216-40-05 R.I. Code R. § 3.12

Current through June 20, 2024

Section 216-RICR-40-05-3.12 - Standards for Approved Programs

A. Organization and Administration. The basic nursing education program shall be an organized sequence of study within or with an affiliated regionally accredited college or university or other similar controlling institution, authorized to confer credentials in nursing. A practical nursing educational program shall only be conducted as a post-secondary educational program. The nursing program shall:

1. Have written statements of purpose, philosophy and objectives, which are consistent with those of the sponsoring institution;

2. Be organized with clearly defined authorities and responsibilities and shall have a chart showing the relationships and channels of communication of the program to the Board, the other departments in the controlling institution, to other cooperating agencies and institutions, and within the program;

3. Include clinical experiences in the episodic and distributive areas of nursing practice in health care facilities providing the specialized clinical nursing service(s). Mutual agreements with cooperating agencies and/or institutions or facilities shall be developed which demonstrate active participation in the central clinical placement registry; and

4. Establish written policies and procedures pertaining to the nursing program which shall include provisions for the involvement of faculty members in the development of policies and procedures regarding planning, implementing and evaluating the curriculum.

5. An approved program shall be required to obtain and maintain accreditation of the nursing program by a national nursing accrediting body acceptable to the Board.

B. Faculty. The nursing program shall be staffed with a sufficient number of qualified faculty to meet the purposes and objectives of the nursing education program. The qualifications of the staff shall be commensurate with their respective functions and responsibilities.

1. Registered nurse educational programs

a. Registered nurse educational programs shall have a chief academic officer who meets the following qualifications:

(1) A current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part;

(2) A doctoral degree in nursing; or a master's degree in nursing and a doctoral degree in a related field. Notwithstanding this requirement, a chief academic officer hired prior to January 1, 2010 shall only be required to hold at least a master's degree in nursing;

(3) Educational preparation or experience in teaching and learning principles for adult education, including curriculum development and administration; and

(4) A current knowledge of registered nursing practice.

b. All other nurse faculty members shall have:

(1) A current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part;

(2) A minimum of a master's degree with a major in nursing or a nursing doctorate degree. Notwithstanding this requirement, a faculty member hired prior to April 1, 1985 shall only be required to hold at least a master's degree in a field related to nursing;

(3) Relevant clinical experience; and

(4) Current knowledge of RN nursing practice.

2. Practical nursing education programs

a. Practical nursing education programs shall have a chief academic officer who meets the following qualifications:

(1) A current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part;

(2) A minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing and masters in nursing; or a nursing doctorate degree;

(3) Educational preparation or experience in teaching and learning principles for adult education, including curriculum development and administration; and

(4) A current knowledge of nursing practice at the practical/vocational level.

b. All other nursing faculty members shall have:

(1) A current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part;

(2) A minimum of a master's degree with a major in nursing. Notwithstanding this requirement, a faculty member hired prior to April 1, 1985 shall only be required to hold at least a master's degree in a field related to nursing;

(3) Relevant clinical experience; and

(4) Current knowledge of LPN nursing practice.

3. Faculty who teach non-clinical nursing course shall have graduate academic and professional preparation and experience in their respective field in accordance with the policies of the controlling institution.

4. Adjunct clinical faculty employed solely to supervise clinical nursing experiences of students shall:

a. Meet all the faculty qualifications for the program level, as defined by this Part, they are teaching.

b. Possess a current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part.

c. In an emergent situation, the Chief Academic Officer of a nursing program may request a waiver from the Board to hire a specific person to fill a specific position for a specified period of time.

5. Preceptors. Clinical preceptors shall possess a current, active, unencumbered RN license or privilege to practice issued pursuant to the Act and this Part, have demonstrated competencies related to the area of assigned clinical teaching responsibilities and will serve as a role model and educator to the student.

a. Clinical preceptors may be used to enhance faculty-directed clinical learning experiences.

b. Clinical preceptors shall be licensed as a nurse at or above the level for which the student is preparing.

6. Faculty members shall be recruited, appointed and promoted on the basis of academic and professional qualifications and demonstrated professional competence in accordance with established policies consistent with those of the controlling institution and hold such licensure or certification as may be required by law.

7. Faculty shall be responsible for:

a. Developing, implementing and evaluating curriculum;

b. Developing standards for admission, promotion and graduation of students;

c. Participating in academic guidance and counseling;

d. Participating in professional and community activities; and

e. Such other as may be deemed appropriate.

8. Written policies pertaining to faculty rights and responsibilities which are consistent with the policies of the controlling institution shall be established and shall include provisions pertaining to:

a. Freedom of inquiry and opinion;

b. Criteria for evaluation of faculty performance;

c. Grievance procedure; and

d. Rank and status comparable to that afforded other faculty members of the controlling institution.

