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Scope of practice
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<h2 id="by-country">By country</h2> <h3>United States</h3> <p>In the United States, scope of practice law is determined by the states' legislatures and regulatory boards.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>According to the <a href="/facts/National_Conference_of_State_Legislatures/VYXM20tQ">National Conference of State Legislatures</a>, non-physician health care providers are providing increasing levels of service to patients, especially in <a href="/facts/Rural_area/ANwqEzus">rural</a> and other underserved communities.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="by-profession">By profession</h2> <h3>Nursing & advanced practice nurses (APNs)</h3> <p>The <a href="/facts/American_Medical_Association/Wmfxy2xV">American Medical Association</a> (AMA), an <a href="/facts/Advocacy_group/7oNDHtPI">advocacy group</a> for <a href="/facts/Physician/qJ3woFvG">physicians</a>, claims that increasing the scope of <a href="/facts/Advanced_practice_nurse/IXLDr6tm">APNs</a> does not increase access to care and can be dangerous because the responsibilities afforded to the professionals exceed the tasks that they can safely perform given their training, which is lower relative to physicians.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> However, according to the <a href="/facts/American_Nurses_Association/W1rEwgxm">American Nurses Association</a>, it is important that nurses, including APNs, can practice to the fullest extent of their abilities and training; they claim that there is a growing body of evidence to support APNs caring for patients with broader scopes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h3>Emergency medical services</h3> <p>In the United States, the National Scope of Practice Model is designed to standardize and improve EMS provider education. It provides four levels of provider: Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT (AEMT), and Paramedic.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Healthcare_provider_requisites/5DR4j8qN">Health care professional requisites</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Medical_prescription/4jt1T3mY">Standing orders</a> - scopes of practice are often defined in physicians' standing orders</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"What doctors wish patients knew about scope of practice". American Medical Association. 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice" target="_blank">https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"National EMS Scope of Practice Model". EMS.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ems.gov/national-ems-scope-of-practice-model/" target="_blank">https://www.ems.gov/national-ems-scope-of-practice-model/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"What doctors wish patients knew about scope of practice". American Medical Association. 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice" target="_blank">https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Nursing Scope of Practice | American Nurses Association". ANA. 2017-10-14. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/" target="_blank">https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Scope of Practice Policy". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/scope-of-practice-policy" target="_blank">https://www.ncsl.org/scope-of-practice-policy</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"What doctors wish patients knew about scope of practice". American Medical Association. 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice" target="_blank">https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/scope-practice/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-scope-practice</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Nursing Scope of Practice | American Nurses Association". ANA. 2017-10-14. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/" target="_blank">https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"National EMS Scope of Practice Model". EMS.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-19. <a href="https://www.ems.gov/national-ems-scope-of-practice-model/" target="_blank">https://www.ems.gov/national-ems-scope-of-practice-model/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>