DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

(Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission)

(1) Registered ((nursing)) nurse and practical ((nursing)) nurse applicants educated in a jurisdiction which is not a member of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and applying for initial licensure must:

(((1))) (a) Successfully complete a basic nursing education program approved in that country.

(((a))) (i) The nursing education program must be equivalent to the minimum standards prevailing for nursing education programs approved by the commission.

(((b))) (ii) Any deficiencies in the nursing program (theory and clinical practice in medical, psychiatric, obstetric, surgical and pediatric nursing) ((must)) may be satisfactorily completed in a commission approved nursing program or program created for internationally educated nurses identified in WAC 246-840-549, 246-840-551 or 246-840-552.

(b) Obtain an evaluation or certificate from a commission approved credential evaluation service verifying that the educational program completed by the applicant is equivalent to nursing education in the state of Washington.

(((2))) (c) Demonstrate English language proficiency by passing a commission approved English proficiency examination at a commission designated standard, or provide evidence directly from the school of earning a high school diploma or college degree from a United States institution prior to commission approval to take the national licensing examination.

Individuals from ((countries where English is the primary language and where nursing education (theory and clinical) is conducted in English will have this requirement waived)) Canada (except for Quebec), United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Island, and U.S. Virgin Islands will have this requirement waived.

(((3))) (d) Complete seven clock hours of AIDS education as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 8.

(((4))) (e) Successfully pass the commission approved licensure examination as provided in WAC 246-840-050.

(((5))) (2) Registered nurse and practical nurse applicants must submit the following documents:

(a) A completed licensure application with the required fee as defined in WAC 246-840-990.

(b) ((LPNs must submit an:

(i))) Official transcript directly from the nursing education program or licensure agency in the country where the applicant was educated ((or)) and previously licensed.

(i) Transcript must be in English or accompanied by an official English translation. If the applicant's original documents (education and licensing) are on file in another state or with an approved credential ((evaluating)) evaluation agency, the applicant may request that the state board or approved credential evaluating agency send copies directly to the commission in lieu of the originals.

(ii) The transcript must:

(A) Include the applicant's date of enrollment, date of graduation and credential conferred.

(B) Describe the course names and credit hours completed.

(C) Document equivalency to the minimum standards in Washington state. Course descriptions or syllabi may be requested to determine equivalency to Washington state standards.

(((ii))) (c) Documentation from a commission approved nursing program showing that any deficiency ((in theory and clinical practice in medical, psychiatric, obstetric, surgical and pediatric nursing)) has been satisfactorily completed.

(((iii))) (d) Documents must show the applicant has passed a commission approved English proficiency examination ((at a commission designated standard. This documentation will not be required from individuals from countries where English is the primary language and where nursing education (theory and clinical) is conducted in English.

(ii) Documents showing the applicant has passed a commission approved English proficiency examination at a commission designated standard. This documentation will not be required for individuals from countries where English is the primary language or where nursing education, theory and clinical, is conducted in English)) or the requirement is waived as identified in subsection (1) of this section.

Registered ((nursing)) nurse and practical ((nursing)) nurse applicants for interstate endorsement ((as a nurse)) may be issued a license without examination provided the applicant meets the following requirements:

(1) The applicant ((has)) graduated and holds a ((credential)) degree from:

(a) A commission or state board approved program preparing candidates for licensure as a nurse; or

(b) ((Its)) A nursing program that is equivalent to commission approved nursing education in Washington state at the time of graduation as determined by the commission((, which program must fulfill the minimum requirements for commission or state board approved registered nursing programs in Washington at the time of graduation)).

(4))) (2) The applicant holds a current active nursing license in another state or territory, or holds an inactive or expired license in another state or territory and successfully completes a commission-approved refresher course.

(5) For RNs: If the applicant is a graduate of a nontraditional nursing education program ((in nursing)) and:

(a) Was licensed as a practical/vocational nurse prior to licensure as a registered nurse, the applicant must ((document)) submit evidence of two hundred hours of preceptorship in the role of a registered nurse as defined in WAC 246-840-035, or at least one thousand hours of practice as a registered nurse without discipline of the registered nurse license by any other state or territory.

(b) Was not licensed as a practical/vocational nurse prior to licensure as a registered nurse, the applicant must ((document)) submit evidence of at least one thousand hours of practice as a registered nurse without discipline of the registered nurse license by any other state or territory.

(((5))) (6) Complete seven clock hours of AIDS education as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 8.

(((6))) (7) Applicants must submit the following documents:

(a) A completed licensure application with the required fee as defined in WAC 246-840-990.

(b) An official transcript sent directly from the applicant's nursing education program to the commission if the education cannot be verified from the original board of nursing, or commission-approved evaluation agency.

(i) The transcript must contain adequate documentation ((to demonstrate)) demonstrating that the applicant ((has)) graduated from an approved nursing program or ((has)) successfully completed the prelicensure portion of an approved graduate-entry registered nursing program.

(ii) The transcripts shall include course names and credits accepted from other programs.

(c) Verification of an original registered or practical nurse license ((sent directly to the commission)) from the state or territory of original licensure. ((This document must include verification that the original licensure included passing a state examination or computerized verification from NurSYS®.

(d) Verification of a current active or expired nurse license in another state or territory sent directly to the commission from that state's or territory's licensure agency. Verification that the applicant has successfully completed a commission approved refresher course may be accepted if the applicant's out-of-state licensure is on inactive or expired status.)) The verification must identify that issuance of the original licensure included passing the NCLEX.

(e) For RNs: If the applicant is a graduate of a nontraditional program in nursing and:

(i) Was licensed as a practical/vocational nurse prior to licensure as a registered nurse, the applicant must submit documentation of two hundred hours of preceptorship in the role of a registered nurse as defined in WAC 246-840-035 or at least one thousand hours of practice as a registered nurse without discipline of the registered nurse license by any other state or territory.

(ii) Was not licensed as a practical/vocational nurse prior to licensure as a registered nurse, the applicant must submit documentation of at least one thousand hours of practice as a registered nurse without discipline of the registered nurse license by any other state or territory.

The commission believes that quality nursing education provides the foundation for safe and effective nursing practice. Nursing education shall be accessible and promote student and faculty diversity. While the commission ((herein)) has established minimum standards for approved ((schools of)) nursing education programs, it believes that each ((school of)) nursing education program should have flexibility in developing and implementing its philosophy, purposes, and objectives. Such development and implementation should be based not only upon the minimum standards for approved ((schools of)) nursing education programs, but also upon sound educational and professional principles for the preparation of registered ((and)) nurses, practical nurses, advanced registered nurse practitioners, and other nurses who pursue graduate nursing degrees and postgraduate degrees and certifications to meet current and future nursing needs of the public. The commission believes that there must be congruence between the total program activities of the ((school of)) nursing education program and its stated philosophy, purpose and objectives.

The commission further believes that the ((minimum)) standards for approved ((schools of)) nursing ((can be)) education programs are useful ((to schools of nursing by)) for promoting self-evaluation and peer evaluation, which may lead to further program development and ongoing continuous quality improvement.

The commission approves nursing education programs to:

(1) Assure preparation for the safe and effective practice of nursing by setting minimum standards for nursing education programs preparing persons for licensure as registered nurses ((or)), practical nurses, advanced registered nurse practitioners, or for preparing nurses for additional graduate education or higher levels of nursing practice.

(2) Provide criteria for the approval, development, evaluation, and improvement of new and established nursing education programs.

(3) Assure ((candidates)) graduates of nursing education programs are educationally prepared for licensure at the appropriate level of nursing practice.

(4) Facilitate interstate endorsement of graduates of commission approved nursing education programs ((of nursing)).

(6) Assure internationally educated nurses' educational preparation is equivalent to that of in-state nursing education programs.

(1) ((Application for program development.)) New nursing education programs must submit a commission approved application for approval to operate a new undergraduate, post-licensure, or graduate nursing education program in Washington state.

(4) A postsecondary educational institution wishing to establish a nursing education program or additional program in nursing shall ((seek nursing commission approval to begin the process in the following manner)) submit an application and feasibility study as follows:

(a) Submit to the commission a statement of intent to establish a nursing education program or additional program on a form provided by the commission((,)) and a completed feasibility study that includes ((at least)) the following information:

(i) ((Nursing)) Studies documenting the current and future supply and demand needs for ((entry level)) nurses in the area of the proposed nursing education program;

(ii) Purposes and classification of the proposed nursing education program;

(iii) Availability of qualified candidates for the nurse administrator and faculty positions;

(iv) Budgeted nurse administrator and faculty positions over the course of five years;

(v) ((Availability)) Source and description of adequate and acceptable clinical or practice facilities for the nursing education program;

(vi) ((Availability)) Description of adequate and acceptable academic facilities for the nursing education program;

(vii) Potential effect on other nursing programs ((in the area)) within a sixty mile radius of the proposed nursing education program location;

(viii) Evidence of financial resources adequate and acceptable for the planning, implementation, and continuation of the nursing education program for the next five years;

(ix) Anticipated student population; ((and))

(x) Tentative time schedule for planning and initiating the nursing education program; and

(xi) Accreditation status of the parent institution.

