STANDARDS FOR NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS. (a) The purpose of the board in adopting rules and regulations in this Chapter

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1 CHAPTER VI STANDARDS FOR NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS Section 1. Statement of Purpose. is: (a) The purpose of the board in adopting rules and regulations in this Chapter programs. (i) To serve as a guide for the development of new nursing education (ii) To provide criteria for the evaluation and approval of new and established nursing education programs. programs. (iii) To foster the continued improvement of established nursing education Section 2. Types of Approval. (a) There shall be three (3) types of approval which may be granted by the board of nursing education programs preparing graduates for licensure as registered professional nurses or licensed practical nurses. They are provisional approval, full approval, or conditional approval. (b) When requesting a site visit, nursing programs with bi-level curricula must indicate the curriculum to be evaluated; e.g., practical nurse, associate degree, or both. Section 3. Approval Requirements For Nursing Education Programs. (a) Provisional approval shall be required of a governing body to initiate a new nursing education program. (i) Phase I - Statement of Intent and Board Review. (A) A governing body desiring to initiate a nursing education program shall submit to the board a statement of intent, an application, and a tentative program plan which shall include the following information: (I) Rationale for initiating a program; (II) Description of the proposed program; body; (III) Relationship of the proposed program to the governing

2 (IV) Evidence of financial resources for planning, implementation and continuation of the proposed program; (V) Ability of the geographic region to support the proposed program in relation to the potential students, availability of qualified faculty, and availability of academic and clinical facilities; (VI) Accreditation of the university or college by the appropriate accrediting agency or authority; (VII) Philosophy and purposes of the governing body; proposed program. (VIII) Tentative time schedule for planning and initiating the (IX) Evidence of approval from the Wyoming Community College Commission, or the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees, or other pertinent governing bodies. (B) The governing body may seek consultation with the board during initial planning or with an independent educational consultant with expertise in the type of program being proposed. (C) The board shall review the application and tentative program plan and may request additional information if deemed necessary. (D) The governing body shall appoint a qualified administrative head for the proposed program. (E) The administrative head shall write a self-study in accordance with the criteria as stated in the established standards, and submit a self-study and a minimum of ten (10) copies to the board. (F) The governing body shall recruit qualified faculty for the development of the proposed program. (ii) Phase II - Site Visit and Board Review. (A) A site visit shall be conducted by a member of the professional staff of the board and/or the board's designee. A report of the site visit shall be submitted by the site visitors to the board and the governing body for review. (B) The board shall evaluate the submitted reports at a designated board meeting; the governing body and administrative head of the proposed program may be present at the meeting to clarify information contained in any of the reports. 2

3 (C) After evaluation of the submitted reports, the board may take any of the following actions: (I) Grant provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards; (II) Deny provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards. (D) The board's decision may be communicated in person to representatives of the governing body attending the meeting. Written notification of the board's decision shall be mailed to the governing body and the administrative head of the proposed program after the board meeting, and shall include any recommendations from the board. (iii) The proposed program shall have provisional approval status before the governing body may publicize its availability, or recruit or enroll students in the program. (b) Full approval shall be required of a program after expiration of provisional approval. (i) Phase I - Request for Full Approval and Board Review (A) The governing body shall submit a written request to the board for full approval of the program within one (1) year following graduation of the first class. (B) The administrative head and faculty shall write a self-study in accordance with the criteria as stated in the established standards. The self-study and a minimum of ten (10) copies shall be submitted to the board four (4) months prior to the expiration date of provisional approval. (ii) Phase II - Site Visit and Board Review. (A) A site visit shall be conducted by a member of the professional staff of the board and an outside consultant who has experience in surveying the type of program seeking full approval. A report of the site visit shall be submitted by the site visitors to the board and governing body for review. (B) The board shall evaluate the submitted reports at a designated board meeting; the governing body may be present at the meeting to clarify information contained in any of the reports. (C) After evaluation of the submitted reports, the board may take any of the following actions: 3

