NCSBN Model Rules

The NCSBN Model Act and Rules:

• Promote a common understanding of what constitutes the practice of nursing
• Provide a comprehensive framework for boards of nursing to view regulatory issues and needs
• Identify essential components of legislation
• Inspire new ideas, new approaches and suggestions for future regulatory goals

The 2017 NCSBN Environmental Scan represents a systematic and continuous effort to search for information about how nursing is evolving, and what that means for the future of nursing regulation. A variety of sources have been used to compile this document. Of course, this publication represents a mere snapshot in time of the world around us - both inside and outside of nursing regulation. It was distributed as a supplement to the Journal of Nursing Regulation in January 2017.

The Tri-Regulator Collaborative is urging that steps be taken by all stakeholders to bring uniformity and interoperability to EHRs across all practice settings.

NCSBN’s 2015-16 Nursing Education Trends Committee was charged by the Board of Directors to explore and identify trends and issues in the regulatory oversight of nursing education programs. This report summarizes the committee findings and includes the literature review that was developed as a foundation for this work.

A Comparison of Selected Military Health Care Occupation Curricula with a Standard Licensed Practical/Vocational Curriculum. 

The nursing shortage has led to an influx of nurses educated outside of the United States. The Resource Manual for Licensure of International Nurses was developed as a user-friendly resource for boards of nursing.

Background and literature review on the regulation of prelicensure distance education programs; regulatory issues; recommendations for BONs; visual model and timeline for adopting the recommendations.

Regulatory Implications and Recommendations for Distance Education in Prelicensure Nursing Programs." Description: This article provides the background and related literature findings for the recommendations that NCSBN's Distance Learning Education Committee made for prelicensure nursing programs. These recommendations were adopted at NCSBN's 2014 annual meeting. Further, regulator and educator issues are explored. Five regulatory guidelines are explained, and a timeline for BONs meeting these recommendations is described. Citation: Lower, B. & Spector, N. (2014). Regulatory implications and recommendations for distance education in prelicensure nursing programs. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 5(3), 24-33.

In the 1990s the increasing use of telecommunication technology to provide nursing services raised the question whether nursing services delivered through broadband and electronic channels constituted the practice of nursing. NCSBN recognizes nursing practice provided through broadband and electronic channels as the practice of nursing and thus asserts that the regulation of telehealth nursing is appropriately done by boards of nursing.

Tri-Regulator Collaborative express its support for interprofessional collaboration and a team-based approach to patient care.

The Tri-Regulator Collaborative affirms that in a consumer protection model, health care practice occurs where the recipient of health care services is located.

The NCSBN Model Act and Rules are exemplary legislation that can be adopted by a BON. The current Model Act & Rules were developed by a NCSBN committee, approved by the Delegate Assembly in 2012 and updated in 2014.

Changes in Healthcare Professions’ Scope of Practice: Legislative Considerations is a result of a collaborative effort in 2006 by representatives from six healthcare regulatory organizations. It has been developed to assist legislators and regulatory bodies in making policy decisions related to healthcare professions’ scopes of practice.

This is Part II of the Nursing Education Committee document, which contains strategies for moving forward on the future of approval of BONs. As part of this work, the committee members hosted a World Cafe' meeting, where the participants dialogued about the alignment of approval, education and accreditation. See the monograph that resulted from that World Cafe' meeting.

NCSBN's Disciplinary Resources Committee studied the increasing use and misuse of social media in health care.

NCSBN's Nursing Education Committee wrote a report on the first year of their work in analyzing and making recommendations for the future of approval by Boards of Nursing. This report was approved in May 2011, by NCSBN's Board of Directors.

Uniform Licensure Requirements (ULRs) are the essential prerequisites for initial, endorsement, renewal and reinstatement licensure needed across every NCSBN jurisdiction to ensure the safe and competent practice of nursing. ULRs protect the public by setting consistent standards and promoting a health care system that is fluid and accessible by removing barriers to care and maximizing portability for nurses. They also assure the consumer that a nurse in one state has met the requirements of the nurses in every other state. ULRs support the fact that the expectations for the education of a nurse and the responsibilities of a nurse are the same throughout every NCSBN member board jurisdiction in the United States.