(b) Respond to the commission's request(s) for additional information.

(((2) Program development. Upon approval)) (5) Only after receiving commission approval for nursing education program development, the educational institution shall:

(a) Appoint a qualified nurse administrator ((and));

(b) Provide appropriate resources, consultants, and faculty to develop ((a)) the proposed nursing education program((.

(c) At least three months prior to ((admission of)) advertising and admitting students ((and with sufficient time for commission review)), submit the proposed program plan ((that includes all of)) including the following:

(i) Program purpose and outcomes;

(ii) Organization and administration within the educational institution and within the nursing unit or department including the nurse administrator, faculty, and nursing support staff;

(iii) Resources, facilities, and services for students and faculty;

(iv) Policies and procedures ((for student selection, admission, progression, withdrawal and graduation, and record system)) as identified in WAC 246-840-519 (3)(a) through (e);

(v) A plan for hiring and retaining faculty, including qualifications, responsibilities, organizational structure, and faculty/student ratio in classroom, clinical, and practice experiences;

(vi) Curriculum, including course descriptions, course outcomes, and course topical outlines;

(vii) Initial year and five-year sustaining budget;

(viii) Projected plans for the orderly expansion and ongoing evaluation of the program.

(((c))) (d) If required by the commission, arrange a ((survey)) site visit to the campus to clarify and ((amplify)) augment materials included in the written proposed program plan. The visit ((will)) may be conducted by a representative of the commission before a decision regarding approval is ((rendered)) made.

(a))) (6) The nursing education program may only admit students if it has received initial approval by the commission((;

(a) The ((school)) nursing education program shall submit progress reports as requested by the commission((; and

(b) Site visits shall be scheduled as deemed necessary by the commission during the period of initial approval. A site survey, conducted by the commission, will determine whether graduates may test for the ((licensure)) national council licensing examination (NCLEX)((®)) as identified in WAC 246-840-050 or graduate certification exams as identified in WAC 246-840-302 (3)(a), (b), (c) and (d) for advanced registered nurse practice.

(a))) (7) A self-evaluation report of compliance with the standards for nursing education as identified in WAC ((246-840-550 through 246-840-575)) 246-840-511 through 246-840-556, shall be submitted to the nursing commission within six months following graduation of the first class.

(((b))) (a) The commission may conduct a ((survey)) site visit to determine full approval of the nursing education program.

(((c))) (b) The commission will review the self-evaluation report, survey reports and program outcome data in order to grant or deny full approval of the nursing education program under WAC ((246-840-530(1))) 246-840-558(1).

(1)(a) A nursing education program must be located in a postsecondary educational institution with approval from either the Washington state student achievement council or state board of technical and community colleges to grant the appropriate degree or certificate; and

(b) A nursing education program must be located in an institution accredited by a United States Department of Education approved regional accrediting body or national institutional accrediting body.

(2) All nursing education programs having received full commission approval on or before the effective date of this rule, must become accredited or achieve candidacy status granted by a national nursing education accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education on or before January 1, 2020.

(3) New nursing education programs receiving full commission approval after the effective date of this rule, must obtain national nursing education accreditation within four years of receiving full commission approval.

(4) The commission may take action as identified in WAC 246-840-557 against a nursing education program that does not maintain national nursing education accreditation status.

(5) Any nursing education program not having national nursing education accreditation must disclose to students in all publications describing the program that it lacks national nursing education accreditation and this may limit future educational and career options for the students.

(1) The nursing education program shall meet minimum standards established by the commission as detailed in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(2) The nursing education program shall implement a written, comprehensive, systematic plan for ongoing evaluation that is based on program outcomes data and input from faculty, students, health care partners and consumers, and that incorporates continuing improvement goals and measures.

(a) The plan must include evaluative criteria, methods used to evaluate, frequency of evaluation, assignment of responsibility, and measurable indicators or benchmarks of effectiveness for the nursing education program and instruction.

(b) The nursing education program shall document analysis of the data collected and actions taken as a result of use of the systematic program evaluation plan.

(c) Major changes in the professional nursing education program must be evidence-based.

(d) The nursing education program shall review and analyze the evaluative methods and instruments used to measure program outcomes for appropriateness according to the timeline specified in the plan.

(e) The nursing education program shall evaluate didactic and clinical course effectiveness each time a course is taught.

(f) Implementation of the plan for systematic program evaluation and ongoing quality improvements must be documented in faculty or faculty-related minutes.

(g) The following items must be included in the systematic program evaluation: Faculty, student and graduate satisfaction surveys, facility, resource and services surveys of faculty and students, faculty workload surveys and evaluations, national council licensing examination (NCLEX) pass rates, post licensure certification examination pass rates, student attrition and completion rates, employment rates after graduation, employer satisfaction, and program and student learning outcomes.

(h) Faculty and students shall participate in program planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement.

(3) Program information communicated by the nursing education program must be accurate, complete, and consistent.

(1) Within two business days, nursing education programs shall report to the commission, on forms provided by the commission, events involving a student or faculty member that the program has reason to believe resulted in patient harm, an unreasonable risk of patient harm, or diversion of legend drugs or controlled substances.

(2) The nursing education program shall keep a log of all events reported by a patient, family member, student, faculty or a health care provider resulting in patient harm, an unreasonable risk of patient harm, or allegations of diversion, and medication errors. The log must include:

(a) The date and nature of the event;

(b) The name of the student or faculty member involved;

(c) The name of the clinical faculty member responsible for the student's clinical experience;

(d) Assessment of findings and suspected causes related to the incident or root cause analysis;

(e) Nursing education program corrective action; and

(f) Remediation plan, if applicable.

(3) The nursing education program shall use the principles of just culture, fairness, and accountability in the implementation and use of all incident reporting logs with the intent of:

(a) Determining the cause and contributing factors of the incident;

(b) Preventing future occurrences;

(c) Facilitating student learning; and

(d) Using the results of incident assessments for on-going program improvement.

(1) The purpose and expected outcomes of the nursing education program shall be stated clearly and must be available to the public in written form.

(2) The purpose and expected outcomes shall be consistent with nursing practice as outlined in chapters 18.79 RCW and 246-840 WAC.

(3) The nursing education program shall have a purpose statement and expected outcomes consistent with the parent institution and with generally accepted standards of nursing practice appropriate for graduates of the type of nursing program offered.

(4) The input of stakeholders including, but not limited to, health care partners and community members shall be considered in developing and evaluating the purpose and expected outcomes of the program.

(1) The nursing education program must be an integral part of the accredited parent institution.

(2) The relationship of the nursing education program to the parent institution and other units within the parent institution must be clearly delineated and included in an organizational chart, which indicates lines of responsibility and authority.

(3) The parent institution shall provide financial support and resources needed to operate a professional nursing education program, which meets the requirements of this chapter and fosters achievement of program goals and expected outcomes.

The financial resources must support adequate educational facilities, equipment, technology, and qualified administrative and instructional personnel sufficient to achieve program goals and outcomes.

(4) The nursing education program shall involve nursing faculty in determining academic policies and procedures.

(5) The nursing education program shall provide opportunity for student participation in the development and evaluation of program policies and procedures, curriculum planning and evaluation.

(6) The nursing education program shall provide accurate information to students and the public.

(7) The governing entity shall employ a qualified nurse administrator with clear institutional authority and administrative responsibility for the nursing program.

(1) The nursing education program administrator must be a professionally and academically qualified registered nurse with an active, unencumbered Washington nursing license.

(2) In a nursing education program offering practical or associate degree nursing education, the nurse administrator must have a minimum of:

(a) A bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from a nursing education program accredited by a national nursing education accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education and a graduate degree; or

(b) A graduate degree from a nursing education program accredited by a national nursing education accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education; and

(c) Preparation in education that includes teaching adults, adult learning theory, teaching methods, curriculum development, and curriculum evaluation, or two years of teaching experience in nursing education that demonstrates this type of preparation;

(d) Curriculum development and administration experience;

(e) Five years of experience as a registered nurse including two years of experience in nursing education; and

(f) Current knowledge of nursing practice at the practical nurse or associate degree program level as appropriate.

(3) In a nursing education program offering baccalaureate or graduate degrees in nursing, the nurse administer must have:

(a) A minimum of a graduate degree with a major in nursing, from a nursing education program accredited by a national nursing education accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education and a doctoral degree either in nursing or a health or related educational field from a college or university accredited by a national accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education; or

(b) A doctoral degree in nursing from a college or university accredited by a national nursing accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education; and

(c) Preparation in education that includes teaching adults, adult learning theory, teaching methods, curriculum development, and curriculum evaluation, or two years of teaching experience in nursing education that demonstrates this type of preparation;

(d) Preparation or experience in nursing administration or educational administration; and

(e) At least five years of experience as a registered nurse including two years of experience in nursing education at or above the highest level of the nursing education program the nurse administrator will be administering.

The commission may grant an exception to the experience in nursing education requirement if the program can demonstrate that two academic years of ongoing educational consultation is provided to the nurse administrator by a person who meets or exceeds nurse administrator qualifications identified in this subsection.