4 (I) Grant full approval if the board finds that the program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards; (II) Grant conditional approval if the board identifies deficiencies in the submitted reports which indicate the program has failed to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards; (III) Deny full approval if the board finds that the program fails to meet the criteria stated in the established standards. (D) The board's decision may be communicated in person to representatives of the governing body attending the meeting. Written notification of the approval status shall be mailed to the governing body and the administrative head of the program after the board meeting, and shall include any recommendations or requirements determined by the board. (c) An approved nursing education program shall be periodically evaluated for continued full approval by the board to assure that the program continues to meet the approval requirements for nursing education programs. (i) An approved program not accredited by the National League for Nursing shall be evaluated every four (4) years. (ii) An approved program accredited by the National League for Nursing may be evaluated in concert with the League. (iii) The administrative head and faculty of the program shall write a self-study in accordance with the criteria as stated in the established standards. The self-study and a minimum of ten (10) copies shall be submitted to the board six (6) months prior to the expiration date of full approval. (iv) A site visit shall be conducted by a member of the professional staff of the board and/or an outside consultant who has experience in surveying the type of program being evaluated. A report of the site visit shall be submitted by the site visitors to the board and the governing body for review. (v) The board shall evaluate the submitted reports at a designated board meeting; the governing body and administrative head of the program may be present at the meeting to clarify information contained in any of the reports. (vi) After evaluation of the submitted reports, the board may take any of the following actions: (A) Continue full approval if the board finds the program continues 4

5 to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards; (B) Grant conditional approval if the board identifies deficiencies in the submitted reports which indicate the program has failed to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards; (C) Withdraw approval if the board finds the program has failed to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards. (vii) The board's decision may be communicated in person to representatives of the governing body attending the meeting. Written notification of the approval status shall be mailed to the governing body and the administrative head of the program after the board meeting, and shall include any recommendations or requirements determined by the board. (viii) The board may accept accreditation granted by the National League for Nursing in lieu of board-conducted site visits and required reports, provided the board determines that the criteria of the National League for Nursing is equivalent to the board criteria as stated in the established standards. Section 4. Periodic Evaluation of Nursing Education Programs. (a) An approved nursing education program shall submit to the board an annual report, a current program bulletin and faculty data forms, by October 15th (Fifteenth) of each year. (i) The board shall review the annual report at a designated board meeting. If the board determines additional information is necessary or specifies recommendations, the administrative head will be notified of the need for additional information or of the recommendations specified by the board. (ii) The board shall review the failure rate of the graduates on the national licensure examination concurrently with the annual report. (A) A program whose graduates, as first-time candidates, demonstrate a failure rate on the national nursing licensure examination of more than 25% for three (3) consecutive years, shall be notified of the need to submit a progress report to the board. (B) The required report shall be submitted within six (6) months, and shall include evidence of attempts to plan for correcting the failure rate on the national nursing licensure examination. (b) An approved nursing education program may be visited at times other than the required site visits, if deemed necessary by the board. 5

6 (c) An approved nursing education program shall submit a special report to the board prior to initiation of any changes which significantly affect the administration, students, faculty, curriculum resources or clinical facilities of a program previously reviewed and approved by the board. Ten (10) copies of the report shall be sent to the board office. The board shall review the special report at a designated meeting and shall notify the program of any requirements determined by the board. Section 5. Conditional Approval For Nursing Education Programs. (a) If the board determines a program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards, the board may grant conditional approval for a designated period of time pending removal or correction of deficiencies as identified by the board. The board shall notify the governing body and administrative head of the program of the change in approval status. (i) Upon notification from the board that the program has been granted conditional approval, the administrative head shall prepare a written progress report containing evidence of removal or correction of the deficiencies and shall submit the report and a minimum of ten (10) copies to the board within the designated period of time. (ii) Upon receipt of the written progress report, the board shall review the evidence of removal or correction of the deficiencies and may take one of the following actions; (A) Restore full approval if the board finds that the program has removed or corrected the deficiencies as identified by the board; (B) Continue conditional approval for a period of time as determined by the board, if the board finds that the program has not satisfactorily removed or corrected the deficiencies as identified by the board; (C) Withdraw approval if the board finds that the program has not substantially removed or corrected the deficiencies as identified by the board. Section 6. Programs. Denial or Withdrawal of Approval For Nursing Education (a) The governing body may request a hearing before the board upon notification from the board of denial or withdrawal of approval for failure to substantially meet the criteria as stated in the established standards. (b) Upon request from the governing body for a hearing, the board shall conduct 6

