Nursing practice acts contain general statements of appropriate professional nursing actions. They define nursing, set standards for the nursing profession and give guidance regarding scope of practice issues. As such, the state nursing practice act is the single most important piece of legislation affecting nursing practice.

The nurse must incorporate the nursing practice act with his or her educational background, previous work experience, institutional policies and technological advancements. The main purpose of nurse practice act is to protect the public from unsafe practitioners with the ultimate goal being competent, quality nursing care provided by qualified practitioners.

The Nurse Practice Acts also protect the nurse. Nurses have an ethical and legal responsibility to maintain the currency of their practice in today’s changing health care system and to be familiar with the nursing practice act.

Listed below are links to the Nurse Practice Acts that were available online through the various State Board of Nursing websites. Most links go directly to the Nurse Practice Act of each website, while others simply go to their respective Board of Nursing homepages. If you find a bad link let us know.

Protect Yourself - Know Your Nurse Practice Act

• Are you familiar with the common types of discipline granted to Boards of Nursing?
• Are you aware of your common due-process rights as a nurse?
• Visit State Boards of Nursing for a summary of the guidelines and for the contact information for each State Board of Nursing.