(4) The nurse administrator shall be responsible for creation and maintenance of an environment conducive to teaching and learning through:

(a) Facilitation of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the curriculum.

(b) Communication and decision making regarding program needs, budget preparation and monitoring, and ongoing involvement with central administration and other units of the parent institution.

(c) Facilitation of faculty development and performance review for full-time and part-time faculty consistent with the policies of the institution and standards of professional nursing practice, and encouragement of faculty to seek ways of improving clinical skills and methods of demonstrating continued educational and clinical competence.

Evaluation of clinical performance of nursing faculty in practice situations must be performed by a qualified licensed nurse as appropriate to the level of practice being taught.

(d) Facilitation of faculty recruitment and appointment. The nurse administrator of the nursing education program shall establish a goal for acquiring faculty with diversity in ethnicity, gender, clinical specialty and experience.

(e) Recommendation of faculty for appointment, promotion, tenure, and retention consistent with the policies of the institution and standards in this chapter.

(f) Facilitation of the development of long-range goals and objectives for the nursing program.

(g) Facilitation of recruitment, selection, and advisement of students.

(h) Assurance that the rules of the commission are effectively implemented.

(i) Notification to the commission of events as identified in WAC 246-840-513 and 246-840-554(3).

(5) The nurse administrator must have sufficient time provided to fulfill relevant administrative duties and responsibilities.

(1) A nursing education program shall have the fiscal, human, physical, technological, clinical and learning resources adequate to support program processes and outcomes.

(2) Classrooms, laboratories, and conference rooms must be available and adequate in size, number, and type according to the number of students and the educational purposes for, which the rooms are to be used.

(3) Offices must be available and adequate in size, number, and type to provide faculty with opportunity for uninterrupted work and privacy for conferences with students. Adequate space must be provided for clerical staff, records, files, and other equipment.

(4) An office allowing for private consultation with students and faculty, and support for administrative responsibilities must be available to the nurse administrator.

(5) Library facilities and computer access must be provided for use by the faculty and students. Physical facilities, hours, and scope and currency of learning resources must be appropriate for the purpose of the program and for the number of faculty and students.

(6) The nursing education program shall conduct annual evaluations of resources, facilities, and services based on input from faculty and students. The schedule and results of these evaluations must be available to the commission upon request.

(7) The nursing education program shall demonstrate adequate financial support for faculty, support personnel, equipment, technology, supplies, and services.

(1) The nursing education program shall hold students accountable for professional behavior as identified in chapters 18.79, 18.130 RCW, and 246-840 WAC, including, academic honesty and integrity.

(2) Written policies and procedures for students must be available and communicated in a fair, accurate, inclusive, and consistent manner.

(3) The approved nursing education program shall:

(a) Develop and implement written policies and procedures specific to nursing students including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) Student selection, admission, progression, remediation, graduation, withdrawal, and dismissal of students;

(ii) Student recordkeeping and systems;

(iii) ADA accommodations for students;

(iv) Student rights and responsibilities;

(v) Grievances and complaint processes;

(vi) Incident reports and tracking of reports;

(vii) Medication administration or selection by students and faculty role in supervising students during medication administration or selection processes;

(viii) Reporting and logging of events involving a student and faculty member that the nursing education program has reason to believe resulted in patient harm, unreasonable risk of patient harm, or diversion of legend drugs;

(ix) Documenting student near miss errors incidents;

(x) Student professional dress;

(xi) Professional behavior;

(xii) Background check requirements;

(xiii) Immunization requirements;

(xiv) Clinical practice expectations;

(xv) Student performance evaluations; and

(xvi) Other expectations of nursing students, including providing direction to students on how to apply for national council licensing examination (NCLEX) testing and licensure.

(b) Maintain a system of student records in accordance with institutional requirements. Student records shall be available to the commission staff during on-site surveys or investigations.

(c) Provide a written statement to nursing students of student rights and responsibilities.

(d) Require and assure that students seeking admission by transfer from another approved nursing education program, or readmission for completion of the program, shall meet the equivalent of the program's current standards.

(e) Encourage admission of students from diverse populations.

The nursing education program shall provide the student in a prelicensure registered nursing program with written information on the legal role of the nursing technician as defined in WAC 246-840-010 and 246-840-840. The information must be provided prior to the time of completion of the first clinical course and shall clearly advise the student of his or her responsibilities, if he or she chooses to be employed as a nursing technician.

(1) The nursing education program shall ensure nursing students in RN to BSN and graduate nursing education programs are licensed as a registered nurse in each state or United States territory where practice or clinical experiences occur.

(2) The nursing education program shall provide the student in a graduate nursing program with written or electronic information on the requirements for national certification as appropriate to the level of educational degree and specialty.

(1) Each nursing education program shall have a sufficient number of professionally and academically qualified faculty with adequate diversity of expertise in nursing to meet the nursing education program purpose, outcomes, and identified quality improvement processes.

(2) The nursing education program shall provide new faculty with sufficient orientation to achieve program purpose and outcomes, and to assure safe clinical and practice experiences for students.

(3) The program shall make available ongoing faculty development opportunities to assure faculty members are prepared, experienced, and current in subject matter taught.

(4) Nursing faculty shall have an active, unencumbered Washington state registered nurse license.

(5) Interdisciplinary faculty teaching in the nursing education program shall have academic and professional education and experience in their field of specialization.

(6) Adjunct clinical faculty employed solely to supervise clinical nursing experiences or practice experiences shall meet all the faculty qualifications for the program level they are teaching.

(7) Nursing faculty shall be responsible for:

(a) Developing, implementing, and evaluating the purpose and outcomes of the nursing education program;

(b) Designing, implementing, and evaluating the curriculum;

(c) Developing and evaluating nursing education policies as identified in WAC 246-840-519 (3)(a) through (e) within the framework of the policies of the parent institution;

(d) Participating in or providing for academic advising and guidance of students;

(e) Evaluating student achievement, in terms of curricular objectives as related to both nursing knowledge and practice, including preceptorship or mentored experiences;

(f) Selecting, guiding, and evaluating student learning activities;

(g) Participating in activities to improve their own nursing competency in area(s) of responsibility and to demonstrate current clinical competency; and

(h) Developing criteria for the selection and evaluation of clinical and practice experiences in clinical facilities or clinical practice settings, which address safety and the need for students to achieve the program outcomes and course objectives.

In a nursing education program preparing practical nurses only, nursing faculty teaching nursing must have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accrediting body approved by the United States Department of Education.

In a nursing education program preparing registered nurses for licensure or for RN to BSN degree, nursing faculty teaching nursing shall:

(1) Have a minimum of a graduate degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education; or

(2) A bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education, and a graduate degree in a health or education related field from an accredited college or university.

In a nursing education program preparing students for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners, nursing faculty teaching nursing must meet the following qualifications:

(1) An active, unencumbered Washington state ARNP license;

(2) A minimum of a graduate degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education;

(3) Two years of clinical experience as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist; and

(4) Current knowledge, competence, and certification in the role and population foci consistent with teaching responsibilities.

For graduate nursing programs preparing nurses in advanced degrees, nursing faculty teaching nursing must meet the following qualifications:

(1) A graduate degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education and is at or above the program level being taught; or a bachelor's degree in nursing from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accrediting body and graduate degree in a health or education related field from an accredited college or university; and

(2) Demonstrated specialization, expertise, or preparation and experience for the courses being taught.

The commission may grant exceptions to faculty degree requirements in prelicensure registered nurse nursing education programs under the following conditions:

(1) For faculty teaching in the classroom or laboratory, the nursing program shall provide documentation to the commission prior to employment that:

(a) Despite aggressive recruitment efforts, it has been unable to attract properly qualified faculty; and

(b) The individual will either teach one year or less, or be currently enrolled in a nursing, health-related, or education-related graduate degree program.

(2) For clinical faculty who will directly supervise registered nursing students at a clinical facility, the nursing education program shall provide documentation to the commission prior to employment that the individual has:

(a) A minimum of a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from an accredited college or university and from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education; and

(b) Current clinical experience of at least three years in the clinical subject area taught.

(3) For faculty teaching registered nursing students in the classroom, laboratory or clinical setting, the individual is nursing faculty tenured prior to November 3, 1995.

(1) All nursing programs preparing students for licensure shall provide faculty planned clinical or direct patient care experiences based on program outcomes and goals.

(a) The number of clinical or direct patient care experience hours must be:

(i) At least three hundred hours for licensed practical nursing education programs;

(ii) At least five hundred hours for associate degree nursing education programs;

(iii) At least six hundred hours for bachelors of science in nursing education programs;

(iv) At least five hundred hours for masters level nurse practitioner nursing education programs;

(v) At least one thousand hours for doctoral of nursing practice nurse practitioner programs.

(b) Observation of licensed or qualified health care professionals practicing a technical skill or therapy may be included in the calculation of student clinical hours. Observation is reserved for care or therapy situations, which students are not qualified to deliver;

(c) Skill practice labs must not be counted towards clinical practice hours.

