The limitations of practice as a nurse practitioner (NP) are different levels of barrier that can limit the ability to practice as an NP. This means that as an NP, you may not be allowed to exercise the full scope of your education and training to provide care to the public. The three levels are full practice, reduced practice, and restricted practice.
Texas has adopted the “reduced practice” policy; this means Texas NPs are unable to use the full range of their education/training and operate independently in Texas. Your role will be limited to only certain duties (reduced practice) which is usually below your full potential as an NP.
These barriers negatively impact NPs and it affects the public as a whole. The shortage of physicians calls for nurse practitioners to fill the gap and provide quality healthcare services to the public, especially people in underserved regions. Legislations against the full practice of nurse practitioners in every state should be abolished to allow for more access to quality healthcare from NPs which is usually less expensive compared to the physician counterpart.
The fight to have the full practice policy adopted in all 50 states of the US is still ongoing and you can be a part of it, implementing change by combining efforts with organizations like the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, AANP.