The document discusses the Nursing Practice Act (NPA) in California. The NPA establishes the scope of practice and responsibilities for registered nurses in the state. It is administered by the state's Board of Nursing, which creates policies and regulations to govern nursing. The NPA covers areas like education standards, disciplinary actions, and the scope of nursing work. Section 2725.3 specifies tasks registered nurses can perform, such as administering medication, conducting procedures, and educating patients. It is important for nurses to understand the NPA as it defines their allowed roles and protects them if they practice according to the law. The NPA also establishes core values like promoting public health.

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Nursing Practice Act
(Author’s Name)
(Institutional Affiliation)

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Introduction
The nursing field is associated with complex practices and activities that require the
nurses to possess some specialized skills, and knowledge to enable them to make key
independent decisions regarding promoting public health. In the United States, the state
governments have over the years implemented laws and policies that aim at protecting public
health and welfare through effectively managing and regulating the nursing practice. All states in
the US have enacted a Nursing Practice Act where it is the responsibility of the states’ legislature
to facilitate this enactment. The Nursing Practice Act of each state provides for the establishment
of a Board of Nursing which should consist of professional nurses. The board, in this case, is
expected to create administrative policies and regulations that govern the activities, practices,
and behaviors of nurses in the United States. Therefore, the paper will focus on analyzing the
California Nursing Practice Act and the hospital policies and procedures governing the nurses. It
will also assess why it is important for registered nurses to understand the laws stipulated by the
Act regarding their health practices in medical institutions.
Nursing Practice Act
The California Nursing Practice Act is associated with creating the scope of work and
responsibilities of registered nurses in the state to ensure they adhere to the laws provided in the
Act. The NPA, in this case, is provided in the California Business and Professions Code where it
begins with Section 2700 (State of California, 2016). The code, on the other hand, provides
information regarding the implementation of laws and regulations governing the NPA. The
Board of Nurses in California’s NPA is actively involved in the creation of principles and
policies that regulate the state’s nursing sector. This is because the sector has over the years
experienced changes due to factors such as technological growth and the emergence of new

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diseases and illnesses. These factors indicate the need to update the nursing practices to enable
the nurses to adapt to the new changes; hence, preventing risks that could damage California’s
public health. The NPA, in this case, consists of policies governing the different nursing
practices where it provides guidelines on how the health activities should be conducted by the
registered nurses. The different areas covered by the NPA include education program standards,
authority and power of the board of nursing, disciplinary actions for the violations of the Act,
and scope and standards of the nursing field. This indicates how California’s NPA is effective in
promoting diligent nursing practices and public health.
Scope of Regulation 2725.3
Section 2725.3 of the California Nursing Practice Act indicates the scope of work
required to be administered by the registered nurses in California. It provides that the nurses
providing health services in medical institutions should be licensed and registered to ensure they
are recognized by the state’s Board of Nurses (State of California, 2016). This section also
focuses on the responsibilities of the registered nurses regarding clinical supervision where they
are required to possess some technical skills and scientific knowledge to enable them to handle
some of the practices. They include administration of medication, conducting invasive
procedures and therapy, assessing the health conditions and status of the patients, performing
laboratory tests, and educating patients and their family members regarding health challenges
and solutions.
Importance of the NPA
It is crucial for the nurses to comprehend the Nursing Practice Act since it provides
guidelines on how to perform the different nursing functions that aim at promoting public health.
The laws and policies provided by the Act have a major impact on my career since I am a

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registered nurse operating in hospitals and clinics. My actions and activities are based on the
NPA since it ensures I identify the scope of work to engage in when administering medication to
the patients. The NPA is also crucial since it protects the interests and needs of the registered
nurses since it recognizes them as licensed health providers. Therefore, the Board of Nurses may
protect nurses in cases such as lawsuits if they acted according to the regulations of the act. This
means that I should comprehend the guidelines provided under the act to identify the areas which
I am covered and protected by the law when administering health care to the patients. The NPA
is also associated with stating the core values and principles that should be effectively observed
by the nurses to ensure high morality levels are maintained in health institutions. The values are
also designed to motivate nurses to work diligently and promote public health in the state.
Conclusion
Therefore, the study provides information regarding the Nursing Practice Act in the
United States and how it regulates the nurses. Each state in the US has enacted an effective NPA
which is effectively managed by the Board of Nurses in the different states. For instance, the
California Nursing Practice Act provides laws and policies that govern the activities conducted
by nurses in California regarding medical care. The act is designed to prevent incompetent
nurses from administering medication to the patients; hence, promoting public health. For
instance, section 2725.3 of the NPA provides that nurses should be registered and licensed to
ensure they are recognized by the Board of Nurses before providing health services in hospitals
and clinics. This indicates how the act protects patients from risk or damage caused by the
incompetency of the nurses.

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References
State of California. (2016). Nursing Practice Act. Rn.ca.gov. Retrieved from
http://www.rn.ca.gov/practice/npa.shtml
State of California. (2016). Codes Display Text. Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved from
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&divisio
n=2.&title=&part=&chapter=6.&article=2.