Do the rules ever change?
And perhaps most important, how do you make inquiries about your scope of practice and initiate changes if the rules seem out of step with reality? In my experience, which includes serving as president of the Delaware Board of Nursing, I’ve learned that very few nurses can answer these questions. To take ownership of your nursing practice, you must understand how your scope of practice is defined-and where to go when you have questions. Although practice rulings and procedures vary from state to state, the information and guidelines I’ll provide here apply broadly. Go ahead and ask Let’s go back to our opening scenario. Are you wondering why a nurse wouldn’t be permitted to perform a routine intervention-pulling back a wedged PA catheter-that could improve her patient’s condition without delay? Go ahead and ask! You might trigger an appropriate change in the rules. An inquiry made in my state provides a good example of how you can initiate a change in your own scope of practice. In tha
Yes. Many rule changes resulting from the Federal “simplification” are still being defined. For example, in 1997 all household employers are required to submit Form W-3 to the Social Security Administration for the first time. Effective in 1998, Federal household employment taxes are subject to penalties if not paid in periodically by the employer, either by submitting quarterly payments or adjusting withholding on the employer’s paycheck. HomeWork Solutions’ professionals keep current with these changes and notify clients accordingly.
Local government laws are reviewed regularly and altered if necessary to meet the needs of the community. Sometimes new laws are required to control a particular problem. For example over the years many trees have been removed from properties to make way for new developments, so that it became necessary to introduce a rule requiring people to apply for permission from Council to remove large trees. In this way Council is able to preserve the ‘green’ look of the municipality and preserve its historic and beautiful trees. Similarly, if riding skate boards and roller blades became a nuisance and a danger to pedestrians in some busy shopping areas, Council may be asked to introduce some rules to make these areas safe. People who feel something needs to be improved or changed can write directly to Council or they can contact the Councillor who represents them to talk it over.