7 a hearing for denial or withdraw of approval or other action as deemed necessary, provided that all actions shall be effected in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act. The governing body and administrative head of the program may be present and rebut evidence pertaining to the program's failure to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards. (c) After the board has conducted the hearing, the board may take any of the following actions: (i) Grant provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards; (ii) Deny provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards; (iii) Continue conditional approval if the board identifies deficiencies in the evidence presented to the board which indicates the program has failed to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards; (iv) Reinstate full approval if the board finds that the program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards; (v) Withdraw approval if the board finds that the program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards. Section 7. Termination of a Nursing Education Program. (a) When the board denies or withdraws approval of a program, the governing body shall prepare a written plan for termination of the program and shall submit the plan to the board within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice of withdrawal of approval. (b) When the governing body voluntarily decides to close an approved program, a written plan for the closing of the program shall be submitted to the board, stating the reason, the plan for termination, and the date of intended closing. Section 8. Programs. Criteria For Evaluation of Approval for Nursing Education (a) Organization and Administration: Criterion: (i) There shall be a governing body which has legal authority, and sufficient financial resources, for administering the program. 7

8 (ii) There shall be an organizational plan which demonstrates and describes the relationship of the program to the governing body and to the community and the internal organization of the program. (iii) There shall be opportunity for faculty and student representation on central committees of the governing body. (iv) The personnel policies for faculty members of the program shall be the same as those which are in effect for other faculty members in the governing body in regard to appointment, responsibilities, academic rank, tenure, salaries, promotion, workload, and recognition of professional competencies. (v) There shall be an administrative head who: (A) Holds a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in Wyoming. (B) Holds a minimum of a master's degree in nursing. (C) Holds a minimum of a doctorate degree in nursing or a related field if the head of a baccalaureate program. (vi) The administrative head shall have the delegated authority to administer the program in accordance with the policies of the governing body and in relation to: (A) (B) (C) (D) Preparation and administration of a financial plan. Faculty appointments, retention and promotion. Curriculum. Relationships with agencies and community groups. (E) Evaluation of the organization and administration of the program by faculty and students. (F) Scheduling faculty hours to allow for class preparation, student counseling, curriculum development, and the opportunity for professional development. (b) Students: Criterion: 8

9 (i) The governing body shall establish, publish, and enforce explicit policies with respect to requirements for admission, residency, graduation; awarding of credits, degrees or other credentials; grading; standards of progress; payment of fees and refunds; withdrawals; standards of conduct; disciplinary measures; and grievance procedures. (ii) The admission of students to the program shall be determined through an objective process using published criteria which shall be uniformly applied. (iii) Admissions shall take into account the capacity of the student to undertake a course of study and the capacity of the governing body to provide the instructional support and other support services to meet the student's academic needs. (iv) The governing body shall provide academic advice to students through faculty or qualified persons. The governing body shall assure that students, at stated intervals, are informed of their progress and remaining obligations in the completion of the program. (v) The program shall permanently maintain accurate records of scholastic achievement on each student. (c) Faculty: All Nursing Education Programs Criterion: (i) The faculty shall include a minimum of two (2) full-time registered professional nurses; one of whom is the administrative head of the program. (ii) If the program admits more than sixteen (16) students in a class, or admits more than one (1) class annually, additional full-time or part-time faculty shall be secured. Faculty-student ratio shall be at a maximum ratio of 1:8 for clinical experiences. Factors that shall be considered in setting this ratio are clinical site, level of student, number of beds, type of clinical experience, the agency's contractual experience, program and curricular objectives, and the faculty's teaching experience. (iii) Registered professional nurse faculty shall: (A) (B) Be responsible for teaching nursing courses. Be academically and professionally qualified. (I) Hold a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in Wyoming. Preferably have a master's degree in nursing. Faculty not prepared at the master's level shall have a written plan indicating 9

