Welcome to the Iowa Board of Nursing
What You Need to Know
The Iowa Board of Nursing drafted legislation to revise, update and add language to Iowa Code Chapter 152, Nursing. The bill adds the Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) into Iowa Code, Chapter 152. The board finds now is the time to license the ARNP and delineate scope of practice in the code.
Current code language authorizes nurses to perform acts or nursing specialties which are recognized by the medical and nursing professions and are approved by the board. The bill eliminates this language and provides that the regulation of nursing is the authority and responsibility of the board to determine which acts or specialties may be performed by a nurse, commensurate with the nurse’s education, continuing education, demonstrated competencies and experience. This clarification in the language impacts all nurses.
There is opposition from medical associations and the Board of Medicine to this legislature as it relates to the scope of practice of the ARNP and elimination of the language which authorizes nurses to perform acts or nursing specialties which are recognized by the medical and nursing professions.
In regards to opposing arguments it is important to note that since 1982 the ARNP has been regulated in the Administrative Code (655 IAC chapter 7). The scope of practice is not new.
The opposing medical association’s opinion is that the elimination of the language regarding the authorization of nurses to perform acts or nursing specialties recognized by the medical and nursing professions eliminates the need for consent from medical professions in expanding the practice of nursing. The regulation of nursing is the authority and responsibility of the board. Nursing is not regulated by the medical profession.
Keep Current (Legislative Session 2012 Information)
It is vital that Iowa nurses are informed and educated concerning the laws which govern nursing. There are currently over 50,000 active nurses in Iowa!
“What Is Being Said”:
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