25^th World Nursing Education Conference

Emergency and Unique Situations

Individual practitioners (e.g., regional nurses) or members of specialist teams (e.g., the Neonatal Resuscitation Team) may be needed to conduct competencies outside of an agency's recognized scope of nursing practice in certain circumstances. This should only be done in an emergency or unforeseen situation where no other qualified health practitioner is available to do the task.
The competent agency(s) must give a general approval to allow for the unexpected performance of competences not classified as nursing practice in emergency and/or unique conditions. This approval is context specific and not transferable. Registered nurses employed in situations or jobs where they may be expected to conduct competences that are not defined as nursing practice must adopt policies and procedures to give direction to nurses in these scenarios. Direction and authorization can be given through the use of interdisciplinary collaborative evaluation and treatment that has been approved by an agency.