La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § XLVII-3539

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024

Section XLVII-3539 - Procedure for Approval for Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Education Degree Programs whose Administrative Control is Located in Another State Offering Programs, Courses, and/or Clinical Experience in Louisiana (Formerly Section 3536)

A. Program of Studies. To receive approval by the board for a total undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) of study by undergraduate and graduate nursing education degree programs with physical presence in Louisiana, but whose administrative control is located in another state, the following criteria shall be met.

1. New programs must follow the procedure to establish new programs as specified in §3533

2. Programs must present evidence of compliance with all standards and requirements contained in LAC 46:XLVII.Chapter 35. Upon full approval, the program will be reviewed under the requirements for continued approval, as specified in §3535

B. Course/Clinical Offerings. Out-of-state undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) offering courses/clinical experiences in Louisiana are expected to maintain the standards required of Louisiana-based programs. The board reserves the right to withdraw the approval of such offerings if adherence to these standards is not maintained. To receive approval by the Board of Nursing for course/clinical offerings in Louisiana by nursing programs whose administrative control is located in another state, the following criteria shall be met.

1. Approval/Accreditation Requirements. The following evidence of approval/accreditation of the undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) shall be submitted to the board as stipulated.

a. The nursing program sponsoring the offering shall hold current approval by the Board of Nursing and/or other appropriate approval bodies in the state in which the parent institution is located.

b. Regional accreditation shall be held by the parent institution.

c. National nursing accreditation recognized by the board is required.

d. The nursing program sponsoring the course/clinical offering must provide the Board of Nursing with the following materials for review at least six months prior to the scheduled initiation of the offering:

i. a letter of request for approval to provide the course/clinical offering, which indicates the time-frame during which the offering will be conducted and the clinical agency(ies)/the clinical unit(s) will be utilized;

ii. a copy of the mission/philosophy, goals and outcomes;

iii. a curriculum course sequencing, which lists all courses by semester/quarter required within the program of study;

iv. a course syllabus for the course/clinical experience(s) to be offered, which specifies the related outcomes of the offering; and

v. a current electronic copy of school catalog.

e. Request for preceptorship learning experiences shall include evidence of compliance with §3543

2. Coordination with other undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) as follows:

a. evidence of meetings or communications with representatives of the clinical agency and the out-of-state nursing program;

b. evidence of meetings or communications with program heads of approved Louisiana undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s);

c. meetings or communications of respective representatives from undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) and clinical agency shall occur minimally on an annual basis, or on a semester basis as deemed necessary by any involved party; and

d. a "clinical facility survey" form shall be submitted by the undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s).

3. Students

a. All students shall be in good academic standing in the undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s).

b. Students shall not be eligible to enroll in a clinical nursing course based on evidence of grounds for denial of licensure in accordance with R.S. 37:921 and LAC 46:XLVII.3331 and 3403.

c. Undergraduate performance on the licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) shall be maintained at an 80 percent or higher pass rate for each January through December calendar year. Upon initial request for approval, NCLEX-RN performance by undergraduates for the past two calendar years shall be submitted to the board.

d. Graduate performance on certification examination for the past two calendar years shall be submitted to the board for each role and population requesting approval.

4. Faculty

a. A "faculty qualification" form provided by the board shall be submitted for each faculty member providing instruction within the state of Louisiana.

b. Each faculty member shall hold a current license to practice as a registered nurse and/or advanced practice registered nurse in Louisiana.

c. Each faculty member shall hold a graduate degree in nursing and a minimum of two years of nursing practice in a clinical setting.

d. Clinical faculty shall be present for student supervision while students are assigned to clinical areas unless the students are engaged in a board-approved preceptorship experience.

e. Clinical faculty for undergraduate and graduate precepted clinical experiences are expected to confer with the preceptor and student at least weekly and visit the site at least once in a semester/quarter.

f. The faculty to student ratio per clinical experience shall not exceed 1 to 10 (1:10) per clinical day for undergraduate clinical instruction unless the students are engaged in a board-approved preceptorship experience which permits a maximum of 1 to 15 (1:15) faculty to undergraduate student ratio per clinical day and 1 to 9 (1:9) faculty to APRN student ratio per clinical day.

5. Approval

a. Course/clinical offerings by out-of-state nursing programs may be approved for a period of three years, at which time program representatives may petition for renewal of approval for each additional three-year period.

b. Request for out-of-state clinical re-approval form, which provides updated and current data relevant to the undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) program, shall be submitted as a component of the petition for renewal as specified in §3539. B 1-5.

c. Failure to comply with the requirements established by the board shall result in the immediate withdrawal of the board's approval of course/clinical offerings.

6. Post-Approval

a. A copy of the executed contractual agreement between the academic institution and the clinical facility/agency shall be maintained by the institution.

b. Undergraduate student approval application shall be submitted 60 days prior to the date of enrollment in the clinical nursing course.

c. Graduate student clinical experience spreadsheet provided by the board shall be submitted within two weeks of initiation of experience.

d. Faculty qualification forms must be submitted to the board within two weeks of hire.

e. The undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) shall keep the board informed of any changes to approval and accreditation status.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § XLVII-3539

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Board of Nursing, LR 10:1028 (December 1984), amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Nursing, LR 19:1150 (September 1993), LR 21:803 (August 1995), LR 24:1293 (July 1998), LR 26:2791 (December 2000), repromulgated LR 27:853 (June 2001), Amended LR 42888 (6/1/2016).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:918.