Statements of the Nursing Commission
The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 18.79 and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-840 provide the statutory and legal basis of nursing practice. The board provides advisory opinions, interpretive statements, and guidance documents related to specific areas of nursing practice.
RCW 34.05.230 provides a framework for interpretive and policy statements, and provides a way for a person to request the conversion of an interpretive or policy statement into rule.
Interpretive Statements are a written expression of the opinion of an agency as to the meaning of a statute or other provision of law, of a court decision, or of an agency order. They are intended to convey general guidance to assist interested parties by indicating the Washington State Board of Nursing’s current analysis and conclusion(s) on issues that are neither case, nor fact-specific, and that may come before the board at a time in the future.
An interpretive statement does not have the force and effect of law. It is merely an explanatory document intended to convey the board’s interpretation of the law and regulation as it existed at the time the statement was issued.
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Department of Health Rule Making