(2)(a) All postlicensure nursing education programs shall have faculty planned practice experiences for students based on program outcomes and goals. Practice experience examples include, but are not limited to: Indirect and direct patient care, patient or population teaching, population interventions, student nurse teaching or the teaching of nursing students, leadership and change projects, research, accessing client or population data for the purpose of doing quality assurance or improvement projects, informatics, thesis or dissertation development and defense.

(b) The number of practice hours must be equivalent to programs of similar type:

(i) At least one hundred hours for registered nurse to bachelor's degree programs; and

(ii) At least one hundred hours for graduate nursing education programs.

(3) Faculty shall organize clinical and practice experiences based on the educational preparation and skill level of the student.

(4) Faculty shall plan, oversee, and evaluate student clinical and practice experiences.

(1) Practical and prelicensure registered nursing education programs shall have a maximum faculty to student ratio of one faculty member to ten students in clinical settings involving direct patient care, and one faculty member to fifteen students at one time in practice settings that are observational, involve student precepted experiences, or are skills practice labs.

(2) Registered nurse to bachelor nursing education programs shall have a maximum faculty to student ratio of one faculty member to fifteen students at one time in clinical and practice settings.

(3) Advanced registered nurse practitioner nursing education programs shall have a maximum faculty to student ratio of one faculty member to six students in clinical and practice settings.

(4) Graduate nursing education programs (not leading to licensure as an advanced registered nurse practitioner) shall have a maximum faculty to student ratio of one faculty member to fifteen students in clinical and practice settings.

(5) A lower ratio of faculty to students may be required for students in initial or highly complex learning situations, or when student or patient safety warrant.

(1) Preceptors may be used to enhance clinical or practice-learning experiences after a student has received instruction and orientation from program faculty who assure the student is adequately prepared for the clinical or practice experience.

(2) Nursing education faculty in prelicensure nursing education programs shall not assign more than two students to each nurse preceptor.

(3) Nursing education faculty in a program leading to licensure as an advanced registered nurse practitioner shall not assign more than one student to each preceptor.

(4) A preceptor may be used in practical and registered nursing education programs when the preceptor:

(a) Has an unencumbered nursing license at or above the level for, which the student is preparing;

(b) Is experienced in the specialty area for at least two years;

(c) Is oriented to the written course and student learning objectives;

(d) Is not related to, or a personal friend of the student; and

(e) Is oriented to the written role expectations of faculty, preceptor, and student.

(5) A preceptor may be used in nursing education programs leading to licensure as an advanced registered nurse practitioner when the preceptor:

(a) Has an active, unencumbered license as an ARNP under chapter 18.79 RCW, a physician under chapter 18.71 RCW, an osteopathic physician under chapter 18.57 RCW, or equivalent license in other states or jurisdictions;

(b) Is experienced in the specialty area for at least two years;

(c) Is oriented to the written course and student learning objectives;

(d) Is not related to, or a personal friend of the student; and

(e) Is oriented to the written role expectations of faculty, preceptor, and student.

(6) A preceptor may be used in graduate nursing programs as appropriate to the course of study when the preceptor:

(a) Is experienced in the specialty area for at least two years;

(b) Is oriented to the written course and student learning objectives;

(c) Is not related to, or a personal friend of the student; and

(d) Is oriented to the written role expectations of faculty, preceptor, and student.

(7) An interdisciplinary mentor who has experience and educational preparation appropriate to the faculty planned student learning experience may be used in some clinical or practice experiences.

(8) Faculty are responsible for the overall supervision and evaluation of the student and must confer with each preceptor or interdisciplinary mentor and student at least once before the student learning experience, at the mid-point of the experience, and at the end of the learning experience.

(9) A proctor who monitors students during the performance of a task or skill must be qualified with educational and experiential preparation in the area being proctored and must be credentialed as a licensed health care provider listed in chapter 18.130 RCW. Such a person may be used on rare, short-term occasions to proctor students when a faculty member has determined that it is safe for a student to receive direct supervision from the proctor for the performance of a particular task or skill that is within the scope of practice for the nursing student.

(1) An LPN, RN, or RN to BSN nursing education program may use simulation as a substitute for traditional clinical experiences, after approval by the commission, not to exceed fifty percent of its clinical hours for a particular course.

(a) Simulation as used in this section means a technique to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences evoking or replicating substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner.

(b) The nursing education program shall have an organizing framework providing adequate fiscal, human, technological, and material resources to support the simulation activities.

(c) Simulation activities must be managed by an individual who is academically and experientially qualified and who demonstrates currency and competency in the use of simulation while managing the simulation program.

(d) The nursing education program shall have a budget sustaining simulation activities and training of the faculty.

(e) The nursing education program shall have appropriate facilities, educational and technological resources and equipment to meet the intended objectives of the simulation.

(f) All faculty involved in simulations, both didactic and clinical, shall have training in the use of simulation and shall engage in ongoing professional development in the use of simulation.

(g) Faculty to student ratios in the simulation lab must be in the same ratio as identified in WAC 246-840-532 for clinical learning experiences.

(2) Faculty shall organize clinical and practice experiences based on the educational preparation and skill level of the student.

(3) Qualified simulation faculty must supervise and evaluate student clinical and practice experiences.

(a) The nursing education program shall demonstrate that simulation activities are linked to programmatic outcomes.

(b) The nursing education program shall have written policies and procedures on the following:

(i) Short-term and long-term plans for integrating simulation into the curriculum;

(ii) An identified method of debriefing each simulated activity; and

(iii) A plan for orienting faculty to simulation.

(c) Debriefing as used in this section means an activity following a simulation experience that is led by a facilitator, encourages reflective thinking, and provides feedback regarding the participant's performance.

(d) The nursing education program shall develop criteria to evaluate simulation activities.

(e) Students shall evaluate the simulation experience on an ongoing basis.

(f) The program shall include information about use of simulation in its annual report to the commission.

(1) Nursing education programs in collaboration with a health care facility may use dedicated education units as identified in WAC 246-840-010 to provide clinical education and practice experiences for nursing students.

(2) A nursing education program using a dedicated education unit shall have an affiliation agreement identifying the roles and responsibilities of health care staff, nursing education program faculty, and nursing students.

(3) Nursing education programs using dedicated education units shall use licensed nurses as preceptors as identified in WAC 246-840-533 (4)(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) for practical and registered nurse programs, or WAC 246-840-533 (5)(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) for programs leading to advanced registered nurse practitioner licensure.

(4) Nursing education program faculty shall only assign students to a licensed nurse preceptor as identified in subsection (3) of this section, based upon the nurse's knowledge, experience, and willingness to work with students.

(5) Nursing education faculty shall not assign more than two students to each licensed nurse preceptor.

(6) Nursing education faculty with the assistance from the preceptor shall be responsible for the evaluation of student clinical performance.

(7) Nursing education faculty shall be responsible for student learning in the dedicated education unit.

(1) The curriculum of the nursing education program must enable the student to develop the nursing knowledge, skills, and professional identity necessary for the level, scope, and standards of competent nursing practice expected at the level of educational preparation.

(2) The curriculum will be revised as necessary to maintain a program reflecting advances in health care and its delivery.

(3) The curriculum, as defined by nursing education, professional and practice standards, shall include evidence-based learning experiences and methods of instruction, including distance education methods, consistent with the written curriculum plan.

(4) Clinical and practice experiences must include opportunities to learn and provide care to clients from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The emphasis placed on these areas and the scope encompassed shall be in keeping with the purpose and outcomes of the program.

(5) The length, organization, content, methods of instruction, and placement of courses must be consistent with the purpose and outcomes of the program.

(6) All nursing programs delivering curriculum through distance learning methods must ensure that students receive curriculum comparable to in-person teaching and the clinical and practice learning experiences are evaluated by faculty through formative and summative evaluations.

(7) Nursing programs shall not use external nursing examinations as the sole basis for program progression or graduation. External nursing exams for the purpose of this section, means examinations created by people or organizations outside a student's own nursing education program.

(8) Competency based testing for progression in nursing programs must be based on valid and reliable tools measuring the knowledge and skills expected at an identified level of student or nursing practice.

The practical nurse nursing education program of study must include both didactic and clinical learning experiences and must be:

(1) Effective September 1, 2017, designed to include prerequisite classes in the physical, biological, social and behavior sciences that are transferable to colleges and universities in the state of Washington;

(2) Planned, implemented, and evaluated by the faculty;

(3) Based on the philosophy, mission, objectives, and outcomes of the program and consistent with chapters 18.79 RCW and this chapter;

(4) Organized by subject and content to meet program outcomes;

(5) Designed to teach students to use a systematic approach to clinical decision making and safe patient care;

(6) Designed to teach students:

(a) Professional relationships and communication;

(b) Nursing ethics;

(c) Nursing history and trends;

(d) Commission approved scope of practice decision tree;

(e) Standards of practice;

(f) Licensure and legal aspects of nursing including the disciplinary process, substance abuse and professional values;

(g) Concepts and clinical practice experiences in geriatric nursing, and medical, surgical, and mental health nursing for clients throughout the life span;

(h) Concepts of antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and newborn nursing with only an assisting role in the care of clients during labor and delivery and those with complications;

(i) Concepts and practice in the prevention of illness and the promotion, restoration, and maintenance of health in patients across the life span and from diverse cultural, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds; and

(j) AIDS education as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 8.

