RELATES TO:
KRS
314.011,
314.042,
314.111,
314.131
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
314.111(3) and
314.131(2)
require the board to promulgate administrative regulations to set standards for
the establishment and outcomes of nursing programs, to approve schools of
nursing preparing persons for advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)
licensure, and to monitor standards for APRN competency under KRS Chapter 314.
KRS
314.131(1) authorizes the
board to promulgate administrative regulations to implement KRS Chapter 314.
This administrative regulation establishes standards for APRN programs of
nursing.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "APRN program coordinator" means that
individual who is responsible for the administrative oversight of the
educational unit that prepares a person for practice and licensure as an APRN
and is licensed as an APRN in one (1) of the four (4) roles.
(2) "APRN program of nursing" means the
educational unit for which the curricular design prepares a person for practice
and licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in one (1) of the four
(4) roles.
(3) "APRN track
coordinator" means that individual responsible for the oversight of the APRN
track and is licensed as an APRN in the same role and population focus as the
track.
(4) "Chief nurse
administrator" means the registered nurse who has academic and administrative
authority for the overall nursing program.
(5) "National nursing accrediting body" means
the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the Commission
for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the Commission on Nursing Education
Accreditation (CNEA), the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia
Educational Programs (COA), or the Accreditation Commission on Midwifery
Education (ACME).
(6) "Preceptor"
means an advanced practice registered nurse, a physician, or a physician
assistant who meets the standards established in Section 5 of this
administrative regulation.
(7)
"Role" means certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife,
certified nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist, as designated by
the board pursuant to
KRS
314.042.
(8) "Track" means the educational unit that
prepares a person for practice and licensure as an APRN in one (1) of the four
(4) roles and in a population focus as defined in
KRS
314.011(20).
Section 2. Accreditation
Communications. Copies of all correspondence and reports between the APRN
program of nursing or track, and the national nursing accrediting body
regarding accreditation shall be forwarded to the board by the APRN program of
nursing or track at the time of receipt or submission, but no later than thirty
(30) days of receipt.
Section 3.
Establishing a New APRN Program of Nursing or Track.
(1) An institution may receive consultation
from the board prior to establishing an APRN program of nursing or
track.
(2) An institution that
desires to establish and conduct an APRN program of nursing or track shall be
accredited as outlined in
201
KAR 20:260, Section 2(1)(a).
(3) An institution shall submit a letter of
intent to establish an APRN program of nursing or track along with the fee
required by
201 KAR
20:240, Section 1(2)(o) and (p).
(4) When the letter of intent is submitted to
the board, the institution shall begin the accreditation process with a
national nursing accrediting body and the Council on Postsecondary Education,
if applicable.
(5) The letter of
intent shall be completed under the direction of the registered nurse who shall
serve as the chief nurse administrator or the APRN program
coordinator.
(6) The letter of
intent shall include:
(a) General information
about the governing institution including the:
1. Mission;
2. Ownership;
3. Accreditation;
4. Enrollment;
5. Geographical area served; and
6. Resources that are sufficient to support
defined outcomes and goals;
(b) A description and rationale for the APRN
role and track, which includes the postgraduate certificate or graduate degree
to be awarded;
(c) Approval from
the governing body of the institution planning the APRN program of nursing or
track or other empowered approval bodies as applicable;
(d) Results of a needs assessment, including
availability of an adequate number of potential students and employment
opportunities for program graduates;
(e) Evidence of support from the community of
interest;
(f) A description of
physical or virtual resources adequate to meet the needs of the faculty and
students; and
(g) Evidence of a
sound financial base and demonstrated financial stability available for
planning, implementing, and maintaining the program of nursing.
(7) If the letter of intent is
approved by the board, the chief nurse administrator shall be notified in
writing that the program of nursing may move to the proposal phase. The
proposal shall be submitted within one (1) year of the date of the approval of
the letter of intent or it shall expire.
(8)
(a) A
completed proposal shall be submitted to the board by the governing institution
for approval.
