Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A.
Definitions beginning with the letter A:
(1)
"administration of
medications", means a process whereby a prescribed drug or biological
agent is given to a patient/client by a person licensed or certified by the
board to administer medications;
(2)
"advanced practice registered
nurse", (APRN), means the practice of professional registered nursing by
a registered nurse who has been prepared through additional formal education as
provided in Sections 61-3-23.2 through 61-3-23.4 NMSA 1978 to function beyond
the scope of practice of professional registered nursing, including certified
nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists and clinical nurse
specialists;
(3)
"anesthetics", means a substance that causes entire or partial
loss of the feeling of pain, temperature, or other sensations with or without
the loss of consciousness to induce a state of anesthesia. Anesthetics have no
reversal agents and may impair ventilatory and cardiovascular function. This
definition does not apply to local or topical anesthetics.
B.
Definitions beginning with the
letter B: "board" means the New Mexico board of nursing.
C.
Definitions beginning with the
letter C:
(1)
"certificate", means a legal document granting permission to an
unlicensed person to perform specific functions considered the practice of
nursing;
(2)
"certificate of
completion", means a piece of paper or diploma awarded after the
completion of an educational or vocational training. A certificate of
attendance or completion does not convey mastery and is often followed by
clinical demonstration to confirm knowledge transfer; the presence of a
certificate alone does not mean certification or certified.
(3)
"certification", means
approving a professional for their eligibility for a role by an authority; it
is evidence of mastery of knowledge and skills, such as national standards, by
passing an exam or meeting industry standards; it requires ongoing continuing
education and demonstration of competence in the specialty field; a licensee
with a certification can be said to be certified.
(4)
"CEU", is the abbreviation for
continuing education unit;
(5)
"CHT", is the abbreviation
for certified hemodialysis technician;
(6)
"CMA", is the abbreviation
for certified medication aide;
(7)
"client", means any person domiciled, residing, or receiving care,
service or treatment from a licensed nurse, licensed lactation care provider,
or certified unlicensed assistive person. This includes but is not limited to
patients, residents, or consumers;
(8)
"competency", competency in
nursing is the ability to perform skillfully and proficiently the role of the
licensee; the role encompasses essential knowledge, judgment, attitudes,
values, skills and abilities, which are varied in range and complexity;
competency is a dynamic concept and is based on educational training,
preparation, and expertise;
(9)
"contact hour", means the unit of measurement describing an
approved and organized learning experience equivalent to 60 clock
minutes;
(10)
"continuing
education", means planned learning experiences beyond a basic nursing
education program. These experiences are designed to promote the development of
knowledge, skills and attitudes for the enhancement of nursing practice, thus
improving health care to the public;
(11)
"continuing education
unit", means 10 contact hours of participation in an organized
continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable
direction, and qualified instruction;
(12)
"coordinated licensure information
system", means an integrated process for collecting, storing and sharing
information on nurse licensure and enforcement activities related to nurse
licensure laws that is administered by a nonprofit organization composed of and
controlled by licensing boards.
D.
Definitions beginning with the
letter D: "delegation", means the act of transferring to a competent
individual the authority to perform a selected nursing task in a selected
situation. The nurse retains accountability of the delegation.
E.
Definitions beginning with the
letter E:
(1)
"educational
institution", means an institution within the educational system which
is organized and accredited for teaching and study (university, high school,
post-secondary, approved area vocational institution);
(2)
"engaged in nursing", means
being employed, engaged, or holding a position which requires licensure or in
which the maintenance of licensure as a nurse is expected;
(3)
"expedited license", whether
by examination, endorsement, credential or reciprocity, means a license issued
to a person in this state based on licensure in another state or territory of
the United States, the District of Columbia or a foreign country, as
applicable, pursuant to the Uniform Licensing Act and the Nursing Practice
Act.
F.
Definitions
beginning with the letter F: [RESERVED]
G.
Definitions beginning with the
letter G:
(1)
"good
standing", means a license or registration is active and not expired,
suspended, revoked, surrendered, conditioned, or otherwise in a status that in
any manner restricts the activity of a licensee or registrant under the
authority of the license or registration.
(2)
"guardian", means someone
other than a patient, including an agent, surrogate or guardian, authorized to
make health-care decisions for the patient under the uniform health-care
decisions act or other applicable law;
H.
Definitions beginning with the
letter H: [RESERVED]
I.
Definitions beginning with the letter I: "initial license", means
the first regular license received from a board for a person who has not been
previously licensed;
J.
Definitions beginning with the letter J: "jurisdiction", the
licensure or regulatory authoritative body for nursing within a specific
geographic area for which there is endorsement in New Mexico.
K.
Definitions beginning with the
letter K: [RESERVED]
L.
Definitions beginning with the letter L:
(1)
"lapsed status", means a
license which was not renewed by the expiration date on the license;
(2)
"letter of authorization", a
document issued by the board which authorizes an individual to practice nursing
in New Mexico under the auspices of an approved preceptorship for an advanced
nursing expanded scope of practice prescriptive authority or for an advanced
practice nurse from a compact state;
(3)
"license", means a legal
document granting permission to a person to perform specific functions
considered the practice of nursing or other activity regulated by the board,
which may also include a certificate or other type of authorization.
