RN Prescribing: An Expanded Role for Nursing

PURPOSE: With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, recommendations of the Future of Nursing Report, and recent regulatory changes by state boards of nursing, registered nurse (RN) roles are expanding. In this article, we advocate for RN prescribing as an expanded role in the United States. METHODS: We reviewed the literature on RN prescribing, the background in both high- and low-resource countries, levels of prescribing, specialized settings for RN prescribing, both RN and patients views/perceptions of prescribing, and evaluation research. From this review, we developed a proposal for RN prescribing. FINDINGS: Due to expansion of RNs into prescribing worldwide to meet unmet healthcare needs in both primary and specialty settings, we propose a role for RN prescribing within both primary care and outpatient specialty settings. The differences between RN and advanced practice RN prescribing are defined, and U.S.-based regulatory challenges are examined. CONCLUSION: Considering unmet healthcare needs and patients' need for medication and medication education, we advocate for RN prescribing as expanded scope and role change for experienced RNs to practice to the highest level of their education.