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and registered nurses to determine and pronounce death if an individual’s respiratory and circulatory functions are not being artificially sustained, and certain other circumstances exist (Ohio BON, (2018a).

As licensed nurses take an ever-larger role in the delivery of healthcare, complaints against nurses have increased. Ohio nurses and others covered by the nurse practice act are responsible for understanding the laws and rules that govern and define their scope of practice. To determine if a procedure or activity is within a nurse’s scope of practice, see the Decision Making Model available on the BON website. The most up-to-date version of rules pertaining to scope of practice is also available on the Ohio Board of Nursing website.

In general, nurse practice acts describe:

  • Qualifications for licensure
  • Nursing titles that are allowed to be used
  • Scope of practice
  • Actions that can be taken against nurses who do not follow nursing law
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