Administering substances
|
7
|
(1)
|
(b)
|
administer a substance
|
|
|
|
|
(i)
|
by injection,
|
|
|
|
|
(ii)
|
by inhalation,
|
|
|
|
|
(iii)
|
by mechanical ventilation,
|
|
|
|
|
(iv)
|
by irrigation,
|
|
|
|
|
(v)
|
by enteral instillation or parenteral instillation, or
|
|
|
|
|
(vi)
|
by using a hyperbaric chamber
|
The Regulation states that, with an order from a listed health professional, registered nurses may administer substances (other than drugs) by injection, inhalation, ventilation, irrigation, instillation, and by means of a hyperbaric chamber. These substances include air and water.
BCCNM Limits and Conditions
Registered nurses do not induce
general anesthesia or give the first dose of anesthetic agents administered through a catheter.
Inducing a state of unconsciousness through the administration of anesthetic drugs is not within the scope of practice of registered nurses. Registered nurses do, however, induce procedural sedation. Although registered nurses do not initiate anesthetic agents administered through a catheter, they maintain anesthetic agents being administered into the intrathecal, epidural and perineural spaces. Anesthetic agents are usually being used for pain management in these cases.
Some of the nursing activities under this restricted activity could be done to assess or treat a condition within autonomous scope of practice and would not require a client-specific order from a listed health professional (see Section 6). On the other hand, in some circumstances, a client-specific order from a listed health professional may be appropriate. In these cases, employer policies may require registered nurses to receive a client-specific order from a health professional before carrying out the restricted activity. For example, irrigating a ureterostomy tube with sterile normal saline would require a client-specific order.