M.
Definitions beginning
with the letter M: "monitoring system", a mechanism whereby programs may
be approved for CE hours within a geographic area.
N.
Definitions beginning with the
letter N:
(1)
"national licensing
examination", means the examination for licensure as provided by the
national council of state boards of nursing, inc.;
(2)
"National practitioner data
bank", means the database operated by the U.S. department of health and
human services that contains medical malpractice payment and adverse action
reports on health care professionals;
O.
Definitions beginning with the
letter O: [RESERVED]
P.
Definitions beginning with the letter P:
(1)
"permit-to-practice", a
document conferring the privilege to practice at a specific place of
employment, under the direct supervision of a licensed RN, APRN, physician,
osteopathic physician, dentist, or podiatrist; such permits will carry set
expiration dates, are not renewable and are not transferable;
(2)
"preceptor", an individual
at or above the level of licensure that an assigned student is seeking, who may
serve as a teacher, mentor, role model or supervisor in a clinical
setting;
(3)
"prescriptive
authority", means the authority under state and federal law to
prescribe, administer, monitor or modify dangerous drug therapy.
Q.
Definitions beginning
with the letter Q: [RESERVED]
R.
Definitions beginning with the
letter R:
(1)
"reactivation", means the process of making active an existing
license which has lapsed or is otherwise inactive;
(2)
"refresher course", means a
formal program that has both didactic and clinical components designed to
prepare a nurse who has been out of practice to re-enter the
profession;
(3)
"reinstatement", means the process whereby a license which has
been subject to revocation or suspension, is returned to its former status by
board action, which may require filing of a form and payment of a reinstatement
fee;
(4)
"relicensure", the process of renewal, reactivation or
reinstatement of a New Mexico nursing license.
S.
Definitions beginning with the
letter S:
(1) "
sedation",
means the administration of medications to produce various levels of calmness,
relaxation, or sleep. The various levels include:
(a)
"Minimum
sedation/anxiolysis," means a drug-induced state during which patients
respond normally to verbal commands, may have impaired cognitive function or
coordination but respiratory and cardiovascular functions remain
stable:
(b)
"Moderate
sedation/analgesia (also known as conscious sedation)," means a
drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients respond
purposefully to verbal commands, either alone or accompanied by light tactile
stimulation. No interventions are required to maintain a patent airway, and
spontaneous ventilation is adequate. Cardiovascular function is usually
maintained:
(i)
"deep sedation,"
means a drug-induced depression of consciousness, during which a patient cannot
be easily aroused but responds purposefully, following repeated or painful
stimulation. While cardiovascular function is usually maintained, the ability
to independently maintain respiratory function may be impaired. Patients may
require assistance in maintaining a patent airway, and spontaneous ventilation
may be inadequate resulting in intubation and mechanical ventilation. Reflex
withdrawal from a painful stimulus is not considered a
purposeful response;
(ii)
"general anesthesia," means
a drug-induced loss of consciousness during which patients are not arousable,
even by painful stimulation. General anesthesia affects the patient's ability
to maintain an adequate airway and respiratory function, and may impair
cardiovascular function;
(iii)
"palliative sedation," means the monitored use of medications at
end of life intended to provide relief of intolerable and refractory symptoms
but not to intentionally hasten death. A refractory symptom is one that cannot
be controlled in a tolerable time frame despite use of therapies and seems
unlikely to be controlled by further therapies without excessive or intolerable
acute or chronic side effects/complications.
(2) "successful completion",
means the completion of all required courses with a passing letter grade of "C"
or higher, course with pass or fail must have a "pass" for successful
completion;
(3)
"supervision/direction", means initial verification of a person's
knowledge and skills in the performance of a specific function or activity
followed by periodic observation, direction and evaluation of that person's
knowledge and skills as related to the specific functions or
activity.
T.
Definitions beginning with the letter T: "temporary license", a
non-renewable, non-transferable document indicating a legal privilege to
practice as a RN, LPN, CNP, CNS or CRNA, on a conditional basis for a specific
period of time.
U.
Definitions beginning with the letter U:
(1)
"unencumbered", means the
absence of a revocation or suspension of, or any limitation on, the full and
unrestricted practice of nursing imposed by a licensing board;
(2) "unlicensed assistive
personnel", (UAP) means unlicensed support staff that registered nurse
may appropriately delegate tasks to, such as a nursing assistant, nurse
technician, or medical assistant.
V.
Definitions beginning with the
letter V:
"valid practitioner-patient relationship", means
a professional relationship between the practitioner and the patient for the
purpose of maintaining the patient's well-being. At minimum, this relationship
is an interactive encounter between the practitioner and patient involving an
appropriate history and physical or mental examination, ordering labs or
diagnostic tests sufficient to make a diagnosis and providing, prescribing or
recommending treatment, or referring to other health care providers. A patient
record must be generated by the encounter.
W.
Definitions beginning with the
letter W: [RESERVED]
X.
Definitions beginning with the letter X: [RESERVED]
Y.
Definitions beginning with the
letter Y: [RESERVED]
Z.
Definitions beginning with the letter Z: [RESERVED]
