22 Tex. Admin. Code § 217.4 - Requirements for Initial Licensure by Examination for Nurses Who Graduate from Nursing Education Programs Outside of United States' Jurisdiction
(a) Criteria for nurse applicants for initial
licensure applying under this section.
(1) A
licensed vocational nurse applicant must:
(A)
have either:
(i) successfully completed an
approved program for educating vocational/practical (second level general
nurses) nurses within the four years immediately preceding the filing of an
application for initial licensure in Texas by providing a credential evaluation
service full education course-by-course report from a credential evaluation
service approved by the Board; or
(ii) successfully completed an approved
program for educating vocational/practical (second level general nurses) nurses
by providing a credential evaluation service full education course-by-course
report from a credential evaluation service approved by the Board and practiced
as a second level general nurse within the four years immediately preceding the
filing of an application for initial licensure in Texas;
and
(B) have achieved an
approved score on an English proficiency test acceptable to the Board, unless a
substantial portion of the applicant's nursing program of study, as determined
by the Board, was conducted in English.
(2) A registered nurse applicant must either:
(A) have successfully completed an approved
program for educating registered (first level general nurses) nurses within the
four years immediately preceding the filing of an application for initial
licensure in Texas by providing a credential evaluation service full education
course-by-course report from a credential evaluation service approved by the
Board, which verifies that the applicant:
(i)
has the educational credentials equivalent to graduation from a governmentally
accredited/approved, post-secondary general nursing program of at least two
academic years in length;
(ii)
received both theory and clinical education in each of the following: nursing
care of the adult which includes both medical and surgical nursing,
maternal/infant nursing, nursing care of children, and psychiatric/mental
health nursing; and
(iii) has
achieved an approved score on an English proficiency test acceptable to the
Board, or the equivalent, unless a substantial portion of the applicant's
nursing program of study, as determined by the Board, was conducted in English;
or
(B) have practiced as
a first level general nurse within the four years immediately preceding the
filing of an application for initial licensure in Texas and have successfully
completed an approved program for educating registered (first level general
nurses) nurses by providing a credential evaluation service full education
course-by-course report from a credential evaluation service approved by the
Board, which verifies that the applicant:
(i)
has the educational credentials equivalent to graduation from a governmentally
accredited/approved, post-secondary general nursing program of at least two
academic years in length;
(ii)
received both theory and clinical education in each of the following: nursing
care of the adult which includes both medical and surgical nursing,
maternal/infant nursing, nursing care of children, and psychiatric/mental
health nursing; and
(iii) has
achieved an approved score on an English proficiency test acceptable to the
Board, or the equivalent, unless a substantial portion of the applicant's
nursing program of study, as determined by the Board, was conducted in
English.
(3)
All applicants must file a complete application for registration containing
data required by the Board attesting that all information contained in, or
referenced by, the application is complete and accurate and is not false or
misleading, and the required application processing fee which is not
refundable.
(4) All applicants must
pass the NCLEX-PN (LVN applicants) or NCLEX-RN (RN applicants) as a Texas
applicant within four years of completion of the requirements for graduation or
within four years of the date of eligibility.
(5) All nurse applicants must submit
fingerprints for a complete criminal background check.
(6) All nurse applicants must pass the
jurisprudence exam approved by the Board, effective September 1,
2008.
(b) Credential
evaluation service (CES).
(1) A CES wishing
to be approved by the Board must meet the following requirements:
(A) The CES must be a member of a national
credentialing organization that sets performance standards for the industry.
The CES must adhere to the prevailing standards for the industry.
(B) The CES must specialize in the evaluation
of international nursing education and licensure.
(C) The CES must be able to demonstrate its
ability to accurately analyze academic and licensure credentials for purposes
of United States comparison, with course-by-course analysis of nursing academic
records.
(D) The CES must be able
to manage the translation of original documents into English.
(E) The CES must inform the Board in the
event applicant documents are found to be fraudulent.
(F) The CES must have been in the business of
evaluating nursing education for a minimum of five years.
(G) The CES must cite all references used in
its evaluation in its credentials report.
(H) The CES report must identify the language
of nursing instruction and the language of textbooks for nursing education.
(I) The CES must use only original
source documentation in evaluating nursing education.
(J) The CES report must describe the
comparability of the foreign education to United States standards.
(K) The CES report must detail course clock
hours for theory and clinical components of nursing education.
(L) The CES must be able to issue an
evaluation report within a reasonable time period, not to exceed six weeks.
(M) The CES must have an efficient
and accessible process for answering customer queries.
(N) The CES must be able to provide client
references/reviews upon request.
(O) The CES must have an established record
retention policy.
(P) The CES must
be able to provide testimony for Board hearings, if required.
(2) The CES must complete the
form(s) and affidavit required by the Board, submit all required documentation,
and receive approval from the Board before providing a report for Board
consideration. The Board will maintain a list of approved CES
providers.
(c) An
applicant who has not passed the NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN within four years of
completion of the requirements for graduation or within four years of the date
of eligibility must complete an appropriate nursing education program in order
to be eligible to take or retake the examination.
(d) Should it be ascertained from the
application filed, or from other sources, that the applicant should have had an
eligibility issue determined by way of a petition for declaratory order
pursuant to the Occupations Code §
301.257, then the
application will be treated and processed as a petition for declaratory order
under §
213.30 of this title (relating to
Declaratory Order of Eligibility for Licensure), and the applicant will be
treated as a petitioner under that section and will be required to pay the
non-refundable fee required by that section.
(e) Accustomation Permit.
(1) An applicant who has graduated from an
accredited nursing program outside the United States may apply to the Board for
a six month accustomation permit by completing an application. An applicant
holding an accustomation permit under this subsection may participate in
nursing education courses and clinical experiences.
(2) An applicant is eligible to apply for an
accustomation permit under this subsection only if the applicant has:
(A) graduated from an accredited nursing
program outside the United States;
(B) never taken the NCLEX-PN (LVN applicants)
or NCLEX-RN (RN applicants); and
(C) successfully completed a credential
evaluation service course-by-course report from a Board approved credential
evaluation service.
(3)
An applicant holding an accustomation permit under this subsection may only
participate in nursing education courses and clinical experiences under the
direct supervision of a registered nurse who holds a current and unencumbered
Texas license. For purposes of this subsection only, direct supervision
requires a registered nurse to be working with the applicant at all times. At
no time shall an applicant be left alone with a patient.
(f) Upon initial licensure by examination,
the license is issued for a period ranging from six months to 29 months
depending on the birth month. Licensees born in even-numbered years shall renew
their licenses in even-numbered years; licensees born in odd-numbered years
shall renew their licenses in odd-numbered years.
Notes
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