As used in Title 37, chapter 8, MCA, and this chapter, unless defined specifically in a particular subchapter, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Board" means the Montana Board of Nursing.

(2) "Charge nurse" means the nurse who is in charge of patient and/or resident care during a nursing shift. An LPN may serve as a charge nurse in the absence of an RN in a long term care facility, pursuant to 37-8-102, MCA.

(3) "Competency" means performing skillfully and proficiently the functions that are within the role of the licensee; and, demonstrating the interrelationship of essential knowledge, judgment, and skills.

(4) "Direction" means a communication of a plan of care based upon assessment of a patient by a registered nurse or a licensed independent health care provider pursuant to 37-8-102, MCA, that sets forth the parameters for the provision of care or for the performance of a procedure.

(5) "Direct supervision" means the supervisor is on the premises, and is quickly and easily available.

(6) "Focused nursing assessment" is conducted by a licensed practical nurse and is an appraisal of an individual's status and situation at hand, contributing to the comprehensive assessment by the registered nurse, supporting ongoing data collection, deciding who needs to be informed of the information, and when to inform.

(7) "Health team" means a group of health care providers which may, in addition to health care practitioners, include the client, family, and significant others.

(8) "Immediate supervision" means the supervisor is on the premises and is within audible and visual range of the patient.

(9) "Comprehensive nursing assessment" means a systematic collection of data conducted by an RN to determine the patient's health status and to identify any actual or potential health problems.

(10) "Nursing procedures" means those nursing actions selected and performed in the delivery of safe and effective patient/client care.

(11) "Nursing process" means the traditional systematic method nurses use when they provide:

(a) nursing care including assessment;

(b) nursing analysis;

(c) planning;

(d) nursing intervention; and

(e) evaluation.

(12) "Practical nurse" means the same thing as "licensed practical nurse," "PN," and "LPN" unless the context of the rule dictates otherwise. The practice of practical nursing is defined at 37-8-102, MCA.

(13) "PRN medication" ("pro re nata," Latin for "according as circumstances may require") means medication taken as necessary for the specific reason stated in the medication order, together with specific instructions for its use.

(14) "Registered nurse" means the same thing as "RN" and "professional nurse" unless the context of the rule dictates otherwise. The practice of professional nursing is defined at 37-8-102, MCA.

(15) "Routine medication" means medication taken regularly at the same time each day using the same route, or on the same days of the week, at the same time, using the same route.

(16) "Standard" means an authoritative statement by which the board can judge the quality of nursing education or practice.

(17) "Standardized procedures" means routinely executed nursing actions for which there is an established level of knowledge and skill.

(18) "Strategy of care" means the goal-oriented plan developed to assist individuals or groups to achieve optimum health potential. This includes initiating and maintaining comfort measures, promoting and supporting human functions and responses, establishing an environment conducive to well being, providing health counseling and teaching, and collaborating on certain aspects of the medical regimen including but not limited to the administration of medications and treatments.

(19) "Supervision" or "general supervision" means provision of guidance by a qualified nurse or a person specified in 37-8-102, MCA, for the accomplishment of a nursing task or activity with initial direction of the task or activity and periodic inspection of the actual act of accomplishing the task or activity.

(20) "Supervisor" means the health care professional identified by these rules as the person qualified to supervise another in the performance of nursing procedures and care.