C. Students. Each nursing program shall provide directly to students, on an annual basis, written policies pertaining to no less than the following:

1. Admission, readmission, progression, retention, dismissal and graduation requirements which are consistent with policies of the controlling institution and the requirements of this Part;

2. Health and welfare, counseling and guidance, financial aid and housing (if any);

3. Participation in the development and evaluation of some aspects of the nursing program;

4. Availability of clinical facilities and services to the nursing program;

5. Student rights; and

6. Conditions of access to student records.

D. Resources, Facilities and Services. Each nursing program shall have adequate resources, facilities and services, consonant with the philosophy, purposes, objectives and policies of the nursing program and its controlling institution. Such resources, facilities and services shall include no less than:

1. Classroom, offices, conference rooms, laboratory and library facilities, accessible to and adequate for the number of students, faculty and other personnel;

2. Sufficient instructional materials to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff;

3. Furnishings of appropriate size and numbers as may be required for the varied instructional programs and for the number of students and staff;

4. An adequate number of agency and service resources to provide the kinds of student learning experiences as required to meet curriculum objectives; and

5. Adequate financial support to implement and operate the nursing program.

E. Curriculum. The curriculum of the nursing program shall be developed, organized, implemented and evaluated by the faculty. The framework of the curriculum shall be within the philosophy, purposes, and objectives of the program, as well as the policies of the controlling institution, and shall be consistent with the laws and regulations governing the practice of nursing. Furthermore, such curriculum shall be revised as may be necessary to maintain a program which reflects the developments in health care and its delivery, and to ensure that students are adequately prepared to meet the professional and legal expectations of a licensed professional (registered) or practical nurse.

1. Organization of the Curriculum

a. The selection and organization of the learning experience shall consist of an organized sequence of theory and clinical practice;

b. Theory and clinical experience shall be provided concurrently where appropriate;

c. Course outlines shall be kept current and available;

d. The organization of courses as model program design shall be in accordance with acceptable and recognized standards for baccalaureate degree, diploma and associate degree programs in nursing, and practical nursing programs shall be no less than forty (40) week academic programs.

2. Curriculum Content. Nursing education programs shall enable the student to develop the nursing knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for the level, scope and standards of nursing practice consistent with the level of licensure. Professional courses should build on a foundation of general education so that graduates are prepared to provide safe and effective nursing care to a diverse population.

a. The general education shall include content in English communication and interpersonal relations; humanities; cross-cultural competence; mathematics and quantitative reasoning; natural sciences and their relationship to each other; and social sciences that emphasize the study of human behavior.

b. The nursing specific content should be consistent with the current standards for national accreditation. This would include:

(1) Didactic content and supervised clinical experience in the prevention and treatment of illness and the promotion, restoration and maintenance of health in patients across the life span and in a variety of clinical settings;

(2) Experiences that promote the development of sound clinical judgment for optimal care, including the integration of research and evidence-based practice, the honoring of patient values, and the meeting ethical /legal standards;

(3) Opportunities to develop leadership and management skills, and professional socialization consistent with the level of licensure. This includes working in interdisciplinary teams, and delegation to/supervision of other health care providers;

(4) Using informatics to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making; and

(5) Participating in quality improvement processes to measure client outcomes, identify hazards and errors, and develop changes in processes of client care.

3. Evaluation of Curriculum. A systematic plan for on-going evaluation of the curriculum shall be established which includes evaluation provisions pertaining to no less than:

a. The implementation of the curriculum design;

b. The congruency of the curriculum with needs of society and developments in health care and its delivery; and

c. Revisions and/or modifications of curriculum as may be necessary based on evaluation data.

F. Innovative Approaches in Nursing Clinical Skills Education. Nursing programs are encouraged to explore and integrate effective ways to provide quality nursing education that develops the clinical skills of students so that graduates are adequately prepared to practice safely, competently, and ethically within the scope of practice as defined in the Act and this Part.

1. Purposes

a. To foster innovative models of nursing clinical education in approved nursing education programs so that preparation of nurses is reflective of the changing expectations of nurses in health care.

b. To assure that innovative approaches are conducted in a manner consistent with the Board's role of protecting the public.

c. To keep the Board informed of innovative approaches in nursing education and explicate how the selected approaches conform to the quality outcome standards of core education criteria outline in § 3.12(E) of this Part.

2. Eligibility

a. The nursing education program shall hold official state approval without conditions.

b. There are no substantiated complaints in the last two (2) years.

c. There are no rule violations in the past (2) years.

3. Notification.

a. Substantive changes in clinical education will be described to the Board within the annual report. The information will include:

(1) A brief description of the innovation, including educational objectives;

(2) Rationale with available evidence supporting this approach;

(3) An explanation as to why it is desirable to implement this change;

(4) Identification of any possible risk to the public;

(5) Identification of where in the curriculum this innovation will be implemented.

(6) Expected impact on the preparation of the students;

(7) Plan for implementation, including timetable; and

(8) Evaluation plan to determine effectiveness.

b. At any time if an eligible school wishes to inform or work with the Board in developing an innovative approach time will be provided during the meeting of the Board or with the Education Sub-Committee of the Board.

4. Board Intervention

a. The Board may require the program to make modifications if the Board receives substantiated evidence indicating adverse impact on either the public or the students.

b. The nursing program shall provide documentation of corrective measures and their effectiveness.

216 R.I. Code R. § 216-RICR-40-05-3.12