10 expected completion date of the next highest degree. (II) responsibility in which they will teach. Have clinical experience in the areas of (III) Baccalaureate program faculty shall have a minimum of a master's degree in nursing and recent clinical experience in the areas of responsibility in which they will teach. (IV) doctorate in nursing or a related field. Baccalaureate faculty shall preferably have a (1.) Faculty not prepared at the doctorate level shall be working toward a doctorate in nursing or a related field and shall have a written plan indicating expected completion date of the next highest degree; or (2.) Non-tenure track faculty not prepared at the doctorate level shall maintain clinical and teaching expertise through documented clinical research and practice, related continuing education, and classroom and clinical teaching. policy. performance. institutional policy. (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) Participate in faculty evaluation according to institutional Provide for student evaluation of teaching effectiveness. Participate in the evaluation of student academic and clinical Participate in activities to maintain professional competency. Participate in selection and promotion of faculty according to (H) Participate in professional and community activities for the improvement of health care delivery. governing body. (I) Participate in academic activities of the total faculty of the (iv) Faculty teaching non nursing courses shall have appropriate academic and professional preparation and experience in the assigned areas of teaching. 10

11 (d) Curriculum: Criterion: (i) The curriculum shall be developed, implemented, and controlled by the faculty within an organizing and/or conceptual framework which incorporates philosophy, purposes, and objectives or outcomes of the program and policies of the governing body. (ii) The faculty shall develop and periodically evaluate the philosophy, purpose, and objectives or outcomes of the program. Such statements shall express the educational principles of the program and include a description of the nurse to be prepared. (A) The curricular objectives or program outcomes shall identify the behavioral expectations of the student who completes the program and will be used to: the curriculum; (I) (II) Develop, organize, implement, and evaluate Identify levels of progression and for courses; (III) Distinguish differences in levels of programs and show progression from the simple to the complex; (IV) Select content for courses in nursing theory and nursing practice, including nursing process, decision-making, and problem-solving; (V) and skills are developed progressively; Organize the content so that understanding (VI) Give evidence of preparation for the practice of nursing as defined by the Wyoming Nursing Practice Act. (B) General education courses are shared with students in other departments of the governing body and are an integral part of the curriculum. (iii) The curriculum is evaluated systematically by faculty, students, graduates, and consumers. (e) Resources: Criterion: (i) The governing body and clinical facilities shall together 11

12 provide classrooms, faculty offices, laboratories, and other instructional resources sufficient in number, design, condition, and accessibility to support the curricular objectives dependent on their use. (ii) Provide equipment sufficient in quantity and quality to support instruction, student performance, and research at the BSN level. (iii) Provide libraries and/or instructional resource centers that possess and maintain collections sufficient in depth and breadth to support the curriculum. (iv) the program. Provide secretarial services sufficient to meet the needs of (v) The governing body shall assure that whenever and wherever courses are offered as part of the curriculum, it shall provide adequate academic support services. (f) Clinical Facilities: Criterion: (i) A written contract or agreement shall be executed by the governing body conducting the program and the cooperating clinical facility or agency; the contract shall be signed by the responsible individual(s) of each party, and shall set forth the responsibilities of each party. evaluated. (ii) Resources, facilities, and services shall be periodically 12

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