Nephrology nursing scope and standards of practice: integration into clinical practice

The public continually recognizes nursing as one of the most trusted professions. This imposes a responsibility to provide the best health care, which requires well-educated, clinically astute nurses and a [...]
The eighth edition of the Nephrology Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, published by the American Nephrology Nurses Association (Gomez, 2017), defines the scope of nephrology nursing practice, and provides standards of practice and professional performance in an approach similar to the American Nurses Association (ANA) 2016 standards. ANNA's eighth edition of the Nephrology Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice incorporates competencies for graduate level-prepared nurses in addition to the registered nurse (RN) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). The section on how to use the standards in practice has been updated with user-friendly forms. This article provides an overview of the scope of practice, standards, competencies, and situations that require intervention by the nephrology nurse. Key Words: Standards of practice, professional performance, scope of practice, competencies, nephrology nursing.