Role of the Professional Nurse in Health Care Policy

The role of the professional nurse in healthcare policy: Occupation health nurse
Name:
Institution:
Course title:
Instructor:
Date:
The role of the professional nurse in healthcare policy: Occupation health nurse
How has past and current regulation/legislation affected the role and scope of this nursing role?
The minimum requirement for an occupation health nurse is a Masters Degree, a Diploma or a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing with a specialization in occupational health. Such a practitioner should also be registered with the American Board of Occupation Health Nurses (osha.gov, 2017). The profession entails promotion of the health as well as workplace safety. There have been a number of federal laws and regulations that have had a direct effect on the health nursing as a practice. According to Yee, Boukus, Cross and Samuel (2013), recent health reforms such as Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 has affected the delivery of Nursing Practitioner’s scope as well as roles in different states. Notably, there has been changes and variation in the levels of requirements for NPs where in some states, NPs have the freedom to carry out independent practice while other states have instituted restrictions on their capacity to practice with...