Definitions

The following definitions are applicable to nursing applications, the rules governing nursing and the nursing provisions of Title 63, Chapter 7, unless otherwise indicated: (1) Accreditation: The status of the school in relation to requirements of recognized agencies other than the Tennessee Board of Nursing. (2) Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN): A registered nurse certified pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-7-126 who has a master’s degree or higher in a nursing specialty and has national specialty certification as a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist, except that a master’s degree or higher is not required if national specialty certification and licensure in Tennessee (or a compact state with the multistate privilege to practice in Tennessee) as a registered nurse was obtained prior to July 1, 2005. However, notwithstanding the previous requirements, a nurse anesthetist shall be eligible for a certificate to practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse if the nurse anesthetist graduated prior to January 1, 1999, from a nurse anesthesia educational program approved by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Accreditation. The four (4) recognized categories/roles for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist/Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife, and Nurse Practitioner. (3) Approval: The status of the school in relation to the minimum requirements of the Tennessee Board of Nursing. (4) Approved School of Nursing: One approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing or by a similar board in another jurisdiction. (5) Assisting: Helping, aiding, supporting or cooperating. (6) Board: The Tennessee Board of Nursing. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING NURSING CHAPTER 1000-01 (7) Certificate of Fitness: A certificate issued by the Board to an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse signifying authority to prescribe/issue drugs and to engage in other practices provided in the Tennessee Code, within the scope of the advanced practice registered nurse’s education, protocols, formulary, Tennessee law, and Board rules. (8) Classification of School of Nursing Programs: (a) Baccalaureate: A program leading to a baccalaureate degree is conducted by an educational unit which is an integral part of a senior college or university. (b) Associate Degree: A program in nursing leading to an associate degree is conducted by an educational unit in nursing (department or division) within the structure of a junior or community college or as a segment of a senior college or university. (c) Diploma: A program leading to a diploma in professional or registered nursing is conducted by a single purpose school under the control of a hospital. (d) Practical: A program leading to a diploma/certificate in practical nursing conducted by a school within a hospital or technical college. (e) Master’s: A program leading to a master’s degree is conducted by an educational unit which is an integral part of a senior college or university. (f) Doctoral: A program leading to a doctoral degree is conducted by an educational unit which is an integral part of a senior college or university. (9) Collaborating Physician: A physician licensed under Title 63 Chapter 6 or osteopathic physician licensed under Title 63 Chapter 9 who has signed a notice on file with the Board and complying with Board of Medical Examiners Rule Chapter 0880-06 or Board of Osteopathic Examination Rule 1050-02-.15 stating that the physician takes control and responsibility for the prescriptive service provided by an APRN who holds a Certificate of Fitness pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-7-123. (10) Continued Competence: The application of integrated nursing knowledge and the interpersonal, decision-making, psychomotor, communication, and leadership skills expected for the nursing practice role pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-7-103 and § 63-7-108 as applicable, within the context of the public health, safety, and welfare. (11) Cooperating Agency: Any agency or institution that cooperates with the school to provide facilities and clinical resources that may be used by the school for selected student learning experiences. (12) Course: A unit of the curriculum. (13) Curriculum: The total group of courses including related clinical and other experiences which are organized in a systematic way. (14) Delegation: Transferring to a competent individual the authority to perform a selected nursing task in a selected situation. The nurse retains accountability for the delegation. The nurse shall retain accountability for the delegation while the delegate is accountable for the delegate’s acts. (15) Direction: Guiding, managing, authoritative instructing, governing, ordering, or ruling. (16) Director: The person in charge of the educational unit in nursing, regardless of his official title in any specific institution. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING NURSING CHAPTER 1000-01 (17) Discipline: When used in reference to action against a license by another state includes, but is not limited to, all summary or emergency suspensions, denials, limitations or conditions. (18) Drug: Shall have the same meaning as set forth in T.C.A. § 63-10-204. (19) Examination: The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) or its predecessor. (20) General Education: Secondary or high school education or the equivalent. (21) Guilty of a Crime: When used in T.C.A. § 63-7-115(a)(1)(B) includes, but is not limited to, those who have been convicted of a crime upon a plea of nolo contendere or no contest. (22) Issue or Dispense: To deliver a drug, in the course of professional practice, to a patient or the patient’s agent for consumption at another location. (23) Lapsed: A license that is beyond the period of a valid expiration date. (24) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): A practical nurse licensed by the Board pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-7-110. (25) May: Permission at the discretion of the Board. (26) Minor Traffic Violation: When used in an application, refers to those driving offenses which are punishable as Class C Misdemeanors in Tennessee, or if the offense occurred in another state, are punishable by a maximum of thirty (30) days in jail and a fifty dollar ($50) fine. (27) National Specialty Certification or National Certification in a Nursing Specialty: A certification by a national certifying body approved by the Board. (28) Nursing Faculty: Individuals employed full- or part-time by an academic institution who are responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and updating school of nursing curricula. (29) Population Focus: A broad area of study encompassing the common problems of a specific group of patients and the likely co-morbidities, interventions and responses to those problems limited to, the following areas of practice: family/individual across the life span; adult-gerontology; neonatal; pediatrics; women’s health/gender related; psych-mental health. A Population Focus is not defined as a specific disease, health problem or intervention. (30) Preceptor: An individual who may serve as a teacher, mentor, role model, or supervisor in a clinical setting. A preceptor must possess licensure at or above the level of licensure sought by the student. (31) Prescribe: The act of authorizing a prescription or prescription order. (32) Prescriber: An individual licensed in Tennessee as a medical doctor, podiatrist, advanced practice registered nurse with a certificate of fitness to prescribe, dentist, optometrist, osteopathic physician, or physician’s assistant. (33) Prescription Order or Prescription: Any order, communicated through written, oral/verbal or electronic means, for any drug, device, test, or treatment pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-10-204. (34) Professional Boundaries: The space between the nurse’s power and the patient’s vulnerability; the power of the nurse comes from the professional position and access to GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING NURSING CHAPTER 1000-01 private knowledge about the patient; establishing boundaries allows the nurse to control this power differential and allows a safe connection to meet the patient’s needs. (35) Registered Nurse (RN): A professional nurse licensed by the Board pursuant to T.C.A. § 63- 7-105. (36) Reinstatement: Re-licensure after a license has lapsed and/or been revoked or voluntarily surrendered. (37) School of Nursing: Educational unit having the responsibility to prepare its graduates for practice as nurses, qualified to meet licensing requirements in Tennessee. (38) Shall or Must: A mandatory requirement. (39) Should: A recommendation. (40) Supervision: Overseeing or inspecting with authority. (41) Tamper-Resistant Prescription: A written prescription order with features that are designed to prevent unauthorized copying, erasure, modification, and use of counterfeit prescription forms. (42) Unencumbered License: A professional license that is not revoked, suspended, or probated and does not have stipulations or conditions against it. (43) Written Agreement: Written evidence of agreement between the school and cooperating agency.