The purpose of the Nursing Practice Act is to promote, preserve and protect the public health, safety and welfare by regulating the practice of nursing, schools of nursing, hemodialysis technicians and medication aides in the state.
History: 1953 Comp., § 67-2-2, enacted by Laws 1968, ch. 44, § 2; 1991, ch. 190, § 1; 2001, ch. 137, § 1.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2001 amendment, effective June 15, 2001, inserted "hemodialysis technicians and medication aides".
The 1991 amendment, effective June 14, 1991, substituted "promote, preserve and protect the public health, safety and welfare" for "safeguard life and health and to promote the public welfare" and made a minor stylistic change.
Requiring nurse to "float" not unlawful or serious misconduct. — A hospital's "floating" policy is not necessarily something that "public policy would condemn." Therefore, requiring a nurse to "float" is not the kind of unlawful or serious misconduct for which recognition of the tort of wrongful discharge was intended. Francis v. Memorial Gen. Hosp., 1986-NMSC-072, 104 N.M. 698, 726 P.2d 852.