Current through Rules and Regulations filed through March 20, 2024
(1) Definitions.
(a) "Affiliating Clinical Facility" refers to
a contracted health care agency utilized by a sponsoring agency for clinical
experience of the students enrolled in a Board-approved nursing education
program.
(b) "Approved Nursing
Education Program" located in this state means a nursing education program
approved by the board as meeting criteria established by the board. An
"approved nursing education program" located outside this state means a nursing
education program that the board has determined to meet criteria similar to and
not less stringent than criteria established by the board. In order to be
approved by the board, a nursing education program must be one that is offered
by:
1.A unit of the University System of
Georgia accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools;
2.An
institution of the Technical College System of Georgia;
3.A postsecondary institution of higher
education that is accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the
United State Department of Education; or
4.A postsecondary institution of higher
education that is not accredited in accordance with subparagraph (3) of this
paragraph, but whose curriculum has been determined by the board to meet
criteria similar to and not less stringent than criteria established by the
board for other approved nursing education programs.
(c) "Campus laboratory" refers to the area in
the classroom building which has been designed and organized to simulate the
actual hospital patient care setting and where students shall obtain initial
practice on each other and/or mannequins prior to experience at the affiliating
clinical facilities.
(d) "Clinical
learning focus objectives" refer to those outcomes and competencies to be
gained by student assignment to a specific affiliating clinical facility and/or
area within the agency.
(e)
"Clinical rotation plan" refers to the schedule by which students shall be
assigned to and rotated through the appropriate experiences available at each
affiliating clinical facility.
(f)
"Library" refers to published literature, audiovisual aids, and all other
educational materials available to faculty and students in the nursing
education program.
(g) "Master
Curriculum Plan" refers to the written summary showing the sequence of all
courses offered in the nursing education program. It includes the number of
contact or actual clock hours for each theory and clinical component of each
course, the total hours of theoretical and clinical per semester, and the total
hours of theory and clinical for the entire program.
1.Theory includes those learning activities
which occur in the classroom and campus 'laboratory setting.
2.Clinical includes pre- and
post-conferences, actual patient care experience, and other patient-centered
learning activities which occur in the clinical facility.
(h) "Sponsoring Agency" refers to a parent
institution of the nursing education program. The parent institution shall
provide financial and administrative support during the establishment and
operational existence of a Board-approved nursing education program. Any change
in the parent institution's accreditation or affiliation shall be reported to
the Board within thirty (30) days of such change.
(i) "Survey of need" refers to statements
from potential affiliating clinical facilities' on agency letterhead which
describe the following:
1.E ach agency's
current staffing patterns;
2.The
current number of vacancies per type of nursing personnel category;
3.The projected utilization of each level of
nursing personnel within the facility.
(j) "Syllabus" refers to a written summary of
a course in the nursing education program. It includes the course title and
number, its credit distribution, placement in the curriculum sequence,
prerequisite and co-requisite courses, a course description, learning goals or
objectives, related learning activities, and clinical experience, if
appropriate.
(2) At
least twelve (12) months prior to the initial enrollment of students, the
administrator of a sponsoring agency considering establishment of a nursing
education program must submit a letter to the Board indicating intent to
develop a program. The letter of intent shall include the following
information:
(a) "Survey of Need", which
demonstrates that current needs cannot be met by existing nursing education
programs within a fifty (50) mile radius of the proposed establishment
site;
(b) Evidence that adequate
clinical facilities are available for student experience;
1.Each potential affiliating clinical
facility should submit a letter:
(i)
Expressing willingness to contract with the proposed new nursing education
program for student experience; and
(ii) Describing the specifics about nursing
programs already utilizing the facility; and
(iii) Describing how the new program's
clinical experience needs shall be met without overloading the
agency.
2.At least three
(3) licensed hospital or nursing home beds must be available for every one (1)
student practical nurse at any given time;
3.At least 40% of the total required clinical
experience hours must be obtained in the hospital setting.
(c) The availability of classroom and campus
laboratory facilities and a library for the program;
(d) Evidence of financial resources for the
planning, implementation and continuation of the program; and
(e) The estimated number of qualified
applicants for initial and future classes.
(3) At least ten (10) months prior to the
initial enrollment of students, the administrator of the sponsoring agency
shall submit to the Board the following information:
(a) The official name of the proposed nursing
education program;
(b) The
anticipated starting date of the program, the number of classes to be admitted
per calendar year and the time(s) of admission of those classes, and the
anticipated maximum number of students to be admitted per class;
(c) The mailing address and other contact
information for the program;
(d) A
completed Clinical Facilities Information Sheet provided by the board which
includes all requested information about the affiliating agencies;
(e) The Clinical Facility Self-Study Report
from each proposed clinical facility which includes a current contract
agreement between the sponsoring agency and the clinical facility.
