Section 216-RICR-40-05-3.2 - DefinitionsA. Wherever used in this Part the following terms shall be construed as follows:1. "Act" means R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-34 entitled, "Nurses".2. "Adjunct clinical faculty" means individuals employed solely to supervise clinical nursing experiences of students and meet all the qualifications in § 3.12(B)(4) of this Part.3. "Advanced practice registered nurse" or "APRN" is the title given to an individual licensed to practice advanced practice registered nursing within one of the following roles: certified nurse practitioner (CNP), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-34.2, or certified clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and who functions in a population focus. An APRN may serve as a primary or acute care provider of record.4. "Advanced practice registered nursing" means an independent and expanded scope of nursing in a role and population focus approved by the Board that includes the registered nurse scope of practice and may include, but is not limited to, performing acts of advanced assessment, diagnosing, prescribing and ordering. Each APRN is accountable to patients, the nursing profession and the Board for complying with the requirements of the Act and the quality of advanced nursing care rendered; recognizing limits of knowledge and experience; planning for the management of situations beyond the APRN's expertise; and for consulting with or referring patients to other health care providers as appropriate.5. "Approval" means the process whereby the Board evaluates and grants official recognition to basic nursing education programs in this state which meet the established criteria and standards of this Part.6. "Approved basic professional nursing education program" means a course of study for professional nurses that has been approved the Board, by the licensing authority of another state or territory, or by a national accrediting body.7. "Approved nurse practitioner program" means a Board approved course of study for nurse practitioners conducted within an academic institution which is regionally accredited or accredited by such other agency as may be recognized by the Board. Said course shall include both a didactic component and a supervised clinical experience.8. "Basic nursing education program", hereafter referred to as nursing program, means an educational unit within a hospital, junior college, senior college or university, which has as its major goal the preparation of individuals to be responsible practitioners of nursing and to grant appropriate diploma or degree in nursing.9. "Board" means the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education established pursuant to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-34-4.10. "Certified clinical nurse specialist" is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse who independently provides care to clients, facilitates attainment of health goals, and provides innovation in nursing practice, based on clinical expertise, evidence-based decision-making, and leadership skills. The clinical nurse specialist practices with individual clients and populations; nurses and other multidisciplinary team members; and organizations to effect system-wide changes to improve programs of care. The practice may include prescriptive privileges.11. "Certified registered nurse anesthetist" or "CRNA" means an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-34.2.12. "Certified nurse practitioner" means an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse utilizing independent knowledge of physical assessment, diagnosis and management of health care and illnesses. The practice includes prescriptive privileges. Certified nurse practitioners are members of the health care delivery system practicing in areas including, but not limited to, family practice, pediatrics, adult health care, geriatrics and women's health care in primary, acute, long-term and critical care settings in health care facilities and the community. Certified nurse practitioners may be recognized as the primary care provider or acute care provider of record.13. "Chief academic officer" means the individual who holds the earned degree in nursing that is required to lead the specific nursing education program, as stipulated in this Part, and is directly responsible for the activities and outcomes of that program. This individual may be titled within their specific institution as Chair, Dean, Director, etc., as determined by the policies and culture of their institution.14. "Client" means the same as "patient" or "resident."15. "Collaboration" means an independent working relationship between an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and other licensed health care professionals, including but not limited to, physicians, pharmacists, podiatrists, dentists and nurses, but does not require such relationship to be evidenced by a written collaboration agreement, to be with a specific designated physician, or for services to be performed at the same physical location as any collaborating licensed health care practitioner.16. "Continuing education hour" means a unit of measurement that describes sixty (60) minutes of an organized learning activity that is either a didactic or clinical experience. This is also known as a "contact hour."17. "Continuing education unit" or "CEU" means a specific, standard measure [e.g., ten (10) clock hours] of educational achievement used by many universities and professional organizations under the criteria of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) to attest to clock hour completion of continuing education activities.18. "Controlling institution" means the agency or institution that has authority and responsibility for financing the nursing education program employing the chief academic officer and faculty, graduating students and granting the diploma, certificate or degree.19. "Coordinated licensure information system" means an integrated process for collecting, storing, and sharing information on nurse licensure and enforcement activities related to nurse licensure laws, which is administered by a non-profit organization composed of and controlled by state nurse licensing boards.20. "Delegatee" means the certified nursing assistant or other unlicensed assistive personnel receiving the authority to perform a nursing activity.21. "Delegation" means the transferring to a competent individual the authority to perform a selected nursing activity in a selected situation. The nurse retains the accountability for the delegation.22. "Dentist" means an individual licensed in the State of Rhode Island to practice dentistry pursuant to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-31.1.23. "Department" means the Rhode Island Department of Health.24. "Director" means the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health.25. "Health" means optimum well-being.26. "Healthcare" means those services provided to promote the optimum well-being of individuals.27. "Independent practice" means an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse working without a formal collaborative agreement with a physician licensed in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-37.28. "Licensed" means