The development, administration and future direction of the NCLEX examinations is guided by the core values of NCSBN, which include collaboration, excellence, innovation, integrity and transparency in advancing regulatory excellence worldwide. This article is intended to provide information about the development and administration of the NCLEX examination as it relates to the cores values of NCSBN.

Explains the methodology used to assess the readbility of the NNAAP Examination.

Position statement on the advancement of Nursing Education. NCSBN's Board of Directors endorses continued learning at all levels of nursing and supports the Tri-Council consensus policy on the advancement of Nursing Education.

This report of the Innovations in Education Regulation Committee details the history of the committee and presents the definitions and recommendations; a synopsis of the literature; a full report from the collaborative call held with education leaders; and a discussion of the influences that affect innovations, particularly regulatory influences.

A summary of the results of a non-experimental survey to investigate the effects of medication aides/assistants (med aides) on job losses in long-term care settings.

This report is a companion to the Transition to Practice Report. This is a comprehensive report of all the evidence identified by the Transition to Practice Committee that is relevant to a regulatory transition model. This report was adopted by the May, 2008 NCSBN Board of Directors.

This paper compares the European Tuning model of nursing education with : AACN's Baccalaureate Essentials; NCLEX Activity Statements; NLN Associate Degree Competencies, and the QSEN Competencies.

Gain a better understanding of the requirements for adopting the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation.

This report is a companion to the Transition Evidence Grid. The report synthesizes all the evidence on transitioning new nurses to practice. It illustrates the importance of formal transition programs in protecting the public, and it provides the data that support the components of the Transition Regulatory Model. This report was adopted by the May, 2008 NCSBN Board of Directors.

NCSBN surveyed Boards of Nursing to see which jurisdictions have core curricula, and these are outlined in this document. This document also contains a list of nursing program definitions by the education consultants of Boards of Nursing (such as one-plus-one, PN Exit, generalist, etc) because the terminology has become confusing.

The Medication Assistant Curriculum was adopted by the 2007 Delegate Assembly for those boards that regulate medication assistants. The curriculum includes a preamble that explains the use of the curriculum, the background of its development, recommended hours of training and admission requirements, and defines the terms being used. The curriculum itself includes 5 didactic modules in medication fundamentals, safety, communication and documentation, medication administration, and ethical legal, along with a clinical practicum module.

Document for assessing whether students have mastered the major areas of content. Each module contains recommended didactic and skills hours, as well as objectives, a content outline, evaluation criteria, and suggested references.

Nursing regulation exists to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public in their receipt of nursing services–and much more. The complete scope of the guiding principles of nursing regulation are found in this paper.

This report was written after 4 years of work identifying evidence-based nursing education strategies that are essential for preparing new nurses for safe entry-level practice. These recommendations are based on a systematic review of outcomes research in nursing education, as well as NCSBN's own education studies. Adopted August, 2006.

This paper critically reviews the available research on methodologies used to educate nurses, particularly looking at those studies that identify outcomes. Specified criteria were used for selecting the studies, and each study was reviewed with regard to: sample, comparison studied, procedures, key results, strengths and weaknesses, and implications for boards of nursing. Adopted August, 2005.

This paper was written after NCSBN brought in a focus group of LPN/VN experts from around the country. The paper reviews the rich discussion that took place at the focus group, presents internal and external research findings of the PN scope of practice, and reviews surveys that were sent to boards of nursing and external PN groups. The paper makes six recommendations. Adopted August, 2005.

The paper builds upon historical and conceptual NCSBN papers on delegation by reaffirming the delegation decision-making process while adapting it to the realities of the current nursing workplace. It discusses issues impacting the preparation of nurses to delegate as well as the use of delegation in the management of nursing care.

Increasingly licensing boards are being challenged to provide assurance to the public that licensees meet minimum levels of competence throughout their careers, not only at the time of entry and initial licensure. This paper explores environmental factors and analysis of issues regarding continued competence in nursing.

This position paper identifies premises and defines relevant terms. There is a review of selected nursing education research and articles, and the committee members who wrote this paper consulted with simulation experts and participated in actual simulation. Input was sought from the boards of nursing and stakeholders. Five recommendations were made. Adopted August, 2005

This paper reviews the history of approval/accreditation in the U.S. as well as the international view of the regulation of nursing programs. The six models used by the U.S. boards of nursing to approve/accredit nursing programs are identified, recommendations are made, and future trends are identified. Adopted August, 2004