Nursing - Chapter 610-X-6 - Standards of Nursing Practice

Oct 3, 2026

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Defines core terms and regulatory standards for nursing practice under Alabama Board of Nursing Administrative Code, Chapter 610-X-6. Provides definitions for accountability, focused and comprehensive patient assessment, assignment and delegation of nursing activities, medication assistant (MAC) medication duties, and professional boundaries. Establishes meaning for moderate sedation, legally authorized prescribers, hospital classification, and clinical supervision types. Lays foundations for safe practice and documentation requirements across registered and practical nursing roles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

610-X-6 Standards of Nursing Practice

610-X-6- .01 Definitions

610-X-6- .02 Standards Of Practice

610-X-6- .03 Standards For Conduct And Accountability

610-X-6- .04 Practice Of Professional Nursing (Registered Nurse Practice)

610-X-6- .05 Practice Of Practical Nursing (Licensed Practical Nurse Practice)

610-X-6- .06 Standards For Documentation

610-X-6- .07 Standards For Medication Administration And Safety

610-X-6- .08 Standards For Moderate Sedation

610-X-6- .09 Standards For Patient Assessment

610-X-6- .10 Patient Care Orders

610-X-6- .11 Assignment, Delegation And Supervision

610-X-6- .12 Practice Beyond Basic Nursing Education: Standardized Procedures

610-X-6- .13 Standards For Wound Assessment And Care

610-X-6- .14 Intravenous (IV) Therapy By Licensed Practical Nurses

610-X-6- .15 Telecommunication For Pronouncement Of Patient Death

610-X-6- .16 Telehealth Nursing

Nursing Chapter 610-X-6 ALABAMA BOARD OF NURSING ADMINISTRATIVE CODE CHAPTER 610-X-6 STANDARDS OF NURSING PRACTICE TABLE OF CONTENTS 610-X-6- .01 Definitions 610-X-6- .02 Standards Of Practice 610-X-6- .03 Standards For Conduct And Accountability 610-X-6- .04 Practice Of Professional Nursing (Registered Nurse Practice) 610-X-6- .05 Practice Of Practical Nursing (Licensed Practical Nurse Practice) 610-X-6- .06 Standards For Documentation 610-X-6- .07 Standards For Medication Administration And Safety 610-X-6- .08 Standards For Moderate Sedation 610-X-6- .09 Standards For Patient Assessment 610-X-6- .10 Patient Care Orders 610-X-6- .11 Assignment, Delegation And Supervision 610-X-6- .12 Practice Beyond Basic Nursing Education: Standardized Procedures 610-X-6- .13 Standards For Wound Assessment And Care 610-X-6- .14 Intravenous (IV) Therapy By Licensed Practical Nurses 610-X-6- .15 Telecommunication For Pronouncement Of Patient Death 610-X-6- .16 Telehealth Nursing 610-X-6- .01 Definitions . (1) Accountability: The state of being answerable or responsible for action . (2) Assessment, Comprehensive: The systematic collection and analysis of data, including the physical, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of the patient by the registered nurse for the purpose of judging a patient’s health and illness status and actual or potential health needs . Comprehensive assessment includes patient history, physical examination, analysis of the data collected, and development, implementation, and evaluation of the patient’s plan of care . (3) Assessment, Focused: An appraisal of a patient’s status and specific complaint through observation and collection of objective and subjective data by the registered nurse or licensed practical nurse . Focused assessment may contribute to a comprehensive Supp . 11/13/23 6-1 Chapter 610-X-6 Nursing assessment performed by the registered nurse and involves identification of normal and abnormal findings, and anticipation and recognition of changes or potential changes in the patient’s health status . (4) Assignment, Licensed Nurse: The transfer of responsibility and accountability for nursing activities from one licensed nurse to another . (5) Assignment, Unlicensed Individual: The assignment of tasks from a licensed nurse to unlicensed assistive personnel . The licensed nurse making the assignment retains accountability for accurate and timely completion and outcome of the tasks . (6) Medication Assistant, Certified (MAC) Assignment: The assignment by a licensed nurse of medication administration duties to a MAC . (7) Delegation: The act of authorizing a competent individual to perform selected nursing activities supportive to registered nurses or licensed practical nurses in selected situations, while retaining accountability for the outcome, if the delegation is to an unlicensed individual . (8) Dual Relationship: Any time a licensed nurse interacts with a patient outside the nurse-patient relationship . (9) Hospital: A facility described in Code of Ala . 1975 , Section 22-21-20(1), other than a health maintenance organization, which has an organized medical staff, or which employs the services of a medical director who is a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama . The term hospital shall not include the private offices of physicians or dentists, whether in individual, group, registered corporation, or registered association practice . (10) Legally Authorized Prescriber: Healthcare professional who is authorized by law to prescribe medications or other treatment modalities . (11) May: Power, privilege, or right retained by the Board . (12) May not: Prohibition . (13) Moderate Sedation: The administration of pharmacological agent(s) for the purpose of inducing a medically controlled state of depressed consciousness limited to short periods of time and used for diagnostic and therapeutic pr

FAQs

What is covered in Chapter 610-X-6 of the Alabama Nursing Administrative Code?

It sets standards for nursing practice, including professional and practical nursing duties, documentation, medication administration and safety, moderate sedation, patient assessment, orders, supervision, and additional practice areas like telehealth and standardized procedures.

How does the chapter define comprehensive and focused patient assessment?

Comprehensive assessment is the systematic collection and analysis of broad patient data by the registered nurse to determine health status and care needs. Focused assessment appraises a patient’s status and specific complaint through observation and objective and subjective data by a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.

What are delegation and accountability in nursing activities under these standards?

Delegation authorizes a competent individual to perform selected nursing activities supportive to registered or practical nurses in specified situations while retaining accountability for outcomes when delegation is to an unlicensed individual. Assignment also transfers responsibility and accountability for nursing activities while requiring the licensed nurse to retain accountability for accurate and timely completion when assigning tasks.

Oct 3, 2026

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