We are performing scheduled maintenance Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. CT – Feb. 19 at 3 a.m. CT.
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A recent study published in “Family Practice” that examines the practice patterns of autonomous nurse practitioners (NPs) in Florida found that more than half are practicing outside of their scope of practice. Florida passed a law in 2020 to allow NPs who have completed 3,000 clinical practice hours within the past five years to register with the board of nursing to practice autonomously only in primary care, including family medicine, general pediatrics and general internal medicine, as defined by the board.
Nonetheless, according to the randomized study, more than half of the autonomous NPs reached were practicing in non-primary care settings, including:
These findings present patient safety concerns, and undermines arguments frequently made by NPs that expanding their scope will help alleviate primary care shortages.