Nursing Practice Act

Excerpt

Every state and territory in the US set laws to govern the practice of nursing. These laws are defined in the Nursing Practice Act (NPA). The NPA is then interpreted into regulations by each state and territorial nursing board with the authority to regulate the practice of nursing care and the power to enforce the laws. Fifty states, District of Columbia and 4 United States (US) territories, have state boards of nursing (BON) that are responsible for regulating their individual NPA. The boards enforce these laws as defined by their respective state or territorial legislative bodies. The legislative body gives the board of nursing the power to discipline nurses who violate the nursing laws and regulations. Only the BON has the power to discipline a nurse who may pose a danger to the public.