(7) Designed to prepare graduates for licensure and to practice practical nursing as identified in WAC 246-840-700 and 246-840-705; and

(8) Designed to prepare graduates to practice according to competencies recognized by professional nursing organizations.

(a) Practical nursing courses shall include:

(i) Components of: Client needs; safe, effective care environment; health promotion and maintenance; interdisciplinary communication and collaboration; discharge planning; basics of multicultural health; psychosocial integrity; and physiological integrity.

(ii) Skills laboratory and clinical practice in the functions of the practical nurse including, but not limited to, administration of medications, implementing and monitoring client care, and promoting psychosocial and physiological health.

(iii) Concepts of coordinated care, delegation and supervision.

(b) Practical nurse programs teaching intravenous infusion therapy shall prepare graduates for national certification by a nursing professional practical nurse certifying body.

(1) The program of study for a registered nursing education program must include both didactic and clinical learning experiences and must be:

(a) Effective September 1, 2017, designed so that all prerequisite nonnursing course credits and nursing credits are transferable to the bachelor's in nursing programs as identified in the statewide associate in nursing direct transfer agreement between community colleges, colleges, and universities, or the statewide associate of applied science transfer degree;

(b) Designed to include instruction in the physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences. Content is required from the areas of anatomy and physiology (equivalent to two quarter credit terms with laboratory), chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, communication, and computations;

(c) Designed to include theory and clinical experiences in the areas of medical surgical nursing and mental health nursing across the life span, teaching students to use a systematic approach to clinical decision making and preparing students to safely practice professional nursing through the promotion, prevention, rehabilitation, maintenance, restoration of health, and palliative and end of life care for individuals of all ages across the life span;

(d) Designed to include nursing history, health care trends, legal and ethical issues such as professional values, substance abuse and the disciplinary process, scope of practice and commission approved scope of practice decision tree, and licensure and professional responsibility pertaining to the registered nurse role. Content may be integrated, combined, or presented as separate courses;

(e) Designed to include opportunities for the student to learn assessment and analysis of client and family needs, planning, implementation, evaluation, and delegation of nursing care for diverse individuals and groups;

(f) Planned, implemented, and evaluated by faculty;

(g) Based on the philosophy, mission, objectives and outcomes of the program;

(h) Organized logically with scope and sequence of courses demonstrating student learning progression;

(i) Based on sound educational principles and standards of educational practice;

(j) Designed so articulation or dual enrollment agreements between associate and bachelor's degree nursing programs or associate and master's degree nursing programs exists to facilitate higher levels of nursing education in a timely manner;

(k) Designed to prepare graduates for licensure and to practice as registered nurses as identified in WAC 246-840-700 and 246-840-705;

(l) Designed to prepare graduates to practice as associate degree or bachelor degree nurses as identified by professional nursing organizations; and

(m) Designed to include AIDS education as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 8.

(2) Baccalaureate and entry-level master's degree programs shall also include:

(a) Theory and clinical experiences in community and public health nursing;

(b) The study of research principles and application of statistics to health care practice and intervention; and

(c) The study and practice of leadership, interdisciplinary team coordination, quality assurance and improvement, care coordination and case management.

(3) Registered nursing curricula shall include:

(a) Comprehensive content on: Client needs; safe practice; effective care environment; discharge planning; health promotion, prevention and maintenance; psychosocial integrity and physiological integrity.

(b) Clinical experiences in the care of persons at each stage of the human life cycle, with opportunities for the student to learn and have direct involvement in and responsibility and accountability for the provision of basic nursing care and comfort for clients with acute and chronic illnesses, pharmacological and parenteral therapies, and pain management.

(c) Opportunities for management of care, delegation, supervision, working within a health care team, and interdisciplinary care coordination.

Registered nurse to bachelor's or master's in nursing education programs must:

(1) Develop curriculum to ensure the courses or content completed at the diploma or associate degree levels of nursing are not duplicated;

(2) Design curriculum to ensure student sufficient exposure to content in science and liberal arts;

(3) Design curriculum to allow students the exposure to apply new concepts to practice at the level of the bachelor's or entry level master's in nursing including, but not limited to, practice experiences identified in WAC 246-840-541(2);

(4) Design curriculum to include critical thinking, problem solving, and clinical reasoning skills at the level of preparation;

(5) Design curriculum including a specific course or content directly related to role differences and effective role transition strategies at the level of preparation;

(6) Design curriculum including competencies in the following areas:

(a) The study and practice of leadership, interdisciplinary team coordination and collaboration, quality assurance and improvement, and care coordination and case management;

(b) The study and practice of community and public health; and

(c) The theory and application of research and evidence-based practice concepts and processes.

(1) Nursing education programs preparing students for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners shall include content culminating in a graduate degree with a concentration in advanced nursing practice as defined in RCW 18.79.059, WAC 246-840-010(2), and 246-840-300.

(2) The nursing education program preparing students for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners shall have as its primary purpose the preparation of advanced practice nurses for roles as defined in WAC 246-840-300 and 246-840-302.

(3) Post-master's nursing education programs preparing nurses for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners shall teach all competencies designated for the ARNP role including clinical practice. Post-master's students must meet the same ARNP outcome competencies as master's advanced registered nurse practitioner students.

(4) The curriculum of the nursing education program preparing nurses for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners shall prepare the graduates to practice in one of the four ARNP roles: Certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse practitioner. The curriculum must include:

(a) Clinical and didactic course work preparing the graduate to practice in the role of the ARNP consistent with the designation being sought for licensure;

(b) Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, including general principles applied across the life span;

(c) Advanced health assessment, including assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and approaches;

(d) Diagnostic theory and management of health care problems including diseases representative of all systems;

(e) Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agent, and pharmacological management of individual patients;

(f) Preparation providing a basic understanding of the principles for decision making in the identified ARNP role;

(g) Role preparation in one of the six population foci of practice, which includes family or individual across the life span, adult gerontology, neonatal, pediatrics, women's health gender-related, and psychiatric mental health;

(h) Advanced practice nursing core, including legal, ethical and professional responsibilities of the ARNP; and

(i) At least five hundred hours in direct patient care in the ARNP role with clinical preceptor supervision and faculty oversight.

(5) Advanced registered nurse practitioner nursing education programs preparing students for two population foci or combined nurse practitioner-clinical nurse specialist shall include content and clinical experience in both functional roles and population foci.

(6) Each student enrolled in an advanced registered nurse practitioner nursing education program shall have an active, unencumbered RN license in each state or United States territory where the clinical practice occurs.

(1) Graduate nursing education programs shall meet the standards established by the national nursing or nursing-related education accrediting body.

(2) The curriculum of graduate nursing education program shall be congruent with national standards for graduate level nursing education.

(3) The curriculum and practice experiences shall be consistent with the competencies of the specific area of practice, stated program outcomes, and established national standards by a nursing education accrediting body approved by the United States Department of Education.

Nursing education programs offering distance-learning courses shall:

(1) Ensure distance-learning courses meet established quality and security standards for online and distance learning education;

(2) Develop written policies and procedures ensuring quality assurance controls, security, maintenance, and service support for students and faculty who use the system;

(3) Ensure students receive curriculum comparable to in-person teaching;

(4) Complete ongoing student and faculty evaluations of distance learning courses; and

(5) Provide access to distance-learning courses when requested by the commission.

(1) An approved nursing education program shall obtain commission approval prior to advertising or admitting students in an extended or satellite nursing education campus.

(2) An approved nursing education program wishing to initiate an extended or satellite nursing program off the main campus of the university but located in the state of Washington, must submit an initial plan three to six months prior to the expected date of operations. The initial plan must identify:

(a) The impact on existing nursing education programs in a sixty mile radius from the location of the proposed extended or satellite campus;

(b) Faculty staffing for the extended or satellite program;

(c) How the nursing education program shall meet curriculum and academic standards of the main campus nursing education program;

(d) Adequate clinical or practice facilities for the satellite or extended nursing program;

(e) Academic facilities and resources that meet the requirements identified in WAC 246-840-518; and

(f) Nursing and institutional administration of the extended or satellite program and how the extended or satellite campus meets administration requirements as identified in WAC 246-840-516.

(3) The extended or satellite campus program shall coordinate annual reports and site survey evaluations with administration at the main campus.

(1) A commission approved nursing education program may apply on the forms provided by the commission to offer a nursing education program for internationally educated nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure.

(2) All nursing education programs for internationally educated nurses shall:

(a) Have identified theory and clinical student learning objectives and program outcomes.

(b) Include evaluation methods to measure student achievement of the stated theory and clinical objectives.

(c) Be regularly evaluated by faculty and students.

(d) Have written policies and procedures for student admission, withdrawal, dismissal, progression, remediation, and completion of the course.

(e) Maintain student records for at least five years.

(f) Submit certification of successful completion of the program to the commission office on forms provided by the commission.

