Week 10 Assignment 2: State And National Networking
Week 10 Assignment 2: State And National Networking
Instructions
Using the IPP document you started in Week 1 and added to in Weeks 5 and 6, please add the following information:
Identify one state and one national professional organization in the area in which you will reside/ practice that will provide you with professional networking opportunities.
Please identify the organizations, their purpose, membership fees, and the resources they provide. Professional organizations include Nurse Practitioner Associations or specialty organizations such as Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH). Please summarize this information; do not cut and paste to your IPPD assignment.
Refer to the Nurse Practitioner Association (https://www.massnurses.org/) for details on Nurse Practitioner Association websites. Week 10 Assignment 2: State And National Networking
Individual Professional Practice Document: Prescriptive Authority
APRNs must comply with several regulations before they are allowed to practice in a state. Firstly, a regulatory stipulation guiding the practice indicates that the professionals should apply for prescriptive authority. The prescriptive authority’s objective is to guide them on the approaches they should follow while prescribing medications and notify them of the limitations they should consider during the process (American Medical Association, n. d.). Secondly, some states also require them to obtain DEA licensure to guide them in effectively prescribing controlled substances. Therefore, as an APRN planning to practice in Massachusetts, I will be required to research and determine its perceptions regarding these two stipulations.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM FREE PAPER NOW
Prescriptive Requirements in the State of Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a well-defined protocol that APRNs should follow when applying for prescriptive authority. Firstly, the advanced practice professionals, except CNSs, who the state denies prescriptive authority, should work in a supervised environment for a mandatory period of two years (American Medical Association, n. d.). Another group of APRNs in the state who are exempted from seeking prescriptive authority are the certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). The MD collaborative practice requires APRNs to be guided by a professional like a physician when performing clinical roles such as prescribing medications.
Another significant step that APRNs must follow while seeking prescriptive authority in Massachusetts is acquiring the additional educational requirements needed for APRNs to become prescribers. The areas where the professionals should develop distinctive competencies include managing pain effectively and deducing predisposition to abusive and addictive trends while taking opioid medicines (American Medical Association, n. d.). Subsequently, the professionals should also have adequate knowledge needed to educate patients on significant aspects such as the adverse effects they may encounter while using prescription medication, the possibility of their developing dependence and how the medicines should be stored effectively. Further, APRNs also need to be well informed about the dosages of medications that increase the risk of patients developing dependence on them and the antagonists used to prevent overdose. Week 10 Assignment 2: State And National Networking
There are restrictions specific restrictions instigated in Massachusetts that APRNs should comply with. According to the limits, when the professionals prescribe schedule II drugs, they should indicate the name of the supervising physicians on the medication form, and the medical doctor should review the patient’s chart within four days (Phoenix & Chapman, 2020). Subsequently, the restrictions prevent NP from prescribing some medications for themselves, including schedule II, III and IV. Further, the professionals are not allowed to write prescriptions for drugs belonging to schedule II to people close to them, such as the members of their families.
Massachusetts utilizes a statewide program to minimize overprescribing known as PMP. APRNs seeking prescriptive authority must register for the program, which is an electronic-based program that contains access to prescription data from different entities, including local community hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. The information they access through the platform allows them to learn significant aspects about prescribing, such as safe prescribing methods and instances when prescription medications are abused or misused (Phoenix & Chapman, 2020). Examining the data equips APRNs with the skills they need to prescribe medications competently in a clinical setting.
DEA Licensure in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires APRNs to acquire DEA licensure to prescribe medications that are classified as controlled drugs. According to the acclaimed Massachusetts laws, all individuals who handle controlled drugs, including manufacturers, distributors, prescribers and dispensers of the substances, should be duly licensed before they are allowed to perform these critical roles (United States Drug Enforcement Authority, n. d.). The controlled drugs in this context are those that belong to schedules II, III, IV and V. Therefore, APRNs should obtain the licensure because they are tasked with prescribing the medications.
The requirements needed for APRNs to obtain DEA licensure include being duly registered by the Massachusetts Board of Nursing. Before applying for the license, the professional should have successfully sat for a board exam and received a license to practice. Next, they should have a social security number and state license information while applying for the licensure (United States Drug Enforcement Authority, n. d.). Subsequently, they should identify the medications they would like to prescribe that align with the scope of practice for APRNs in Massachusetts. According to the state laws, the professionals can prescribe drugs belonging to schedules II, III, IV and V. After that, APRNs must pay the stipulated amount of money required to obtain a DEA number.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM FREE PAPER NOW
Massachusetts has specific regulations that govern the APRNs licensing to practice. According to the rules, the NPs must collaborate with medical doctors while prescribing medications under the schedule II category, such as methadone and fentanyl. These medications require careful administration because of their susceptibility to causing dependence in patients (United States Drug Enforcement Authority, n. d.). When prescribing the medicines, the professionals should indicate in the prescription form the name of the physician under whose supervision they are working. Additionally, the supervising medical expert should review patients’ charts following three consecutive prescriptions of the medication.
Massachusetts has also instigated some ground rules that guide NPs when prescribing controlled drugs, which have the potential of causing addictions and dependence. Firstly, the state’s laws forbid the professionals from prescribing the medications belonging to schedule II for themselves (United States Drug Enforcement Authority, n. d.). Subsequently, the regulations indicate that the professionals should also refrain from prescribing the medications to individuals with whom they have a close relationship, such as family members. The purpose of these rules is to ensure that controlled drugs are prescribed if and when necessary (Phoenix & Chapman, 2020). It prevents incidences of overuse or misuse of the substances such as opioids and their derivatives and naloxone that are high-risk medications because of their possibility of causing dependence. Week 10 Assignment 2: State And National Networking
Conclusion
APRNs perform advanced roles in the healthcare organization, including prescribing various medications that have different impacts on the body of ailing individuals. Therefore, their activities should be adequately controlled to ensure that they follow appropriate protocols while performing their roles in the clinical setting to elicit positive outcomes in the treatment process. One of their pertinent roles is prescribing various medications, including controlled drugs. To perform this role effectively, it is necessary to get prescriptive authority from the state boards that gives guidelines and restrictions on prescribing medications. Subsequently, it is essential to obtain DEA licensure that permits NPs to prescribe controlled substances while guiding them on principles to use while writing prescriptions. Moreover, it gives the limitations needed to ensure that the high-risk medications are not misused.
References
American Medical Association. (n. d.). State Law Chart: Nurse Practitioner Prescription Authority. Advocacy Resource Center. Retrieved from https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/specialty%20group/arc/ama-chart-np-prescriptive-authority.pdf
United States Drug Enforcement Authority (n. d.). The Controlled Substances Act. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/csa
Phoenix, B. J., & Chapman, S. A. (2020). Effect of state regulatory environments on advanced psychiatric nursing practice. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 34(5), 370-376.
