Receiving telephone and verbal prescription orders, transcribing, and transmitting prescription orders are activities often performed by nurses and appropriately included by many organizations in the responsibilities of the registered nurse. The registered nurse has the skill and knowledge to receive a prescription order and transcribe it accurately for other nurses to implement or transmit the order to a pharmacist to dispense. The laws and rules do not prohibit the registered nurse from calling in medication orders except for those restrictions in the Controlled Substances Act. The registered nurse may enter medication prescriptions into an electronic health system under the direction of an authorized health care practitioner. These directions may come through standing orders or verbal orders. Standing orders are often used to renew medication prescriptions. See the NCQAC Standing and Verbal Orders Advisory Opinion for guidelines and recommendations. It is within the scope of practice of the appropriately prepared registered nurse to write or enter the information into an electronic health record system the patient demographic information, as well as the drug, dosage, frequency and number of refills on a medical prescription as pursuant to a medical order. The nurse may not sign the nurse's name or the name of the individual authorizing the prescription on the prescription. WAC 246-870 Electronic Transmission of Prescription Information allows electronic prescriptions for legend drugs and controlled substances (except for Schedule II controlled substances). The laws states, “The system shall provide an audit trail of all prescriptions electronically transmitted that documents for retrieval all actions and persons who have acted on a prescription, including authorized delegation of transmission.” The order must be authenticated. See the Washington State Department of Health Pharmacies Website for more information.