For internationally educated practical nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure, the nursing education program shall offer the following:

(1) A minimum of sixty hours of core theory content and one hundred twenty hours of simulated competency-based practice experiences.

(2) The theory course content must include, but not be limited to, a minimum of sixty hours in current basic concepts of:

(a) Nursing process;

(b) Pharmacology;

(c) Practical nursing today including legal expectations, the commission approved scope of practice decision tree, the Washington Nurse Practice Act as identified in chapter 18.79 RCW, and the Uniform Disciplinary Act identified in chapter 18.130 RCW;

(d) Basic communications and observational practices needed for identification, reporting, and recording patient needs;

(e) Basic physical, biological, and social sciences necessary for practice; and

(f) Practical nursing knowledge, skills, and professional identity to include, but not be limited to: Concepts of fundamentals, medical, surgical, and mental health nursing across the life span. These concepts must address diverse cultural, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds of patients and populations.

(3) The practice course content must include a minimum of one hundred twenty hours of competency-based simulation practice in the area(s) listed in subsection (2)(f) of this section. Exceptions may be approved by the commission after adequate rationale is provided by the nursing education program.

For internationally educated registered nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure, the nursing education program must offer the following:

(1) A minimum of eighty hours core theory content and one hundred sixty hours of simulated competency-based practice in medical surgical nursing, mental health, family, child, and obstetrical nursing.

(2) The core course content shall include, but not be limited to, a minimum of eighty hours of theory in current concepts of:

(a) Nursing process;

(b) Pharmacology;

(c) Professional nursing today including legal expectations, the commission approved scope of practice decision tree, the Washington State Nursing Practice Act as identified in chapter 18.79 RCW, and the Uniform Disciplinary Act identified in chapter 18.130 RCW;

(d) Communications and observational practices needed for identification, reporting, and recording patient needs;

(e) Basic physical, biological and social sciences necessary for practice; and

(f) Registered nursing knowledge, skills, and abilities to include, but not be limited to, concepts of fundamentals, medical, surgical, parent, child, geriatric, family, community, and mental health nursing.

(3) The competency-based simulated practice experiences must include a minimum of one hundred sixty hours of practice in the area(s) listed in subsection (2)(f) of this section. Exceptions must be justified to and approved by the commission.

(1) A nursing education program may apply to implement an innovative program approach or project by complying with the provisions of this section.

(2) Nursing education programs approved to implement innovative approaches or programs shall continue to provide quality nursing education preparing graduates to practice safely, competently, and ethically within the scope of practice as defined in chapter 18.79 RCW and chapter 246-840 WAC.

(3) The purpose of innovations in nursing education program approval is to:

(a) Foster innovative models of nursing education to address the changing needs in health care;

(b) Assure innovative approaches or programs protect the public; and

(c) Assure innovative approaches or programs maintain quality outcome standards.

(4) A nursing education program that holds full commission approval may be eligible to implement an innovative approach or program.

(5) The following information shall be provided to the commission at least three months in advance of requested implementation date:

(a) Identifying information to include name of nursing program, address, responsible party and contact information;

(b) A brief description of the current program;

(c) Identification of the regulation(s) affected by the proposed innovative approach;

(d) Length of time for, which the innovative approach is requested;

(e) Description of the innovative approach, including objective(s);

(f) Brief explanation of why the nursing education program wants to implement an innovative approach at this time;

(g) Explanation of how the proposed innovation differs from approaches in the current program;

(h) Rationale with available evidence supporting the innovative approach;

(i) Identification of resources supporting the proposed innovative approach;

(j) Expected impact innovative approach will have on the program, including administration, students, faculty, and other program resources;

(k) Plan for implementation, including timeline;

(l) Plan for evaluation of the proposed innovation, including measurable criteria/outcomes, method of evaluation, and frequency of evaluation; and

(m) Additional application information as requested by the commission.

(6) The following are the standards for approval:

(a) Eligibility and application criteria in subsections (4) and (5) of this section are met;

(b) The innovative approach or program will not compromise the quality of education or safe practice of students;

(c) Resources are sufficient to support the innovative approach or program;

(d) Rationale with available evidence supports the implementation of the innovative approach or program;

(e) Implementation plan is reasonable to achieve the desired outcomes of the innovative approach or program;

(f) Timeline provides for a sufficient period to implement and evaluate the innovative approach or program; and

(g) Plan for periodic evaluation is comprehensive and supported by appropriate methods of evaluation.

(7) If the application meets the standards, the commission may:

(a) Approve the application; or

(b) Approve the application with modifications as agreed between the commission and the nursing education program.

(8) If the submitted application does not meet the criteria in subsections (4) and (5) of this section, the commission may deny approval or ask for more information.

(9) The commission may rescind the approval or require the nursing education program to make modifications if:

(a) The commission receives evidence, which substantiates adverse impact; or

(b) The nursing education program fails to implement the innovative approach or program as presented and approved.

(10) The nursing education program shall provide the commission with progress reports conforming to the evaluation plan as requested by the commission.

(a) If any report indicates patients or students were adversely impacted by the innovation, the nursing education program shall provide documentation of corrective measures and their effectiveness; and

(b) The final evaluation report shall conform to the evaluation plan, detailing and analyzing the outcomes data.

(11) If the innovative approach or program achieves the desired outcomes, has not compromised public protection, and is consistent with core nursing education criteria, the nursing education program may request the innovative approach or program be continued.

(1) Nursing education programs meeting the requirements of WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556 may be approved by the commission for a maximum of ten years.

(2) To ensure continuing compliance with nursing education standards, nursing education programs may be required to participate in self-studies, self-evaluations and commission site visits at various times in the approval cycle depending on program outcomes and complaints received by the commission and as deemed necessary by the commission.

(3) Any proposed substantive nursing education program change must be presented to the commission for approval at least three months prior to implementation.

(a) Substantive changes include the following:

(i) Changes in legal status, control, ownership, or resources of the institution;

(ii) Faculty numbers below the required staff for clinical as found in WAC 246-840-532 or clinical simulation sections identified in WAC 246-840-534 (1)(g);

(iii) Changes in faculty composition when their expertise or experiences are not adequate to teach those areas of nursing described in WAC 246-840-523, 246-840-539, 246-840-541, 246-840-542, 246-840-543, and 246-840-544;

(iv) Changes in the number of students admitted requiring one or more additional clinical or practice groups, or changing the required faculty to student ratios of 1:10 for prelicensure programs and 1:6 for nursing education programs preparing students for advanced practice registered nurse licensure; or

(v) Major curriculum revision or changes in the length of the program.

(A) Major curriculum revisions include:

(I) Changes in curricular delivery method;

(II) Changes in nursing model or conceptual framework;

(III) Changes in curriculum meaning or direction of the curriculum such as philosophy, program goals, program terminal objectives, course objectives and descriptions;

(IV) Changes in total program credits; or

(V) Addition or deletion of a satellite or extended campus.

(B) The following changes do not require commission approval:

(I) Movement of content from one course to another; or

(II) Formatting changes in syllabi.

(b) The nurse administrator of the program shall submit the following when requesting approval for substantive changes:

(i) A letter explaining the substantive change request;

(ii) The rationale for the proposed change and anticipated effect on the program including faculty workload, students, resources, clinical or practice experiences, and facilities;

(iii) A summary or grid that explains the difference between the current practice and proposed change;

(iv) A timeline for implementation of the change; and

(v) The methods of evaluation to be used to determine the effect of the change.

(4) The program shall submit annual reports on forms provided by the commission and on the date specified.

(1) The commission may accept accreditation by a commission-recognized national nursing education accreditation body approved by the United States Department of Education as evidence of compliance with the standards of nursing education programs.

(a) The nursing education program shall submit to the commission a copy of any self-study submitted to the national nursing education accrediting body at the time the report is sent to the national nursing education accrediting body.

(b) The nursing education program shall submit to the commission within thirty days of receiving any report or accreditation letter from the national nursing education accreditation body to include, but not limited to: Continuous improvement progress reports, substantive change notification and accreditation action letters, site visit reports and program response letters, final site visit report and letter.

(c) The nursing education program shall submit notice of any change in program or institution accreditation status with the commission within thirty days of receipt of notice from the national accreditation body.

(d) Failure to submit notice of accreditation survey results within thirty days may result in a site visit or other sanctions as described in WAC 246-840-558.

(e) Programs holding approval based upon national nursing education accreditation must comply with WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(f) The commission may grant approval for a continuing period, not to exceed ten years, to nursing education programs with maximum continuing national accreditation.

(g) If the nursing program is accredited for less than maximum accreditation, the program must provide the commission with a copy of the report and a plan of correction for the items of noncompliance within thirty days of receipt from the accreditation body. The commission may require an additional report regarding noncompliance, or may conduct a site visit.

(2) Programs not nationally accredited by a commission-recognized national nursing accreditation body are subject to a site visit made by representative(s) of the commission on dates mutually agreeable to the commission and the nursing education program.

(a) Prior to the site visit, a nursing education program shall submit a self-evaluation report at least thirty days before the visit providing evidence of compliance with the standards of nursing education as identified in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(b) Prior to commission consideration, a draft of the commission site visit report will be made available to the school for review for corrections in statistical data.

