Nursing Law

For nursing professionals, the law plays an integral part of daily practice; from privacy laws to codes of ethics to laws regarding certifications and licensure, there are legal aspects to consider in nearly every aspect of one's career. While each state has its own standards and regulations, nursing law reaches nearly every aspect of a nursing professional's career.

Some nursing laws have very practical applications: there are laws defining the fees and costs associated with the various ways one can become licensed as a nurse, laws explaining how one renews one's license, and laws detailing what fees are required when completing continuing education programs. The law can also define the standard roles and responsibilities of a nurse; this is in place to ensure existing educational requirements match the skillset required when in the field. While elements of the nursing professional's daily routine are often included in legal codes, including requirements for charting patient information, for example, the legal scope is often much broader, including the schools whose nurse education programs have, at the very least, met the standards set forth by the state.

Nursing law also commonly incorporates conduct standards to which all nursing professionals must adhere; these encompass everything from ethical requirements to standards of patient care. Nurses must not only hold themselves to a higher standard, but they must also hold one another to that same level; nursing law often requires that when one actively working nurse is suffering from untreated addictive disorders, their fellow nurses report them so treatment can be obtained and patient care upheld. Any violations of these standards of conduct can result in a nursing professional losing their license to practice their profession, with the steps to such a conclusion also clearly outlined in the legal standards.