Do I need a “policy” to guide my practice or decision making in my employment setting?
It depends on the situation.
A policy is one of several different authorizing mechanisms your employer may use to support your practice in the employment setting. Your employer has the responsibility to determine what type of authorizing mechanism is needed in the employment setting. You are accountable to practice according to the standards of practice for your designation.
In addition to a policy, an authorizing mechanism can be a prescriber order, a pre-printed order, a care directive, an employer practice guideline, employer reference book, procedure manual or checklist, an established process such as delegation or communication between a prescriber and nurse in a client health record. This is not an exhaustive list. Confirm with your employer the type of authorizing mechanism that is most appropriate for your specific context.
Occasionally, an NSCN guidance document will refer to employer “policy”. In these cases, policy may mean the broader authorizing mechanism.
For further information on anything contained within this practice scenario, please contact an NSCN Practice Consultant at practice@nscn.ca.