(b) The proposal
shall include:
1. An organizational chart of
the governing institution and a written plan which describes the organization
of the program of nursing or track and its relationship to the governing
institution;
2. A designation of
the current or desired national nursing accrediting body to be used for the
accreditation of the program;
3.
a. A copy of the curriculum vitae of the APRN
identified as the APRN program coordinator or track coordinator;
b. The program coordinator who may serve as a
track coordinator if the requirements of Section 1(3) of this administrative
regulation are met;
4. A
timeline for the admission and enrollment of students, projected graduation of
the first class, and any plans for expansion;
5. The philosophy of the APRN program or
track and outcomes for graduates;
6. Curriculum design for each identified
population focus to include:
a. Proposed
course sequence;
b. Description of
courses;
c. Credit hours
delineating those credits assigned to theory and practice;
d. The total number of clinical hours
designated for each population focus; and
e. Information regarding Kentucky nursing
laws pertaining to APRNs, including scope of practice, licensure requirements,
and the role of the board of nursing. The provision in this clause shall be
implemented by January 1, 2020;
7. A five (5) year plan for securing clinical
sites and preceptors sufficient to accommodate the number of
students;
8. A five (5) year plan
for recruiting and retaining qualified nurse faculty; and
9. Recruitment plan and five (5) year
projection for student enrollment and policies and procedures for student
selection and progression.
(9) The program shall not be announced or
advertised, nor students admitted or enrolled until the proposal has been
approved and developmental status has been granted by the board.
(10) Developmental status shall be the
approval granted by the board to an APRN program of nursing or track that has
met all the requirements of this administrative regulation including evidence
that it has applied for accreditation from a national nursing accrediting
body.
(11) When developmental
status has been granted by the board, implementation of the program or track
may proceed, which includes the admission of students.
(12) Developmental status of an APRN program
shall expire if a class of students is not admitted within two (2) years of
receiving developmental status.
(13) It shall be the program of nursing's
responsibility to notify the board of the admission of the first class. The
status of the program shall move automatically from developmental status to
initial status upon admission of the first class and notification to the
board.
(14) All communication
between the APRN program of nursing and the national nursing accrediting body
shall be forwarded to the board by the chief nurse administrator or the APRN
program coordinator at the time of receipt from or submission to the
accrediting body, but no later than thirty (30) days of receipt by the
program.
(15) The chief nurse
administrator or the APRN program coordinator shall notify the board within
thirty (30) days of any change in accreditation status.
(16) The chief nurse administrator or the
APRN program coordinator shall notify the board of pending site visits by the
national nursing accrediting body and shall provide to the board copies of any
formal communication submitted to the national nursing accrediting body at the
time of submission.
(17) The
decision to grant program approval by the board shall be based on review of the
following:
(a) Achievement and continued
approval by a national nursing accrediting body; and
(b) Reports of site visits conducted by a
board representative to evaluate program compliance with administrative
regulations.
(18) The
board may grant program approval for a period of time not to exceed the
approval period of the national nursing accrediting body.
Section 4. Compliance with National Nursing
Accrediting Body Standards. An APRN program shall comply with the standards of
its national nursing accrediting body.
Section
5. Preceptor Standards.
(1) In
addition to the standards of the national nursing accrediting body, the APRN
program shall comply with the preceptor standards established in this
section.
(2) The APRN program shall
secure all necessary preceptors to students enrolled in the program. A student
shall not be required to obtain his or her own preceptor, but may have input
into the process.
Section
6. Ongoing Approval.
(1)
(a) The board shall be notified in writing of
a change, vacancy, or pending vacancy in the position of the APRN program
coordinator or the APRN track coordinator within thirty (30) days of the
program of nursing's awareness of the change, vacancy, or pending vacancy.
1. The governing institution shall submit to
the board in writing the name of the advanced practice registered nurse who has
been designated to assume the administrative duties for the program or track,
the date that person will assume the duties, and a copy of his or her
curriculum vitae.
