Compare and contrast two (2) Nurse Practice Acts addressing a) Kentucky and Ohio

Compare and contrast two (2) Nurse Practice Acts addressing a) Kentucky and Ohio

Compare and contrast two (2) Nurse Practice Acts addressing a) Kentucky and Ohio are the states I am going to compare and contrast. b) In Ohio the APRN title is an individual who holds a current valid license in Ohio, that authorizes the practice of nursing as an advanced practice nurse and holds one of the following certifications; certified registered nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, or certified nurse practitioner (“Nurse Definitions”, 2017). In Kentucky the APRN title is the performance of additional acts completed by a registered nurse who is licensed as an APRN (Kentucky Board of Nursing, n.d.). c) APRN’s in Kentucky and Ohio have a similar scope of practice. Both states require additional skills and knowledge learned in advanced education setting to become an APRN. In Ohio, nurse practitioners are authorized to practice with one or more physicians. APRN’s can provide preventative care, primary care, and care of acute illnesses. In Ohio an APRN can prescribe drugs and schedule III-V controlled substances as long as they are in collaboration with a physician. The APRN may prescribe schedule II controlled substances if the patient has a terminal illness, but the supervising physician must do the initial prescribing to decide the drug of choice and the amount. In the state of Ohio, nurse practitioners can be primary care providers (Scope of Practice Policy, 2020). In Kentucky the APRN must have a collaborative agreement with a supervising physician for prescribing medications. Unlike Ohio, APRN’s practicing in Kentucky can prescribe drugs independently after four years. If the Kentucky APRN chooses to prescribe independently they are no longer able to prescribe schedule II-V controlled substances. Like Ohio, Kentucky APRN’s are recognized as primary care providers (Scope of Practice Policy, 2020). d) In Ohio and Kentucky APRN’s must obtain additional knowledge and skills through an accredited education program that prepares the nurse for one of the following roles; nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist. In Kentucky the APRN must receive education that is specific to their specialty and be certified in their specialty such as family care, psychiatric care, gerontology care, women’s health, neonatology, or pediatrics (Kentucky Board of Nursing, 2015).