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RN Frequently Asked Questions

If you cannot find the information you need at one of the links below, access the OSBN scope-of-practice decision guide, the OSBN interpretive practice statements, or the Nurse Practice Act.  To submit a written practice question, please email us at osbn.practicequestion@osbn.oregon.gov.  However, if your question is answered in the FAQs or in a practice statement, you will be directed back to the website. 



​A:  No.  An OSBN-issued license authorizes the practice of nursing for persons who are physically located in the state of Oregon.  Regulation of the practice of nursing is based on the location of the client at the time of their interaction with the nurse and each state holds legal jurisdiction over the practice of nursing occurring within its borders. As such, you will need to contact the nursing regulatory body (NRB) of the state(s) where your clients are physically located. ​​

​A:  Yes.  An OSBN-issued license is required to engage in the practice of nursing with clients inside of Oregon's borders.  A limited number of exceptions to licensure exist and are in ORS 678.031 accessible at: www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors678.html​

​A:  Yes, to both.  Per 851-045-0065(2), a nurse must only accept an assignment they know is within their own individual scope of practice. For a nurse to determine whether any activity, intervention, or role is within their individual scope of practice, they must apply standards located at OAR 851-045-0065(2)​.  These individual scope of practice standards identify eight specific criteria the nurse must apply to their own situation. Only when the nurse determines that all criteria are met may the nurse accept the assignment.​

​A:  To engage in the practice of practical nursing, one must hold LPN licensure.  Standards on LPN licensure are in OAR 851-031.  This is different than a situation where an RN accepts an assignment to perform activities, interventions, or a role typically assigned to an LPN for a shift. In this situation, the RN remains responsible under their RN license to adhere to OAR 851-045-0060​ RN scope of practice standards and OAR 851-045-0065​ nursing practice standards. The latter standards include accepting accountability for one's decisions and actions and accepting only those assignments which fall within one's individual scope of practice. 

A:  No. RN licensure does not grant prescriptive privilege.  Only a health care provider whose Board-authorized scope includes prescriptive authority may prescribe.   

​A:  It depends.  For the purposes of Oregon's Nurse Practice Act, a nurse's practice team member who is a medical assistant is an unregulated assistive person (UAP). Per OAR 851-045-0060(3), the RN may assign to a UAP, work the UAP is authorized by organizational position description to perform in the practice setting.  For more information, see OSBN Sentinel Winter 2021 article, Nursing Practice with the Medical Assistant Healthcare Team Member​. For the definition of unregulated assistive person, see OAR 851-006-0210. 

​A:  No.  Per OAR 851-0060(3), an RN may assign to a CNA authorized duties the CNA is authorized by organizational position description to perform in the setting.  ​

​A:  There is no list of RN plan of care nursing procedures expressly approved for delegation by all RNs.  OAR 851-047 Standards for Registered Nurse Delegation Process in a Community-Based Setting​ does however expressly prohibit the delegation of two nursing procedures: Venipuncture and the discontinuation of an intravenous access device. All other RN plan of care nursing procedures may be considered for delegation by an RN. This consideration occurs through, and is guided by, the individual RN's adherence to both Division 45 and Division 47 standards.​

​A:  The Nurse Practice Act is silent on the activity of communicating diagnostic results with clients. To determine whether communicating diagnostic results with clients is an appropriate activity for you to carry out in your practice setting, you must apply OAR 851-045-0065(2) individual scope of practice standards. 

​A:  This question is not answered by Oregon's Nurse Practice Act (NPA) and the term "patient abandonment" is not found in the NPA.  However, per OAR 851-045-0070, the action of a nurse accepting an assignment and then leaving or failing to complete the assignment without notifying the appropriate personnel and confirming that assignment responsibilities will be met, is conduct derogatory to the practice of nursing. ​

​A:  Not as a requirement for RN licensure.

A:  It depends.  It depends because Oregon's Nurse Practice Act (NPA) does not expressly authorize the performance of any procedure or intervention by all RNs.  The requirement of the NPA is that an RN must only accept an assignment within their individual scope of practice.  For an RN to determine whether the performance of a specific cosmetic procedure is within their individual scope of practice, they must apply nursing practice standards in OAR 851-045-0065(2).

These individual scope of practice standards identify eight specific criteria an RN must apply to their own situation. Only when an RN determines that all criteria are met, may they consider the procedure to be within their individual scope of practice.
When the performance of the cosmetic procedure is found to be within an RN's individual scope of practice, the RN remains responsible under their license to practice consistent with additional 851-045 standards. These standards include but are not limited to 851-045-0060 standards related to RN scope in the practice of nursing, and 851-045-0065(9) standards related to the licensee's responsibility in the acceptance and execution of medical orders.

As RN licensure does not permit the diagnosing of medical conditions or permit the prescription of treatment for conditions, an RN's role within a cosmetic practice is as a practice team member who assists with implementation of a health care provider's treatment plan for a client. This means that prior to, during, and following the performance of a cosmetic procedure for a client, the RN is responsible for their own practice of nursing (with the client) and remains accountable for their own decisions and actions.

​A:  In certain settings, yes. RN standards on teaching to promote health and safety are in OAR 851-045-0060(4).  To determine whether teaching other people how to administer lifesaving medications is within your individual scope of practice, apply OAR 851-045-0065(2) individual scope of practice standards. 

​A:  A nurse from any state may apply for retired status. However, whether the nurse is ​granted retired status will depend on if they meet the requirements set forth in ORS 678.050(6) and OAR 851-031-0086.  

A:  Oregon's Nurse Practice Act (NPA) is silent on this question. This means there is nothing in the NPA which places a legal requirement on a nurse or CNA to sacrifice their own life or personal safety over that of their client during an event in the workplace that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm.​

A:  Oregon's Nurse Practice Act (NPA) does not regulate staffing, work breaks, labor agreements, or HR matters. The following links are provided as a courtesy: