PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS - LINKING CARE, COMPETENCE, AND QUALITY

Professional standards are key to the success of nurses as health care evolves, new roles are created, and new practice settings established . They are the infrastructure beneath the development of institutional standards of care, competency-based education programs, and quality a ssurance programs. Using them to link these key components provides fo r consistency across practice settings and among practicing nurses wit hin integrated delivery systems. They also serve as the foundation for consensus building for partnerships and interdisciplinary initiatives .