Sec. 20-87a. Definitions. Scope of practice. (a) The practice of nursing by a registered nurse is defined as the process of diagnosing human responses to actual or potential
health problems, providing supportive and restorative care, health counseling and teaching, case finding and referral, collaborating in the implementation of the total health care
regimen, and executing the medical regimen under the direction of a licensed physician,
dentist or advanced practice registered nurse. A registered nurse may also execute orders
issued by licensed physician assistants, podiatrists and optometrists, provided such orders do not exceed the nurse's or the ordering practitioner's scope of practice.
(b) Advanced nursing practice is defined as the performance of advanced level
nursing practice activities that, by virtue of postbasic specialized education and experience, are appropriate to and may be performed by an advanced practice registered nurse.
The advanced practice registered nurse performs acts of diagnosis and treatment of
alterations in health status, as described in subsection (a) of this section, and shall collaborate with a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state. In all settings, the
advanced practice registered nurse may, in collaboration with a physician licensed to
practice medicine in this state, prescribe, dispense and administer medical therapeutics
and corrective measures and may request, sign for, receive and dispense drugs in the
form of professional samples in accordance with sections 20-14c to 20-14e, inclusive,
except that an advanced practice registered nurse licensed pursuant to section 20-94a
and maintaining current certification from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists who is prescribing and administrating medical therapeutics during surgery may
only do so if the physician who is medically directing the prescriptive activity is physically present in the institution, clinic or other setting where the surgery is being performed. For purposes of this subsection, "collaboration" means a mutually agreed upon
relationship between an advanced practice registered nurse and a physician who is educated, trained or has relevant experience that is related to the work of such advanced
practice registered nurse. The collaboration shall address a reasonable and appropriate
level of consultation and referral, coverage for the patient in the absence of the advanced
practice registered nurse, a method to review patient outcomes and a method of disclosure of the relationship to the patient. Relative to the exercise of prescriptive authority,
the collaboration between an advanced practice registered nurse and a physician shall
be in writing and shall address the level of schedule II and III controlled substances that
the advanced practice registered nurse may prescribe and provide a method to review
patient outcomes, including, but not limited to, the review of medical therapeutics, corrective measures, laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures that the advanced
practice registered nurse may prescribe, dispense and administer. An advanced practice
registered nurse licensed under the provisions of this chapter may make the determination and pronouncement of death of a patient, provided the advanced practice registered
nurse attests to such pronouncement on the certificate of death and signs the certificate
of death no later than twenty-four hours after the pronouncement.
(c) The practice of nursing by a licensed practical nurse is defined as the performing
of selected tasks and sharing of responsibility under the direction of a registered nurse
or an advanced practice registered nurse and within the framework of supportive and
restorative care, health counseling and teaching, case finding and referral, collaborating
in the implementation of the total health care regimen and executing the medical regimen
under the direction of a licensed physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, optometrist
or dentist.
(d) In the case of a registered or licensed practical nurse employed by a home health
care agency, the practice of nursing includes, but is not limited to, executing the medical
regimen under the direction of a physician licensed in a state that borders Connecticut.
(P.A. 75-166, S. 1, 6; P.A. 89-107, S. 1; 89-389, S. 1, 22; P.A. 94-213, S. 4; P.A. 97-112, S. 2; P.A. 99-168, S. 1; P.A.
03-8, S. 1; P.A. 04-221, S. 34; 04-255, S. 22; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 108; P.A. 06-169, S. 1; P.A. 10-117, S. 18; P.A.
11-242, S. 33.)
History: P.A. 89-107 added Subsec. (c) re nurses' powers of administration of medical regimen under direction of
physician in bordering state; P.A. 89-389 inserted new Subsec. (b) re duties of advanced practice registered nurses, relettered
the existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and added the reference in Subsec. (c) to an advanced practice registered nurse;
P.A. 94-213 deleted Subsec. (b)(5) re other settings as prescribed in regulations and added conditions for prescribing and
administering medical therapeutics and corrective measures and dispensing professional samples; P.A. 97-112 replaced
"home for the aged" with "residential care home"; P.A. 99-168 redefined "advanced nursing practice" in Subsec. (b) to
include collaboration with a physician, defined "collaboration" for purposes of Subsec. (b), modified prescriptive authority
of advanced practice registered nurses and made technical changes in Subsecs. (b) and (d); P.A. 03-8 amended Subsec.
