| I. PURPOSE
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| This policy establishes the Registered Nurse (RN) scope of practice within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH/Department).
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| II. DEFINITIONS
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| California Board of Registered Nursing (CA BRN): The State governmental agency established to protect and advocate for the health and safety of the public by ensuring the highest quality registered nurses in the state of California.
Registered Nurse (RN): An individual with a valid and current license issued by the CA BRN to practice professional nursing according to the published state regulations and within the national scope and standard of practice for the profession.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN): An RN with a master's or doctoral level nursing education who is formally recognized by the CA BRN with an identified clinical specialty. The APRN may serve as a clinician, educator, consultant, and researcher. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses specialized in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing are Clinical Nurse Specialists (PMH-CNS) and Nurse Practitioners (PMH-NP).
American Nurses Association (ANA): The national professional nursing organization that provides current published national scope and standards of practice with competencies and specialty credentialing for RNs and APRNs through its subsidiary, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA): The national/international professional organization of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses that provides guidance for the Scope and Standards of Practice for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing.
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| III. POLICY
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| All RNs employed by DMH, including APRNs, shall provide only those services consistent with their formal education preparation, training, and licensure.
Psychiatric-Mental Health nurses shall deliver services only within their scope of practice, both as regulated by the CA BRN and as defined by the ANA and APNA in the current edition of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice.
The initial and continuing evaluation of the adherence of all RNs to their scope of practice shall be determined through the supervision process as adopted by DMH.
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| IV. PROCEDURES
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| No procedures are associated with this policy.
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| V. AUTHORITIES
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VI. ATTACHMENTS
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No attachments are associated with this policy.
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