Chapter 441

CHAPTER 441

BOARD OF NURSING

SUBCHAPTER I

REGULATION OF NURSING

441.001   Definitions.

441.01   Board of nursing.

441.06   Registered nurses; civil liability exemption.

441.065   Use of titles.

441.07   Disciplinary proceedings and actions.

441.08   Temporary permit.

441.09   Advanced practice registered nurses; civil liability exemption.

441.092   Expedited partner therapy.

441.10   Licensed practical nurses.

441.11   Nurse anesthetists.

441.115   Exceptions; temporary practice.

441.12   Administration; nonaccredited schools.

441.13   Penalty.

441.15   Nurse-midwives.

441.16   Prescription privileges of nurses.

441.18   Prescriptions for and delivery of opioid antagonists.

441.19   Maintenance and detoxification treatment under federal waiver.

SUBCHAPTER II

NURSE LICENSURE COMPACT

441.51   Nurse licensure compact.

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Ch. 441 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See definitions in s. 440.01.

subch. I of ch. 441 SUBCHAPTER I

REGULATION OF NURSING

Subch. I of ch. 441 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also N, Wis. adm. code.

441.001 441.001 Definitions. In this subchapter:

441.001(1c) (1c) Advanced practice registered nursing. “Advanced practice registered nursing” means the practice of a certified nurse-midwife, the practice of a certified registered nurse anesthetist, the practice of a clinical nurse specialist, and the practice of a nurse practitioner.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (1c) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(1g) (1g) Board. “Board” means the board of nursing.

441.001(1r) (1r) Compensation. “Compensation” includes indirect compensation, direct compensation, and the expectation of compensation, whether actually received or not.

441.001(2) (2) Nurse. Except as provided under s. 441.08, “nurse,” when used without modification or amplification, means only a registered nurse.

441.001(2m) (2m) Nursing. “Nursing,” when used without modification or amplification, means professional nursing.

441.001(3) (3) Practical nursing.

441.001(3)(a) (a) “Practical nursing” means the performance for compensation of any simple acts in the care of convalescent, subacutely or chronically ill, injured or infirm persons, or of any act or procedure in the care of the more acutely ill, injured or infirm under the specific direction of a nurse, physician, podiatrist licensed under ch. 448, chiropractor licensed under ch. 446, dentist licensed under ch. 447 or optometrist licensed under ch. 449, or under an order of a person who is licensed to practice medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, dentistry or optometry in another state if that person prepared the order after examining the patient in that other state and directs that the order be carried out in this state.

441.001(3)(b) (b) In par. (a), “simple act” means an act to which all of the following apply:

441.001(3)(b)1. 1. The act does not require any substantial nursing skill, knowledge, or training, or the application of nursing principles based on biological, physical, or social sciences, or the understanding of cause and effect in the act.

441.001(3)(b)2. 2. The act is one that is of a nature of those approved by the board for the curriculum of schools for licensed practical nurses.

441.001(3c) (3c) Practice of a certified nurse-midwife. “Practice of a certified nurse-midwife” means practice in the management of women’s health care, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care for newborns, family planning, and gynecological services consistent with the standards of practice of the American College of Nurse-Midwives or its successor.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (3c) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(3g) (3g) Practice of a certified registered nurse anesthetist. “Practice of a certified registered nurse anesthetist” means providing anesthesia care, pain management care, and care related to anesthesia and pain management for persons across their lifespan, whose health status may range from healthy through all levels of acuity, including persons with immediate, severe, or life-threatening illness or injury, in diverse settings, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics, medical offices, and home health care settings.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (3g) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(3n) (3n) Practice of a clinical nurse specialist. “Practice of a clinical nurse specialist” means providing advanced nursing care, primarily in health care facilities, including the diagnosis and treatment of illness for identified specific populations based on a specialty.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (3n) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(3r) (3r) Practice of a nurse practitioner. “Practice of a nurse practitioner” means practice in ambulatory, acute, long-term, or other health care settings as a primary or specialty care provider who provides health services, including assessing, diagnosing, treating, or managing acute, episodic, and chronic illnesses.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (3r) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(3w) (3w) Prescription order. “Prescription order” has the meaning given in s. 450.01 (21).

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (3w) is created eff. 9-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 17.

441.001(4) (4) Professional nursing. “Professional nursing” means the performance for compensation of any act in the observation or care of the ill, injured, or infirm, or for the maintenance of health or prevention of illness of others, that requires substantial nursing skill, knowledge, or training, or application of nursing principles based on biological, physical, and social sciences. Professional nursing includes any of the following:

441.001(4)(a) (a) The observation and recording of symptoms and reactions.

441.001(4)(b) (b) The execution of procedures and techniques in the treatment of the sick under the general or special supervision or direction of a physician, podiatrist licensed under ch. 448, chiropractor licensed under ch. 446, dentist licensed under ch. 447, or optometrist licensed under ch. 449, or under an order of a person who is licensed to practice medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, dentistry, or optometry in another state if the person making the order prepared the order after examining the patient in that other state and directs that the order be carried out in this state.

441.001(4)(c) (c) The execution of general nursing procedures and techniques.

441.001(4)(d) (d) Except as provided in s. 50.04 (2) (b), the supervision of a patient and the supervision and direction of licensed practical nurses and less skilled assistants.

441.001(5) (5) Recognized role. “Recognized role” means one of the following roles:

441.001(5)(a) (a) Certified nurse-midwife.

441.001(5)(b) (b) Certified registered nurse anesthetist.