(a) by adding "advanced practice registered nurse"; P.A. 04-221 amended Subsec. (b) to allow advanced practice registered
nurses to request, sign for and receive drug samples; P.A. 04-255 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision allowing
advanced practice registered nurse to make determination and pronouncement of death; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 changed
effective date of P.A. 04-221 from October 1, 2004, to June 8, 2004, effective May 12, 2004; P.A. 06-169 deleted former
Subsec. (b)(1) to (4), inclusive, and authorized advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe, dispense and administer
medical therapeutics and corrective measures and to request, sign for, receive and dispense professional drug samples in
all settings; P.A. 10-117 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision that permits registered nurse to execute orders issued
by licensed physician assistants, podiatrists and optometrists provided such orders do not exceed the nurse's or ordering
practitioner's scope of practice; P.A. 11-242 amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision that permits licensed practical nurse
to execute medical regimen under direction of a licensed physician assistant, podiatrist or optometrist, effective July
13, 2011.
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Sec. 20-94a. Licensure as advanced practice registered nurse. (a) The Department of Public Health may issue an advanced practice registered nurse license to a
person seeking to perform the activities described in subsection (b) of section 20-87a,
upon receipt of a fee of two hundred dollars, to an applicant who: (1) Maintains a license
as a registered nurse in this state, as provided by section 20-93 or 20-94; (2) holds and
maintains current certification as a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist or a
nurse anesthetist from one of the following national certifying bodies that certify nurses
in advanced practice: The American Nurses' Association, the Nurses' Association of
the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Certification Corporation,
the National Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Associates or the American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists, their successors or other appropriate national certifying bodies approved by the Board of Examiners for Nursing; (3) has completed thirty
hours of education in pharmacology for advanced nursing practice; and (4) if first certified by one of the foregoing certifying bodies after December 31, 1994, holds a graduate
degree in nursing or in a related field recognized for certification as either a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, or a nurse anesthetist by one of the foregoing certifying bodies. No license shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom
professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an unresolved complaint.
(b) During the period commencing January 1, 1990, and ending January 1, 1992,
the Department of Public Health may in its discretion allow a registered nurse, who has
been practicing as an advanced practice registered nurse in a nurse practitioner role and
who is unable to obtain certification as a nurse practitioner by one of the national certifying bodies specified in subsection (a) of this section, to be licensed as an advanced
practice registered nurse provided the individual:
(1) Holds a current Connecticut license as a registered nurse pursuant to this chapter;
(2) Presents the department with documentation of the reasons one of such national
certifying bodies will not certify him as a nurse practitioner;
(3) Has been in active practice as a nurse practitioner for at least five years in a
facility licensed pursuant to section 19a-491;
(4) Provides the department with documentation of his preparation as a nurse practitioner;
(5) Provides the department with evidence of at least seventy-five contact hours,
or its equivalent, of continuing education related to his nurse practitioner specialty in
the preceding five calendar years;
(6) Has completed thirty hours of education in pharmacology for advanced nursing
practice;
(7) Has his employer provide the department with a description of his practice setting, job description, and a plan for supervision by a licensed physician;
(8) Notifies the department of each change of employment to a new setting where
he will function as an advanced practice registered nurse and will be exercising prescriptive and dispensing privileges.
(c) Any person who obtains a license pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall
be eligible to renew such license annually provided he presents the department with
evidence that he received at least fifteen contact hours, or its equivalent, eight hours of
which shall be in pharmacology, of continuing education related to his nurse practitioner
specialty in the preceding licensure year. If an individual licensed pursuant to subsection
(b) of this subsection becomes eligible at any time for certification as a nurse practitioner
by one of the national certifying bodies specified in subsection (a) of this section, the
individual shall apply for certification, and upon certification so notify the department,
and apply to be licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse in accordance with
subsection (a) of this section.
(d) A person who has received a license pursuant to this section shall be known as
an "Advanced Practice Registered Nurse" and no other person shall assume such title
or use the letters or figures which indicate that the person using the same is a licensed
advanced practice registered nurse.
(P.A. 89-389, S. 3, 22; P.A. 91-106, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 99-168, S. 2; P.A.
00-135, S. 7, 21; P.A. 04-221, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 197; P.A. 11-242, S. 77.)
History: P.A. 91-106 amended Subsec. (b) to extend until January 1, 1992, the department's discretion to license under
Subsec. (b) and to change the continuing education requirements of Subdiv. (5) to be 75 contact hours in the preceding
five years and amended Subsec. (c) to increase from 8 to 15 hours the continuing education requirements; P.A. 93-381
replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993;
P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and
Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-168 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by requiring maintenance of a
registered nurse license rather than eligibility for licensure and amended Subsec. (a)(2) to include successor organizations
or other appropriate national certifying bodies and to make a technical change; P.A. 00-135 amended Subsec. (a) by making
a technical change and changing "maintains a license" to "is eligible for a license" in Subdiv. (1), effective May 26, 2000;
P.A. 04-221 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by changing requirement from eligibility for a license to maintenance of a license;
June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fee from $100 to $200; P.A. 11-242 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by
substituting "graduate degree" for "master's degree".
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