2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 20 - Professional and Occupational Licensing, Certification, Title Protection and Registration. Examining Boards
Chapter 378 - Nursing
Section 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.