(c) Following the commission's review and decision, the commission will send the program nurse administrator, the president and vice-president of instruction or provost written notification regarding approval of the program.

(1) When a matter directly concerning a nursing education program is being considered by the commission, any commission member associated with the program shall not participate in the deliberation or decision-making action of the commission.

(2) The commission shall evaluate each program in terms of its conformance to the nursing education standards in this chapter.

(3) Within thirty days of the commission's decision, the commission shall give written notice to the educational institution regarding its decision on the nursing education program's approval status, including the nurse administrator, the president and provost or vice-president of instruction.

(4) The commission shall grant continuing full approval to a nursing education program meeting the requirements of the law and this chapter. Full approval may carry recommendations for improvement and for correcting deficiencies.

(5) If the commission determines an approved nursing education program is not maintaining the education standards required for approval, the commission shall give written notice specifying the deficiencies and shall designate the period of time in which the deficiencies must be corrected.

(6) The commission may require the program to submit a plan of correction, or the commission may issue a directed plan of correction.

(7) The commission may limit student numbers or deny admission of new students if the program has insufficient resources, including faculty or program administration.

(8) The commission may withdraw program approval if the program fails to correct the deficiencies within the specified period of time.

(9) The commission may summarily suspend approval of a program if circumstances constituting an immediate threat to public safety are present.

(1) The commission may deny full approval to new or existing nursing education programs if it determines a nursing education program fails substantially to meet the standards for nursing education as contained in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(2) The commission may issue a statement of deficiencies and request a plan of correction or directed plan of correction requiring compliance within a designated time period.

(3) The commission may grant conditional approval to a nursing education program failing to meet the minimum standards contained in the law and this chapter.

(a) Conditions must be met within a designated time period and shall be specified in writing.

(b) A conditionally approved program shall be reviewed at the end of the designated time period. The review will result in one of the following actions:

(i) Restoration of full approval to existing programs;

(ii) Issuance of full approval to a new program;

(iii) Continuation of conditional approval; or

(iv) Issuance of intent to withdraw approval.

(4) The following situations may be cause for review, investigation, and a site visit by the commission to determine if the minimum standards for education nursing programs are being met:

(a) Complaints relating to violations of WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556;

(b) Denial, withdrawal, or change of program accreditation status by a commission-recognized national nursing accreditation agency or general academic accreditation agency;

(c) Failure to obtain commission approval of changes requiring commission approval under WAC 246-840-554 and 246-840-556;

(d) Providing false or misleading information to students or the public concerning the nursing program;

(e) Violation of the rules or policies of the commission;

(f) Inability to secure or retain a qualified nurse administrator;

(g) Inability to secure or retain faculty resulting in substandard supervision and teaching of students;

(h) Noncompliance with the program's stated purpose, objectives, policies, and curriculum resulting in unsatisfactory student achievement or negative program outcomes;

(i) Failure to provide clinical or practice experiences necessary to meet the objectives of the nursing program;

(j) Faculty student ratio in direct patient care is greater than 1:10 in prelicensure programs or 1:6 in nursing education programs preparing nurses for advanced registered nurse practitioner licensure; and

(k) Failure to maintain an average national council licensing examination (NCLEX) annual passing rate or average advanced practice certification annual passing rate of eighty percent.

(5) If a program:

(a) Fails to maintain an average NCLEX passing or advanced practice certification rate of eighty percent of first time test takers for one year, the program must complete an assessment of the problem. The program may request technical assistance from the commission.

(b) Fails to maintain an average NCLEX passing or advanced practice certification rate of eighty percent of first time writers for two consecutive years, the program must complete an assessment of possible contributing factors and submit a plan of correction to the commission. The commission may place the program on conditional approval status. The program may request technical assistance from the commission.

(c) Fails to maintain an average NCLEX passing or advanced practice certification rate of eighty percent of first time writers for three consecutive years, the program must complete an assessment of possible contributing factors, submit a plan of correction, and the commission may conduct a site visit. The program may request technical assistance from the commission. The commission shall place the program on conditional approval status.

(d) Fails to maintain a NLCEX passing or advanced practice certification rate of eighty percent for four out of five consecutive years, the commission shall continue the program on conditional approval, require a full evaluation site visit, and may withdraw program approval following the site visit.

(6) The commission may withdraw approval from existing nursing education programs if it determines that a nursing education program fails to meet substantially the standards for nursing education as contained in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(7) All these actions shall be taken in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 34.05 RCW, and any applicable rules of the commission.

(1) When a governing institution decides to close a nursing education program it shall immediately notify the commission in writing, stating the reason, plan, and date of intended closing. The governing institution may choose one of the following closing procedures:

(a) The nursing education program may continue until the last class enrolled is graduated if:

(i) The nursing education program continues to meet the standards for approval, WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556 until all of the enrolled students have graduated;

(ii) The date of closure is the date on the degree, diploma, or certificate of the last graduate; and

(iii) The governing institution notifies the commission in writing of the closing date; or

(b) The program may close after assisting in the transfer of students to other approved programs if:

(i) The program continues to meet the standards required for approval, WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556 until all students are transferred;

(ii) The governing institution submits to the commission a list of the names of students who have been transferred to approved programs and the date on which the last student was transferred; and

(iii) The date on which the last student was transferred shall be the closing date of the program.

(2) When the commission withdraws approval of a nursing education program, the governing institution shall comply with the following procedures:

(a) Students of the nursing education program shall be notified in writing of their status and options for transfer to an approved program.

(b) The nursing education program shall close after assisting in the transfer of students to other approved programs. The commission must establish a period for the transfer process.

(c) The governing institution shall submit to the commission a list of the names of students who have transferred to approved programs and the date on which the last student was transferred.

(3) Nursing education programs, regardless of type of closure, shall submit to the commission a plan for the secure storage and access to academic records and transcripts at the time of the decision to close the program.

The commission may consider reinstatement of withdrawn approval of a nursing education program after one year and upon submission of satisfactory evidence that the program will meet the standards of nursing education, WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556. The commission may conduct a site visit to verify the evidence provided by the nursing education program.

A nursing education program wishing to contest a decision by the commission that affects the program's approval status shall have the right to appeal the commission's decision in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18.79 RCW, chapter 34.05 RCW, the Administrative Procedure Act, and chapter 246-11 WAC.

(1) A program making application to the commission for approval of a refresher course for LPNs and RNs in Washington state shall submit a commission approved application at least three months before expected date of implementation.

(2) For in-state refresher course programs, the refresher program shall have a designated nurse administrator who is responsible for the overall operation and evaluation of the refresher program meeting the following qualifications:

(a) Active, unencumbered Washington state RN license; and

(b) Bachelor's degree in nursing with a graduate degree in nursing from a nursing accredited nursing education program, or bachelor's degree in nursing from a nursing education accredited program and a graduate degree from a health-related field from an accredited university.

(3) The philosophy, purpose and objectives of the refresher course must be clearly stated and available in written form. They must be consistent with the definition of nursing as outlined in chapter 18.79 RCW and WAC 246-840-700 and 246-840-705.

Objectives reflecting the philosophy must be stated in behavioral terms and describe the capabilities and competencies of the graduate.

(4) All nurse faculty shall:

(a) Hold an unencumbered, active license to practice as a registered nurse in the state of Washington;

(b) Be qualified academically and professionally for their respective areas of responsibility.

(i) Faculty in a practical nurse education refresher course program shall hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree in nursing from a nursing accredited nursing program;

(ii) Faculty in a registered nurse refresher course education program shall hold a bachelor's degree in nursing and a graduate degree in nursing from a nursing education accredited program or a bachelor's degree in nursing from a nursing accredited program and a graduate degree in a health-related field from an accredited university.

(c) Be qualified to develop and implement the program of study with at least two years of teaching experience;

(d) Plan, develop, oversee, and evaluate clinical experiences;

(e) Be sufficient in number to achieve the stated program objectives based on patient safety concerns.

The faculty to student ratio in the clinical area and simulation lab must be at least one faculty member to every twelve students. Exceptions shall be justified to and approved by the commission.

(5) The course content, length, methods of instruction and learning experiences shall be consistent with the philosophy and objectives of the course. Outlines and descriptions of all learning experiences shall be available in writing.

(6) The refresher program shall have written policies to include, but are not limited to:

(a) Admission requirements;

(b) Progression requirements and grading criteria;

(c) Dismissal criteria;

(d) Clinical and practice requirements;

(e) Grievance process;

(f) Student expectations and responsibilities; and

(g) Program costs and length of program.

(7) The program shall submit substantive change requests to the commission including changes in:

(a) Program name, mailing address, electronic address, web site address, or phone number;

(b) Curriculum;

(c) Clinical, simulation or didactic hours;

(d) Program instruction methods; or

(e) Ownership including adding or deleting an owner.

(8) Evidence-based methods shall be used to measure the student's achievement of the stated theory and clinical objectives.

(9) The refresher course shall be evaluated by faculty and students regularly.

