Age Parameters Our thanks to previous Professional Issues Chair Rosemary Liguori, PhD, CPNP and NAPNAP Director of Practice, Education & Research Dolores Jones, EdD, RN, CPNP, CAE for collaborating on this answer. (Updated 7/23/08) Question: I am a new graduate PNP, living in New York State, and have just been hired to work in an ENT clinic. The clinic has a mostly pediatric population, with an occasional adult client. Am I allowed to manage similar ENT problems in adult patients? Answer: NAPNAP has published two documents that you may find helpful in answering this question -- NAPNAP and the Society of Pediatric Nurses' (SPN) joint Pediatric Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice and NAPNAP's Position Statement on Age Parameters for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Practice. These documents, as well as most State Boards of Nursing and PNP educational programs, delineate the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)'s role as caring for patients from newborns through 21 years of age. It is advisable to contact your individual State Board of Nursing, as each state has its own Nurse Practice Act, rules and regulations. Many states' Nurse Practice Acts are available on the web at http://www.cybernurse.com/stateboards.html. Because every state defines the scope of practice differently, and because the practice acts are sometimes ambiguous in identifying age limits, it is imperative that you are familiar with the practice act in your own state. In New York, a Nurse Practitioner is certified to practice in a specific specialty area. Your specialty area is pediatrics. Although NPs may be certified in more than one specialty, this requires a separate application for each specialty and you must be able to demonstrate that the education requirements specific to that specialty area have been satisfied. Unless you have met the requirements for a second certification (in Adult Health or Family Health), your practice should be limited to your specialty area of pediatrics. Additional information about requirements for a second specialty certification in NY are available online at http://www.op.nysed.gov/.
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