Who Has the Authority to Define Nursing Practice? Iowa Medical Society et al. v. Iowa Board of Nursing et al.

In May 2013, the Iowa Supreme Court considered whether the Iowa Board of Nursing (BON) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) exceeded their regulatory authority by enacting rules to clarify the role of advanced practice registered nurses in the supervision of radiologic technologists using fluoroscopic X-ray equipment. The district court concluded that the medical profession never recognized advanced practice registered nurses' supervision of fluoroscopy as required by the nurse practice act. Therefore, according to the district court, the BON and the IDPH exceeded their authority to promulgate the rules in question. On appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court, upholding the rules promulgated by the BON and IPDH.