South Dakota Administrative Rules
Title 20 - PUBLIC SAFETY
Article 20:48 - NURSES
Chapter 20:48:04 - The practice of nursing
Section 20:48:04:01 - Standards of nursing practice for the registered nurse and licensed practical nurse

Universal Citation: SD Admin Rules 20:48:04:01

Current through Register Vol. 50, page 114, March 25, 2024

The standards for registered nurse and licensed practical nurse practice include:

(1) Practicing within the legal boundaries for nursing practice authorized in chapter 36-9 and Article 20:48;

(2) Accepting personal responsibility for actions, competence, decisions, and behavior in the course of nursing practice. A nurse cannot avoid this responsibility by accepting the orders or directions of another person;

(3) Using nursing judgement to determine if an activity, task, or a responsibility is within the nurse's scope of practice, the nurse must consider:

(a) If the activity, task, or responsibility is one that another reasonable and prudent nurse with similar educational preparation, acquired through a formal program of study or continuing education, and demonstrated clinical competence, would perform;

(b) The complexity and frequency of nursing care needed by the client population;

(c) The proximity of clients to personnel in the practice setting where the nurse practices;

(d) The qualifications and number of personnel in the practice setting where the nurse practices;

(e) The accessible resources in the practice setting where the nurse practices; and

(f) Established policies, procedures, practices, and channels of communication that lend support to the types of nursing services offered in the practice setting where the nurse practices;

(4) Maintaining competence through ongoing learning and application of knowledge in current nursing practice;

(5) Obtaining instruction and supervision when needed when implementing new or unfamiliar nursing techniques or practices;

(6) Documenting nursing care provided, changes in a client's condition, or relevant information, in an accurate and timely manner;

(7) Maintaining professional boundaries and therapeutic relationships with clients;

(8) Collaborating and consulting with, or referring clients, to other healthcare providers to resolve situations beyond the expertise of the licensed nurse;

(9) Accepting responsibility and accountability for the delegation or assignment of nursing tasks or client care to others to whom nursing interventions are delegated or assigned;

(10) Practicing without discrimination on the basis of age, race, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, patient diagnosis, or disability;

(11) Advocating for the respect, dignity, rights, and property of clients and other individuals;

(12) Taking preventive measures to promote an environment that is conducive to health and safety; and

(13) Reporting illegal, substandard, unethical, unsafe, or incompetent nursing practice.

General Authority: SDCL 36-9-21.

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-9-1.1, 36-9-3, 36-9-4.

Declaratory Ruling:

Instructing a patient on routine measures for taking care of a condition does not constitute the practice of medicine and is not grounds for disciplinary action even if the information and recommendations provided are in excess of, or different from, the information and recommendations given by the patient's physician, so long as the nurse did not, on own, treat the symptoms or disease. South Dakota Board of Nursing Declaratory Ruling No. 80-1.

A nurse must exercise professional judgment when a physician transmits orders through a third party, who may or may not be unlicensed, via telephone or otherwise. If an order is transmitted through a third party, all persons, including the third party, must be identified by name and title before the order may be implemented. South Dakota Board of Nursing Declaratory Ruling 87-1.

Although registered nurses, under the direction of a physician, may administer narcotics, analgesics, sedatives, and tranquilizing medications to patients, registered nurses may not administer any medication for the purpose of inducing general anesthesia. It is not within the authority of the board to determine how or for what purpose a specific drug with multiple uses is being administered at any given time. Institutional or agency protocol must address this. South Dakota Board of Nursing Declaratory Ruling 89-1.

Homemakers employed by the Department of Social Services or its contractors may provide assistance with the self-administration of medications to clients who are mentally capable of self-directing their care and who reside in their own home or reside in adult foster care or an assisted living center if the homemakers are trained as homemakers, are placed by an agency, and are under the supervision of a professional social worker or nurse as appropriate and if the assistance is limited to reminding the client to take a medication at a prescribed time, opening and closing a medication container, and returning a medication container to the proper storage area. Services provided under the conditions described are not dependent upon licensure in nursing. South Dakota Board of Nursing Declaratory Ruling 92-1.

1. Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2004 edition, American Nurses Association. Copies may be obtained from American Nurses Publishing, 8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492.

2. Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Interpretation and Application, 2008 edition, American Nurses Association. Copies may be obtained from American Nurses Publishing, 8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492.

3. NAPNES Standards of Practice and Educational Competencies of Graduates of Practical/Vocational Nurses, 2007 edition, National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service, Inc. Copies may be obtained from the National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service, Inc., www.napnes.org.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. South Dakota may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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