Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 18.79 - Nursing Care.
18.79.240 - Construction.

RCW 18.79.240
Construction.

(1) In the context of the definition of registered nursing practice and advanced registered nursing practice, this chapter shall not be construed as:
(a) Prohibiting the incidental care of the sick by domestic servants or persons primarily employed as housekeepers, so long as they do not practice registered nursing within the meaning of this chapter;
(b) Preventing a person from the domestic administration of family remedies or the furnishing of nursing assistance in case of emergency;
(c) Prohibiting the practice of nursing by students enrolled in approved schools as may be incidental to their course of study or prohibiting the students from working as nursing technicians;
(d) Prohibiting auxiliary services provided by persons carrying out duties necessary for the support of nursing services, including those duties that involve minor nursing services for persons performed in hospitals, nursing homes, or elsewhere under the direction of licensed physicians or the supervision of licensed registered nurses;
(e) Prohibiting the practice of nursing in this state by a legally qualified nurse of another state or territory whose engagement requires him or her to accompany and care for a patient temporarily residing in this state during the period of one such engagement, not to exceed six months in length, if the person does not represent or hold himself or herself out as a registered nurse licensed to practice in this state;
(f) Prohibiting nursing or care of the sick, with or without compensation, when done in connection with the practice of the religious tenets of a church by adherents of the church so long as they do not engage in the practice of nursing as defined in this chapter;
(g) Prohibiting the practice of a legally qualified nurse of another state who is employed by the United States government or a bureau, division, or agency thereof, while in the discharge of his or her official duties;
(h) Permitting the measurement of the powers or range of human vision, or the determination of the accommodation and refractive state of the human eye or the scope of its functions in general, or the fitting or adaptation of lenses for the aid thereof;
(i) Permitting the prescribing or directing the use of, or using, an optical device in connection with ocular exercises, visual training, vision training, or orthoptics;
(j) Permitting the prescribing of contact lenses for, or the fitting and adaptation of contact lenses to, the human eye;
(k) Prohibiting the performance of routine visual screening;
(l) Permitting the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene as defined in chapters 18.32 and 18.29 RCW, respectively;
(m) Permitting the practice of chiropractic as defined in chapter 18.25 RCW including the adjustment or manipulation of the articulation of the spine;
(n) Permitting the practice of podiatric medicine and surgery as defined in chapter 18.22 RCW;
(o) Permitting the performance of major surgery, except such minor surgery as the commission may have specifically authorized by rule adopted in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW;
(p) Permitting the prescribing of controlled substances as defined in Schedule I of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, chapter 69.50 RCW;
(q) Prohibiting the determination and pronouncement of death;
(r) Prohibiting advanced registered nurse practitioners, approved by the commission as certified registered nurse anesthetists from selecting, ordering, or administering controlled substances as defined in Schedules II through IV of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, chapter 69.50 RCW, consistent with their commission-recognized scope of practice; subject to facility-specific protocols, and subject to a request for certified registered nurse anesthetist anesthesia services issued by a physician licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW, an osteopathic physician and surgeon licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW, a dentist licensed under chapter 18.32 RCW, or a podiatric physician and surgeon licensed under chapter 18.22 RCW; the authority to select, order, or administer Schedule II through IV controlled substances being limited to those drugs that are to be directly administered to patients who require anesthesia for diagnostic, operative, obstetrical, or therapeutic procedures in a hospital, clinic, ambulatory surgical facility, or the office of a practitioner licensed under chapter 18.71, 18.22, 18.36, 18.36A, 18.57, or 18.32 RCW; "select" meaning the decision-making process of choosing a drug, dosage, route, and time of administration; and "order" meaning the process of directing licensed individuals pursuant to their statutory authority to directly administer a drug or to dispense, deliver, or distribute a drug for the purpose of direct administration to a patient, under instructions of the certified registered nurse anesthetist. "Protocol" means a statement regarding practice and documentation concerning such items as categories of patients, categories of medications, or categories of procedures rather than detailed case-specific formulas for the practice of nurse anesthesia;
(s) Prohibiting advanced registered nurse practitioners from ordering or prescribing controlled substances as defined in Schedules II through IV of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, chapter 69.50 RCW, if and to the extent that doing so is permitted by their scope of practice;
(t) Prohibiting the practice of registered nursing or advanced registered nursing by a student enrolled in an approved school if:
(i) The student performs services without compensation or expectation of compensation as part of a volunteer activity;
(ii) The student is under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under this chapter, a pharmacist licensed under chapter 18.64 RCW, an osteopathic physician and surgeon licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW, or a physician licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW;
(iii) The services the student performs are within the scope of practice of: (A) The nursing profession for which the student is receiving training; and (B) the person supervising the student;
(iv) The school in which the student is enrolled verifies the student has demonstrated competency through his or her education and training to perform the services; and
(v) The student provides proof of current malpractice insurance to the volunteer activity organizer prior to performing any services.
(2) In the context of the definition of licensed practical nursing practice, this chapter shall not be construed as:
(a) Prohibiting the incidental care of the sick by domestic servants or persons primarily employed as housekeepers, so long as they do not practice practical nursing within the meaning of this chapter;
(b) Preventing a person from the domestic administration of family remedies or the furnishing of nursing assistance in case of emergency;
(c) Prohibiting the practice of practical nursing by students enrolled in approved schools as may be incidental to their course of study or prohibiting the students from working as nursing assistants;
(d) Prohibiting auxiliary services provided by persons carrying out duties necessary for the support of nursing services, including those duties that involve minor nursing services for persons performed in hospitals, nursing homes, or elsewhere under the direction of licensed physicians or the supervision of licensed registered nurses;
(e) Prohibiting or preventing the practice of nursing in this state by a legally qualified nurse of another state or territory whose engagement requires him or her to accompany and care for a patient temporarily residing in this state during the period of one such engagement, not to exceed six months in length, if the person does not represent or hold himself or herself out as a licensed practical nurse licensed to practice in this state;
(f) Prohibiting nursing or care of the sick, with or without compensation, when done in connection with the practice of the religious tenets of a church by adherents of the church so long as they do not engage in licensed practical nurse practice as defined in this chapter;
(g) Prohibiting the practice of a legally qualified nurse of another state who is employed by the United States government or any bureau, division, or agency thereof, while in the discharge of his or her official duties.

[ 2020 c 80 § 17; 2019 c 270 § 4; 2005 c 28 § 1; 2003 c 258 § 6; 2000 c 64 § 3; 1994 sp.s. c 9 § 424.]
NOTES:

Effective date—2020 c 80 §§ 12-59: See note following RCW 7.68.030.


Intent—2020 c 80: See note following RCW 18.71A.010.


Severability—Effective date—2003 c 258: See notes following RCW 18.79.330.


Effective date—2000 c 64 §§ 1-3: See note following RCW 18.79.050.


Severability—2000 c 64: See note following RCW 18.79.050.

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