Section 216-RICR-40-05-3.11 - Standards Pertaining to Basic Nursing Education Programs3.11.1Approval CriteriaA. Any school, college, university or institution or such other facility, including proprietary institutions and/or entities, in the State of Rhode Island conducting or operating a basic nursing education program for the purpose of preparing individuals to be responsible practitioners of nursing and of granting appropriate diplomas or degrees in nursing (professional or practical nursing) is required to have been duly authorized to grant such degree or diploma by the appropriate state education body and/or authority pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 16-40-1 and 16-40-2, and is required furthermore to receive approval from the Board. Such approval may be granted if the nursing program meets the statutory and regulatory requirements and standards of this Part. Approval shall consist of: 1. "Initial approval" which is the official recognition granted by the Board to a new program upon application by the controlling institution after survey and evaluation by the Board to determine that the institution is reasonably ready to admit students based on the provisions of §3.11.1(A) of this Part; or2. "Approved program" which is the official recognition of approval as defined in § 3.2(A)(5) of this Part, granted by the Board to the basic nursing education program in Rhode Island which is in compliance with the statutory and regulatory provisions of § 3.12 of this Part.3.11.2Application for and Issuance of ApprovalA. Initial Approval. An institution desiring to conduct an educational program for the preparation of individuals for examination and licensure to practice nursing (professional or practical nursing), shall apply to the Board and submit at least eighteen (18) months prior to the date it expects to admit the first student, a completed application. The proposed program shall provide, at a minimum, the following information to the Board: 1. General information about the controlling institution as specified in the application, including organizational and administrative relationships of the controlling institution and the program;2. Governing institution approval and support;3. Results of a needs assessment, including identification of potential students and employment opportunities for program graduates;4. Type of educational program proposed;5. Identification of sufficient financial and other resources;6. Evidence of community readiness to accept and support the program in appropriate ways;7. Clinical opportunities and availability of resources, including sources and locations of classrooms, clinical laboratory, conference rooms and other resources;8. The philosophy, purposes and accreditation status of the controlling institution and the major facilities to be used for clinical laboratory experience;9. Availability of qualified faculty;10. A proposed time line for initiating and expanding the program, covering a period of at least eighteen (18) months; and11. Any other evidence as deemed necessary and as may be requested by the Board.B. When an institution has submitted evidence to the Board that it is prepared to meet the prescribed requirements and the preliminary procedures have been completed to the satisfaction of the Board, authorization shall be granted by the Board to the institution to initiate the basic nursing education program.C. At least six (6) months prior to the date of admission of students, a report on the proposed education program shall be submitted to the Board by the nurse director which verifies that the following program components and processes have been completed: 1. Employment of a chief academic officer and faculty to develop program.2. Overview of total curriculum: b. Schedule (course sequence);c. Course descriptions and objectives;d. Contracts for clinical sites;e. Program evaluation plan;f. Consultation with the Board; andg. Course syllabi for first year with identified timeline for submission of syllabi for next years.3. Establishment of student policies for admission, progression, retention and graduation.4. RN programs preparing students at the diploma and/or associate degree levels shall also submit evidence of an articulation agreement with a State of Rhode Island-approved Baccalaureate nursing degree-conferring program.D. A site visit and an evaluation to validate compliance with §§3.11.1(A) and 3.12 of this Part of the new nursing program shall be made by the state director of nursing education and/or other authorized representative of the Board, who shall submit written reports of findings to the Board for their evaluation of the nursing program. This site visit may also include an authorized representative of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education.E. If, in the opinion of the Board, the nursing program is found to meet the criteria of this Part, the Board shall grant an initial approval. Such approval shall extend from the date of Board action which precedes admission of the first students, and shall terminate on graduation of the first students. The Board may request periodic reports from the new program regarding initial program operations before granting official state approval.F. Approved Program. Upon expiration of the initial approval, the Board may grant official state approval, if the program is found to meet the prescribed standards of § 3.12 of this Part. Such approval shall be based on data obtained from site visits conducted by the state director of nursing education and/or other authorized representative(s) of the Board and submission of program's ongoing evaluation plan and data.G. Evaluation of Approved Programs 1. No later than January 31st of each year, an approved nursing program shall submit an annual report for the prior academic year to the Board which addresses, as a minimum, the criteria established by §3.11.2(G)(2) of this Part. The Board may require an approved nursing program to submit additional information to determine compliance with the standards of this Part.2. It shall be the duty of the Board through the state director of nursing education and/or other authorized representative(s) of the Board to conduct periodically, as may be deemed necessary, an evaluation of all basic nursing education programs in this state to validate continued compliance with the standards of this Part. Written reports shall be submitted to the Board for its determination of compliance with the standards of this Part. The Board shall also monitor and analyze various sources of information regarding program performance, including, but not limited to:a. Annual reports from accrediting bodiesb. Accreditation site visit recommendationsc. Substantive change reports submitted to accreditation bodiesd. Credentials of faculty including adjunct clinical faculty who are a matriculating graduate student in a graduate nursing education program.e. For programs preparing students at the diploma and/or associate degree levels, a current articulation agreement with a State of Rhode Island approved nursing education program authorized to confer a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing.3. If the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) score of program graduates who are submitting to said examination for the first time, falls below the eighty percent (80%) pass rate for this population, for a period from January 1st through December 31st of the following year, the Board will notify the program, requesting a proposal for analyzing the problem. Such proposal shall be submitted within ninety (90) days of the request. A plan of correction is to be submitted within nine months of the submission of the proposal. a. If the program fails to respond to the request from the Board, or if the plan of correction is found to be deficient, a hearing would be held in accordance with this Part.b. If the NCLEX results continue to fall below the eighty percent (80%) passing standard, the program representatives may be invited to meet with members of the Board.216 R.I. Code R. § 216-RICR-40-05-3.11