status of qualified individuals who have completed a designated process by which the Board grants permission to individuals accountable and/or responsible for the practice of nursing to engage in that practice, prohibiting all others from legally doing so.29. "Non-clinical nursing faculty" means faculty employed for their expertise in a specific subject matter that is included in the curriculum of an approved nursing program and meet all the qualification in § 3.12(B)(3) of this Part.30. "Non-disciplinary alternative program" means the voluntary, confidential non-disciplinary program for nurses who abuse or are chemically dependent upon drugs or alcohol or who have been diagnosed with any mental illness as listed in the most recent revised publication or the most updated volume of either the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association or the International Classification of Disease Manual (ICO) published by the World Health Organization and that substantially limits the life activities of the person with the illness.31. "Nursing" means the provision of services that are essential to the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health throughout the continuum of life. It provides care and support of individuals and families during periods of wellness, illness, and injury and incorporates the appropriate medical healthcare plan of care as prescribed by a licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, certified nurse midwife, licensed physician, dentist or podiatrist. It is a distinct component of health services. Nursing practice is based on specialized knowledge, judgment, and nursing skills acquired through educational preparation in nursing and in the biological, physical, social, and behavioral sciences.32. "Physician" means an individual licensed to practice medicine in the State of Rhode Island pursuant to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-37.33. "Podiatrist" means an individual licensed in the State of Rhode Island to practice podiatry pursuant to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-29.34. "Population foci" means focus of the patient population. Population foci shall include: Family/Individual across the lifespan; Adult-gerontology; Neonatal; Pediatrics; Women's health/gender-related; and Psychiatric/mental health.35. "Practical nursing", pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-34-3(g), is practiced by licensed practical nurses (L.P.N.s). It is an integral part of nursing based on a knowledge and skill level commensurate with education. It includes promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and utilizes standardized procedures leading to predictable outcomes which are in accord with the professional nurse regimen under the direction of a registered nurse. In situations where registered nurses are not employed, the licensed practical nurse functions under the direction of a duly licensed physician, dentist, podiatrist, or other licensed health care providers authorized by law to prescribe. Each L.P.N. is responsible for the nursing care rendered.36. "The practice of certified registered nurse anesthesia" means providing certain health care services in collaboration with anesthesiologists, licensed physicians or licensed dentists, in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-31.1-1(16) and Chapter 5-34.2, which requires substantial specialized knowledge, judgment and skill related to the administration of anesthesia, including pre-operative and post-operative assessment of patients; administering anesthetics; monitoring patients during anesthesia; management of fluid in intravenous therapy and management of respiratory care.37. "Preceptor" means an individual at or above the level of licensure that an assigned student is seeking who may serve as a teacher, mentor, role model and/or supervisor in a clinical setting under the supervision of an assigned faculty member.38. "Professional nurse" is synonymous with "registered nurse".39. "Professional nursing" is practiced by registered nurses (R.N.s). The practice of professional nursing is a dynamic process of assessment of an individual's health status, identification of health care needs, determination of health care goals with the individual and/or family participation and the development of a plan of nursing care to achieve these goals. Nursing actions, including teaching and counseling, are directed toward the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and evaluation of the individual's response to nursing actions and the medical regimen of care. The professional nurse provides care and support of individuals and families during periods of wellness and injury and incorporates where appropriate, the medical plan of care as prescribed by a duly licensed physician, dentist or podiatrist or other licensed health care provider licensed to prescribe. Each R.N. is directly accountable and responsible to the consumer for the nursing care rendered.40. "Psychiatric and mental health nurse clinical specialist" is a certified clinical nurse specialist working in the population foci of psychiatric/mental health as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse utilizing independent knowledge in psychiatric mental health assessment, diagnosis, health promotion, psychotherapeutic modalities and management of mental health and illnesses. The practice may include prescriptive privileges within their scope of practice. The practice may also include consultation and education.41. "Regionally accredited" means the official guarantee that a college or university or other educational institution is in conformity with the standards of education prescribed by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the U.S. Commissioner of Education.42. "State" means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia.43. "Stable and predictable" means a condition in which a client's clinical and behavioral status, as assessed by the registered nurse, is determined to be non-fluctuating and consistent, is not recuperative in nature, and does not require the regularly scheduled care of a registered or licensed practical nurse.44. "State approved program" means the official recognition of a basic nursing education program granted by a state body statutorily authorized to approve basic nursing education programs in the respective state in which the nursing program is conducted.45. "State approved program of practical nursing" means a course of study for practical nurses that has been approved the Board, by the licensing authority of another state or territory, or by a national accrediting body.46. "Substantive change" means a significant modification or expansion in the nature and scope of education.47. "Supervision" means the provision of guidance by a professional or practical nurse for the accomplishment of a nursing activity with initial direction of the activity and periodic inspection of the actual act of accomplishing the activity. Total nursing care of an individual remains the responsibility and accountability of a licensed nurse.48. "Unlicensed assistive personnel" means persons who are not registered, certified, or otherwise licensed by the Department.216 R.I. Code R. § 216-RICR-40-05-3.2