(10) The refresher course shall ensure that prior to clinical practice experiences, the enrolled student holds either a limited education authorization from the commission, or an active nursing license in Washington state.

(11) The refresher course shall ensure all students have clinical practice experiences.

(12) Refresher course faculty or qualified preceptors may be used to teach in the clinical setting.

(a) Preceptors shall be licensed at same level of licensure as the student's refresher course type;

(b) Preceptors shall not be related to, or friends of the student;

(c) Preceptors shall receive the goals and objectives of the clinical practice course from the refresher program prior to the student's clinical experience; and

(d) Preceptors may assist faculty in the evaluation of the student's clinical learning experience.

(13) The refresher course shall not place students in the clinical setting without first validating student skills and knowledge to perform in the clinical setting.

(14) The refresher course shall maintain student records demonstrating the students have successfully completed the course and met the stated objectives for at least five years from date of course completion.

(15) The refresher course shall provide a certificate of successful completion of the course to the student. The certificate shall contain the following:

(a) Name of participant;

(b) Name of program;

(c) Number of didactic and clinical hours successfully completed; and

(d) Date of participant's completion of the program.

(16) The refresher course program shall submit an annual report to the commission on commission designated forms.

(17) The refresher course program shall apply for renewal of approval every five years by submitting a commission approved renewal application no later than three months before expiration of the approval.

For practical nurse refresher course programs, the course content must consist of a minimum of sixty hours of theory content and one hundred twenty hours of clinical practice.

(1) The theory course content must include, but not be limited to, a minimum of sixty hours in current basic concepts of:

(a) Nursing process and patient centered care;

(b) Cultural competence across the life span;

(c) Pharmacology, medication calculation, administration, safety, and the mitigation and reporting of medication errors;

(d) Review of the concepts in the areas of:

(i) Current practical nursing practice, including legal expectations as identified in chapters 18.79 and 18.130 RCW, and nursing scope of practice, including the commission approved scope of practice decision tree;

(ii) Therapeutic and basic communications and observational practices needed for identification, reporting, and recording patient needs; and

(iii) Basic physical, biological, and social sciences necessary for practice.

(e) Review and updating of practical nursing knowledge and skills to include, but not be limited to, concepts of delegation, leadership, fundamentals, medical, surgical, geriatric, and mental health nursing.

(2) The clinical course content shall include a minimum of one hundred twenty hours of clinical practice in the area(s) listed in subsection (1)(e) of this section.

(a) Sixty hours of clinical practice may be obtained through lab simulation if the program has adequate lab space and equipment to accommodate student learning and is approved by the commission.

(b) Exceptions shall be justified to and approved by the commission.

For registered nurse refresher course programs, the course content must consist of a minimum of forty hours core course content, forty hours of specialty course content, and one hundred sixty hours of clinical practice in the specialty area.

(1) The core course content must include, but not be limited to, a minimum of forty hours of theory in current basic concepts of:

(a) Nursing process and patient centered care;

(b) Cultural competence across the life span;

(c) Pharmacology, major drug classifications, medication calculations and administration, side effects, adverse reactions, associated lab tests and mitigation and reporting of medication errors;

(d) Critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and evidence-based practice;

(e) Review of the concepts in the areas of:

(i) Current professional nursing practice, including legal expectations as found in chapters 18.79 and 18.130 RCW, and nursing scope of practice, including the commission approved scope of practice decision tree;

(ii) Therapeutic and clinical communication skills and observational practices needed for identification, reporting, and recording patient needs; and

(iii) Basic physical, biological and social sciences necessary for practice.

(f) Review and updating of registered nursing knowledge and skills, including delegation, leadership, interdisciplinary team coordination and care management.

(2) The specialty course content shall include, but not be limited to, a minimum of forty hours of theory in current specialty nursing practice concepts of basic nursing related to the special area of interest such as surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatric, acute, intensive, extended care, or community health nursing.

(3) The clinical course content shall include a minimum of one hundred sixty hours of clinical practice in the specialty area(s) of interest as listed in subsection (2) of this section.

(a) Eighty hours of clinical practice may be obtained through lab simulation if the program has adequate lab space and equipment to accommodate student learning and is approved by the commission.

(b) Exceptions shall be justified to and approved by the commission.

(1) A college or university approved by the commission and located in the state of Washington to offer a graduate level nursing education program preparing students for advanced registered nurse licensure may apply to offer an ARNP refresher course program on a commission approved form.

(2) The nurse administrator or qualified designee of an approved ARNP program shall be responsible for the ARNP refresher course program. The designee shall meet the same qualification requirements as identified in WAC 246-840-517(3).

(3) The faculty teaching in the ARNP refresher program shall meet the requirements of WAC 246-840-523 and 246-840-527.

(4) The ARNP refresher course will provide didactic and clinical instruction in the full scope of practice of ARNP role and population foci as allowed in chapter 18.79 RCW and this chapter.

(5) At a minimum, the ARNP refresher program will include instruction and two hundred fifty hours of associated clinical practice and may offer more hours if required for licensure in:

(a) Advanced physiology/pathophysiology;

(b) Advanced health assessment;

(c) Pharmacotherapeutics;

(d) Diagnosis and management of diseases or conditions consistent with current standards of care;

(e) Ordering and interpreting diagnostic and laboratory tests;

(f) Safe and competent performance of procedures;

(g) ARNP scope of practice as defined in chapters 18.79 RCW and 246-840 WAC;

(h) Accepted standards of practice for ARNP.

(1) Refresher courses located outside the state of Washington shall be reviewed individually for approval by the commission and must meet curriculum and clinical practice standards identified in WAC 246-840-563 and 246-840-564, or 246-840-566.

(2) The nurse administrator shall hold an active, unencumbered RN license in the state of the program's domicile location and have a bachelor's degree in nursing with a graduate degree in nursing from a nursing accredited nursing education program, or bachelor's degree in nursing from a nursing education accredited program and a graduate degree from a health-related field from an accredited university.

(3) The commission may:

(a) Approve a refresher program for no longer than five years;

(b) Deny approval of a refresher program;

(c) Withdraw approval of a refresher program;

(d) Place a program on warning or conditional approval status;

(e) Make on-site visits to determine compliance with commission requirements for initial or ongoing approval, or to investigate a complaint;

(f) Require a program to submit a plan of correction; or

(g) Issue a directed plan of correction.

(4) A refresher program wishing to contest a decision of the commission affecting its approval status shall have the right to appeal the commission's decision in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18.79 RCW, chapter 34.05 RCW, the Administrative Procedure Act, and chapter 246-11 WAC.

(1) The commission may:

(a) Approve a refresher program for no longer than five years;

(b) Deny approval of a refresher program;

(c) Withdraw approval of a refresher program;

(d) Place a program on warning or conditional approval status;

(e) Make on-site visits to determine compliance with commission requirements for initial or ongoing approval, or to investigate a complaint;

(f) Require a program to submit a plan of correction; or

(g) Issue a directed plan of correction.

(2) A refresher course program wishing to contest a decision of the commission affecting its approval status shall have the right to appeal the commission's decision in accordance with the provisions of chapter 18.79 RCW and the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 34.05 RCW.

(1) The commission may approve out-of-state distance learning nursing education programs for the purpose of placing student in clinical or practice experiences in the state of Washington. The out-of-state distance learning nursing education program shall:

(a) Complete and submit a commission approved application and demonstrate equivalency to requirements for in-state Washington nursing programs;

(b) Provide clinical and practice supervision and evaluation of students in Washington state;

(c) Ensure the faculty, preceptors and others who teach, supervise, or evaluate clinical or practice experiences in the state of Washington hold an active, unencumbered nursing license appropriate to the level of student teaching. Faculty must be licensed in the state of Washington as an ARNP if teaching advanced registered nurse practitioner practice;

(d) Preceptors for students in a nursing education program preparing nurses for advanced registered nurse practitioner licensure shall not be related to the student or personal friends, and shall have an active, unencumbered license as an ARNP under chapter 18.79 RCW, a physician under chapter 18.71 RCW, an osteopathic physician under chapter 18.57 RCW, or equivalent in other states or jurisdictions;

(e) Ensure the faculty who teach didactic distance learning nursing courses hold a current and active, unencumbered nursing license in the state where the nursing program has legal domicile;

(f) Be accredited by a nursing education accrediting body approved by the United States Department of Education;

(g) Maintain accreditation status by the nursing education accrediting body;

(h) Report to the commission within thirty days of notice from the nursing education accrediting body if the accreditation status has changed; and

(i) Submit an annual report to the commission as identified in commission approved survey.

(2) The commission may conduct site visits or complaint investigations to clinical or practice locations to ensure compliance with commission requirements.

(3) The commission may withdraw clinical placement approval if it determines a nursing education distance learning program fails to meet the standards for nursing education as contained in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.

(4) The commission may refer complaints regarding the distance learning nursing education program to the home state board of nursing and appropriate nursing education accreditation body.

(5) A distance learning nursing education program wishing to contest a decision of the commission affecting its approval status for clinical or practice experiences shall have the right to a brief adjudicative proceeding under the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 34.05 RCW.