What term describes acts that are required, permitted, or prohibited in nursing practice?

• A. Standards of Care
• B. Scope of Practice
• C. Policies
• D. Legislation

Answer: (A)

Acts that are required, permitted, or prohibited in nursing practice are described by standards of care. These standards outline the level and quality of care a reasonably competent nurse should provide in comparable situations. They’re built from professional guidelines, evidence-based practice, and ethical expectations, and they help ensure patient safety and professional accountability. When care falls outside these standards, it can be considered negligent or malpractice, because the nurse has failed to meet the accepted level of performance.

Scope of practice, on the other hand, defines the legal range of activities a nurse is authorized to perform based on licensure and jurisdiction; it sets boundaries but does not specify the detailed expectations of day-to-day care. Policies are institutional rules that guide how care is delivered within a particular setting, which can vary by organization. Legislation provides the broad legal framework that governs all healthcare practice, but standards of care operationalize what nurses are expected to do in practice.