(4) After the Board has received
and reviewed the letter of intent and the materials pursuant to Rule
410-9-.02(2) and (3), the Board shall conduct site visits to the proposed
nursing education program and all of its affiliating clinical facilities.
(a) If compliance with Board Laws and Rules
has been demonstrated, the Board will grant Developmental Approval.
(b) If Developmental Approval is not granted,
a written explanation shall be provided to the proposed nursing education
program.
(5) At least
eight (8) months prior to the initial enrollment of students, the following
materials shall be submitted as Report I:
(a)
The administrative structure of the sponsoring agency which demonstrates the
lines of authority for the new nursing education program;
(b) A Nursing Faculty Qualification Record
and evidence of current Georgia licensure as a registered nurse which
demonstrates compliance with Rule
410-9-.07, of the Practical Nursing
Education Program Director or consultant who has been employed to continue the
initial development of the new nursing education program;
(c) The program purpose, philosophy, and
student terminal objectives pursuant to Rule
410-9-.05;
(d) A Master Curriculum Plan as described in
Rule 410-9-.02(1)(g) and consistent with Rule
410-9-.07;
(e) The syllabi for all courses in the
curriculum as described in Rule 410-9-.02(1)(j);
(f) Access to school/program
catalog;
(g) All program and
student policies as required by Rule
410-9-.09(2).
(6) At least four (4) months prior
to the initial enrollment of students, the following materials pertaining to
each course to be offered during the first half of the curriculum shall be
submitted as Report II:
(a) The specific
theoretical and clinical objectives/competencies for each unit of study within
each course;
(b) The student
learning and progress evaluation procedures.
(7) At least one (1) month prior to the
initial enrollment of students, the completed Nursing Faculty Summary Sheet,
and the Nursing Faculty Qualification Records, and evidence of Georgia
Registered Nurse licensure of the Practical Nursing Department Director and all
nursing faculty shall be submitted as Report III. All nursing faculty must
demonstrate the qualifications as set forth in Rule
410-9-.07.
(8) Provisional Approval shall be considered
after the Board, reviews Reports I, II, and III and must be granted prior to
the enrollment of students.
(a) If Provisional
Approval is not granted, an explanation shall be included in the report to the
school.
(b) A new program granted
Provisional Approval will remain on Provisional Approval for two years or until
its first graduating class has taken its initial licensing examination,
whichever is earlier, and the examination results are reviewed by the
Board.
(9) No later than
one (1) month after the initial enrollment of students, the following materials
shall be submitted as Report IV:
(a) The
actual start date of the program;
(b) The actual number of students
enrolled;
(c) The projected
completion/graduation date of the first graduates of the program.
(10) The program shall be eligible
for Full Approval if it has demonstrated compliance with all Board Laws and
Rules, and if 80% of its initial graduating class have passed their initial
licensing examination after graduation during the period of Provisional
Approval.
(11) The program shall be
placed on Conditional Approval if it has demonstrated noncompliance with any of
the Board Laws or Rules, or if less than 80% of its initial graduating class
have passed their initial licensing examination during the period of
Provisional Approval.
(a) While on conditional
approval, the program must demonstrate compliance with all Board Laws and Rules
and the program must achieve a 80% pass rate of its graduates who have taken
their initial licensing examination.
(b) Failure to achieve Full Approval within a
three (3) year period shall result in Withdrawn Approval pursuant to Rule
410-9-.03.
(12) Graduates of a nursing education program
which does not have Board approval shall be denied admission to the licensure
examination.
(13) No later than six
(6) months after the initial enrollment of students, the following materials
pertaining to each course to be offered during the remainder of the program's
curriculum shall be submitted as Report V:
(a)
The specific theoretical and clinical objectives/competencies for each unit of
study within each course;
(b)
Written plans for the utilization of affiliating clinical facilities as
described in board rules;
(c) The
student learning and progress evaluation procedures if different from materials
submitted in Report II;
(14) It is the responsibility of the
sponsoring agency to electronically submit each required report to the board at
least four (4) weeks prior to the scheduled board meeting at which the report
is to be considered.
O.C.G.A. §§
43-1-25, 43-26-2, 43-26-5(a)(4) -(6)
and 43-26-32.