2. If there is to
be a lapse between the date of the vacancy and the date the newly-appointed
program administrator or APRN track coordinator assumes the duties, then the
head of the governing institution shall submit a plan of transition to ensure
the continuity of the program.
3.
a. The length of the appointment of an
interim program administrator shall not exceed six (6) months Additional six
(6) month periods may be granted upon request to the board based on a
documented inability to fill the position.
b. Progress reports shall be submitted if
requested by the board.
(b) Approved APRN programs of nursing
accredited by a national nursing accrediting body may be subject to a site
visit at intervals associated with their national nursing
accreditation.
(c) The APRN program
of nursing shall submit to the board the annual report it submits to the
national nursing accrediting body.
(2) The board requires continuous
accreditation by a national nursing accrediting body.
(3) The board may perform a site visit of a
program on an announced or unannounced basis.
(4) Factors that may indicate the need for a
site visit and that jeopardize program approval status shall include:
(a) Identified deficiencies in compliance
with this administrative regulation;
(b) Noncompliance with the governing
institution or program of nursing's stated philosophy, mission, program design,
objectives, outcomes, or policies;
(c) Ongoing failure to submit records or
reports to the board within the designated time frame;
(d) Failure to provide sufficient clinical
learning opportunities including securing preceptors for students to achieve
stated outcomes;
(e) Failure to
comply with requirements of the board or to respond to recommendations of the
board within the specified time;
(f) Failure to submit communication from the
accrediting agencies within the time frames identified in Section 2 of this
administrative regulation;
(g)
Withdrawal of accreditation of either the program of nursing, college, or
university by a national or regional accrediting body, or if accredited for
less than the maximum accreditation period;
(h) Failure to obtain board approval at least
six (6) months prior to implementation of:
1.
The addition of a new APRN program of nursing or track; or
2. A change that affects the APRN program of
nursing's compliance with the accreditation standards;
(i) Providing false or misleading information
to students or the public concerning the program of nursing; or
(j) A change in the ownership or
organizational restructuring of the governing institution.
(5) If the APRN program of nursing achieves
reaccreditation, it shall submit documentation from the national nursing
accrediting body to the board for action. If the board finds that all
requirements have been met, the program shall continue to be eligible for
approval.
(6) Action following a
site visit:
(a) The board shall evaluate a
program of nursing in terms of its compliance with this administrative
regulation.
(b) Following a site
visit and prior to board consideration, a draft of the site visit report shall
be made available to the chief nurse administrator and to the APRN program
coordinator for review and correction of factual data.
(c) The APRN program coordinator or designee
shall be available during the discussion of the report at the board committee
meeting to provide clarification.
(d) Following the board's review and
decision, a letter shall be sent to the chief nurse administrator, the APRN
program coordinator, and the head of the governing institution regarding any
requirements to be met along with required timelines.
Section 7. Withdrawal of Approval
of an APRN Program.
(1) Approval of an APRN
program may be withdrawn if:
(a) It loses its
national nursing accreditation; or
(b) It is unable to or does not meet the
requirements of this administrative regulation.
(2) The board shall send notice to the chief
nurse administrator, the APRN program coordinator, and the head of the
governing institution of its intent to withdraw approval.
(3) Within thirty (30) days of receipt of
this notice, the chief nurse administrator may request an administrative
hearing pursuant to KRS Chapter 13B. If an administrative hearing is not
requested, approval shall be withdrawn and the program shall be closed. A
closed program shall comply with
201
KAR 20:360, Section 7.
(4)
(a) If a
program requests an administrative hearing, that hearing shall be held within
sixty (60) days of the request.
(b)
The board shall decide whether the hearing shall be held before a hearing
officer or before the full board.
Section 8. Licensure Requirement.
(1) The chief nurse administrator and the
APRN program coordinator shall hold an unencumbered active RN license in this
state or a privilege to practice pursuant to
KRS
314.475. The APRN program coordinator shall
also hold an unencumbered active APRN license in this state.
(2) Nurse faculty who teach via distance
learning shall hold an unencumbered active APRN license and an unencumbered
active RN license in the nurse faculty's primary state of residence.