Can a licensed practical nurse perform venipuncture to obtain blood samples for laboratory tests in the home setting?

The nursing laws and rules allow the competent and appropriately trained licensed practical nurse performing venipuncture to obtain blood samples for laboratory testing in any setting. The licensed practical nurse must work under the direction of an authorized health care practitioner or under the direction and supervision of a registered nurse. These procedures require a prescription from an authorized health care practitioner. The nurse must follow Federal and State blood-borne pathogen and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. The nurse should use the Scope of Practice Decision Tree to determine if these activities are within the nurse's regulatory and individual scope of practice.